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The Church, Leprosy and Plague in Medieval and Early Modern Europe

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 March 2016

Richard Palmer
Richard Palmer*
Affiliation:
Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine
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Extract

In this paper I would like to explore theories of disease and practices of healing in late medieval and early modern Europe, and to focus on two diseases, leprosy and plague. Much of the discussion will be based on Italian evidence since in this period, and especially in the sixteenth century, Italy was in the forefront of European medicine. Physicians were more numerous in Italy than in most European countries, and available not only in cities, but in small towns and rural communities. But disease and healing were not the exclusive concern of the medical profession. The church had not forgotten that healing had theological overtones. Equally there were the governments of the Italian states deeply committed to legislation for public health and to the control of epidemics.

Type
Research Article
Information
Studies in Church History , Volume 19: The Church and Healing , 1982 , pp. 79 - 99
Copyright
Copyright © Ecclesiastical History Society 1982

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References

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