The transition from monastic to secular medicine in medieval England
- UNCW Author/Contributor (non-UNCW co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
- Ginny L. Gaweda (Creator)
- Institution
- The University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW )
- Web Site: http://library.uncw.edu/
- Advisor
- William McCarthy
Abstract: During the Middle Ages, up to the twelfth century, monasteries were the primary
source of medical education in Europe and maintained medical facilities such as hospitals
and infirmaries.1 By the latter half of the twelfth-century, the location of medical
education in medieval England had begun to shift away from the monastic communities
to the developing schools and universities in the growing urban areas.2 According to
historian David Lindberg, the transition of medical education to secular universities
corresponded with the growing trends of professionalization and secularization that were
redefining medical practice.3 At present, scholars have yet to study the quality and
availability of treatment during this period of English history. This is largely due to an
academic void surrounding the issue of health care provision during the late Middle
Ages.4 In addressing this gap, this thesis will rely on a combination of primary and
secondary source materials as it analyzes the transition from monastic to professionalized
secular medicine, the condition of secular and domestic medicine, as well as the altering
state of medical education, ethics, and treatment, in order to determine how these changes
affected the characteristics and availability of medical care in twelfth, thirteenth, and
early fourteenth-century England, ending with the Black Death of 1348.
The transition from monastic to secular medicine in medieval England
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Created on 1/1/2009
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Additional Information
- Publication
- Thesis
- A Thesis Submitted to the University of North Carolina at Wilmington in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of Masters of Arts
- Language: English
- Date: 2009
- Keywords
- Medicine--England--History
- Subjects
- Medicine -- England -- History