Medicine and Society in Early Modern Europe (New Approaches to European History)

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Summary: An integrated view of medicine in its historical context
Review: In this book Mary Lindemann describes the practice of medicine in early modern Europe (1500-1800) in its historical context, giving intriguing insights. She emphasizes that until recently this period was seen by medical history scientists as a dark period, in which no medical cure whatsoever was available. Also the advent of medicine was often described as a success story of ingenious, white-coated, university-educated doctors.

In this book, part of the series New Approaches to European History, she takes a look at the practice in this period through the eyes of a modern historian. She puts the developments into a wider perspective including other developments in the society. This leads to some revealing insights.

It may be true that there were not a lot of university-educated doctors around, especially in the countryside, but the place was literaaly swarming with other health providers, such as surgeons, barber-surgeons, apothecaries, midwives and many more people who ofter were quite well educated through a system of guilds. Also, there were quite a lot of public and private initiatives to prevent or counteract outbreaks, give support to the poor and needy and to regulate health and medical practice-related matters.

What remains is the impression that medicine in early modern Europe was less primitive than we often think (some supposedly very modern concepts such as an essential drugs list for apothecaries were already in place in the 17th century), even though there was often no cure available, and that the medical practice was on the one hand solidly anchored in a historical tradition and on the other hand developing rapidly.