Abstract
The lordship of Ireland existed for 364 years from 1177 to 1541. Inhabited
mostly by the English-of-Ireland, its medical infrastructure resembled contemporary
England rather than Gaelic Ireland. The medical marketplace comprised
physicians, surgeons, barber-surgeons, apothecaries and midwives, some organised
into societies and guilds. Monastic infirmaries and hospitals, including leper
hospitals, provided institutional care. Medical practice was rooted in classical
medicine and the few Hiberno-English medical texts that survive attest to the
use of bleeding, herbs and charms as treatments. Among many ailments leprosy
was common, but the arrival of the Black Death bubonic plague pandemic of
1348 decimated the population of the lordship and contributed to its eventual
decline. Using historical, archaeological and literary sources this paper analyses
the experience of medicine, illness and disease among the people of the lordship
of Ireland from the twelfth to the sixteenth centuries.
mostly by the English-of-Ireland, its medical infrastructure resembled contemporary
England rather than Gaelic Ireland. The medical marketplace comprised
physicians, surgeons, barber-surgeons, apothecaries and midwives, some organised
into societies and guilds. Monastic infirmaries and hospitals, including leper
hospitals, provided institutional care. Medical practice was rooted in classical
medicine and the few Hiberno-English medical texts that survive attest to the
use of bleeding, herbs and charms as treatments. Among many ailments leprosy
was common, but the arrival of the Black Death bubonic plague pandemic of
1348 decimated the population of the lordship and contributed to its eventual
decline. Using historical, archaeological and literary sources this paper analyses
the experience of medicine, illness and disease among the people of the lordship
of Ireland from the twelfth to the sixteenth centuries.
| Original language | English (Ireland) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1-28 |
| Number of pages | 28 |
| Journal | Proceedings Of The Royal Irish Academy Section C-Archaeology Celtic Studies History Linguistics Literature |
| Volume | 125C |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 2024 |
Keywords
- Medicine, disease, English-of-Ireland, history, lordship of Ireland, Hiberno English