The Woman Thing: Gynecological Cures in Medieval Danish Medical Manuscripts

Abstract

This paper compares two late medieval Danish medical texts (NKS 66 8vo and AM 187 8vo) and examines their gynaecological cures. My paper argues that although written medical texts were not widely used, the assumptions behind the cures can reveal popular modes of thinking about women’s bodies. The choice of the mode of address of particular cures, how the voice of the manuscript changes depending on the topic, and the assumed level of the reader’s knowledge about women’s bodies, can indicate the inscribed readership. The topics and authorities chosen, and the order in which they are presented can point to different sources of information, or group particular cures that may not seem to be ‘women’s medicine’ into gynaecology. The later additions to the text, can show how readers interacted with the manuscript over time and some of the potential uses to which it was put. Features of other cures, such as the assumed availability of breastmilk, can point to actual practice. Finally, the paper examines the differences between the manuscripts, and the ways in which they treat women’s bodies.