After a nice summer break, a new (small) update.

Hildegard von Bingen, twelfth century German mystic, author, composer and healer, was a remarkable woman. Among her other books is one called Physica, which is an encyclopedic treatise on medicine. Hildegard’s medical recipes used not only the usual herbs, but also parts of fish, birds, animals and reptiles, some of them real, some of them imaginary. Some of her treatments are not usually recommended by modern doctors; for example, the bat: “If someone has jaundice, strike a bat gently, so it does not die. Tie it over his loins, with the back of the bat turned toward the person’s back. After a little while, take it off, and tie it over his stomach. Leave it there until it dies.” The Physica is not a bestiary; its focus is on how animal parts can be used to heal humans, so Hildegard provides little information about the animals themselves. None of the known manuscripts is illustrated. The book gives a very interesting viewpoint on twelfth century medicine, at least how Hildegard saw it. The Encyclopedia article on Hildegard von Bingen is now online, and excerpts from the Physica can be found scattered through the Beast pages.

A bestiary is also included in this update: St John’s College (Oxford) Library, MS. 61. The manuscript is fully illustrated, and all of the images have been loaded into the gallery.

And finally, there are several of the usual minor updates, corrections and improvements.