Researchers learning how immunity to the plague developed
Scientists examining the remains of 36 bubonic plague victims from a 16th-century mass grave in Germany have found the first evidence that evolutionary adaptive processes, driven by the disease, may have conferred immunity on later generations of people from the region.
Cancer rates in medieval Britain around ten times higher than previously thought, study suggests
Between 9-14% of adults in medieval Britain had the disease at the time of their death.
Epidemics in Medieval Iceland: The Evidence of Contemporary Annals
Elizabeth Rowe discusses how epidemics repeatedly struck the isolated community of Iceland in the later Middle Ages, and contemporary annals record them in ways that range from the horrifying to the humorous.
A Medieval Guide to Avoiding the Next Pandemic
One example from medieval England told readers all they needed to know to avoid getting sick during the next pandemic.
Monstrous Births in the Middle Ages
Tim Wingard explores medieval theories of embryology and the concept of the hybrid human/animal monster. This talk focuses on the late-13th-century medical text ‘De secretis mulierum’ (‘On the Secrets of Women’).
Science in the Middle Ages – Rediscovering its Latent Genius
Did “science” exist as we commonly refer to it today in the Middle Ages, or was research and study treated as a mere curiosity?
How the Black Death reached Europe – new research on the pandemic’s spread
“When, how, and why did the Black Death reach Europe?” These are the questions asked by Hannah Barker. In a new article, the historian finds that the long-believed story of how this great medieval plague reached Europe is likely untrue, and that the story of the pandemic’s spread has to deal with grain and trade.
Overestimating the effects of the Justinianic Plague
Researchers examining the Justinianic Plague have discovered that late 19th century misconceptions about the outbreaks of pandemic led to an ingrained belief that they inherently cause widespread death and change the course of history.
The study of Byzantine skeletons, with Chryssa Bourbou
A conversation with Chryssa Bourbou on what we learn from health and society in Byzantium from the study of skeletal remains.
Medieval Medicine: Does it work? with Joe Alcock
There’s talk in the news from time to time about the surprising efficacy of medieval medicine. Does it actually work? This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle speaks with emergency physician and wilderness medicine expert Dr. Joe Alcock about which medieval remedies really could work in a pinch, and why.
Plagues were spreading faster in centuries after Black Death, researchers find
Researchers who analyzed thousands of documents covering a 300-year span of plague outbreaks in London, England, have estimated that the disease spread four…
What cesspits are revealing about health in the medieval world
Analysis of 14th-15th century latrines in Jerusalem and Riga, Latvia identifies some of the microbes found in the guts of these pre-industrial populations, illuminating how gut contents have changed since medieval times.
Medieval Bodies with Jack Hartnell
From manuscripts to wash basins, medieval objects can tell us a lot about how people conceived of the world. This week on The Medieval Podcast, Danièle speaks with Dr. Jack Hartnell about what objects can tell us about the Middle Ages, medicine, and especially medieval bodies.
Leonardo da Vinci and the inner workings of the human heart
The study sheds light on questions asked by Leonardo da Vinci 500 years ago, and shows how the shape of these muscles impacts heart performance and heart failure.
The Vikings also suffered from Smallpox, researchers find
The fatal disease smallpox is older and more widespread than scientists have first thought.
How a medieval medicine might become a treatment for modern day infections
One of the key challenges of modern day medicine is antibiotic resistance. There is now strong evidence that a medieval cure for eye infections will be able to greatly help meet this challenge.
Call for Papers: Phenomenology of Religious Experience V: (Ir)Rationality and Religiosity During Pandemics
A call for papers for a topical issue of the journal Open Theology
The Place of Epidemics in the History of Human Societies
Human societies are gradually becoming aware of the fragility of their systems, built over the centuries since Neolithic times, in front of new epidemic risks
Researchers find evidence of a tropical disease reaching medieval northern Europe
Genomic analysis of plague victims from a mass burial in Lithuania identifies a medieval woman who was also infected with yaws – a disease today found only in the tropics
Plagues and Faiths, Past and Present
As the Bubonic Plague made its way westward from China in the 14th century, Christians, Muslims, and Jews in its path thought anxiously about what practices of public health and of piety might save them.
Project to datamine medieval medical texts wins fellowship
Dr Erin Connelly of the University of Warwick has been awarded a UKRI Future Leader Fellowship for her research on the use of medieval medical texts for modern medicines.
The contours of disease and hunger in Carolingian and early Ottonian Europe (c.750-c.950 CE)
This thesis is the first systematic examination of the textual and material evidence for disease and hunger in Carolingian and early Ottonian Europe, c.750 to c.950 CE
More doubt cast on impact of Justinianic plague
Historical research and mathematical modeling challenge the death rate and severity of this first plague pandemic.
The Pulse: A Medieval Lie-Detector?
Although there was quite a lot that medieval people hadn’t yet discovered about the human body, their keenness of their observation shouldn’t be underestimated.
The mystery of plague in medieval Iceland
Icelandic annals record two severe plague epidemics for 1402-4 and 1494-95.