Medicine and the Law in the Middle Ages

Wendy J. Turner, Ph.D. (2000), UCLA, is Professor of History at Georgia Regents University. Her monograph is Care and Custody of the Mentally Ill, Incompetent, and Disabled in Medieval England (Brepols, 2013). Well published, she has edited two other volumes.Sara M. Butler, Ph.D. (2001), Dalhousie University, is Associate Professor of History at Loyola University New Orleans. She is the author of two books, most recently Divorce in Medieval England: From One to Two Persons in Law (Routledge, 2013).

"...With a concentration on reading and critiquing these medieval sources of medicine and law together, Turner and Butler, along with their contributors uncover how two bodies of knowledge intersect and interact, shedding light on each other equally. Indeed, "a study of medical practice through the eyes of the law...furnishes a unique opportunity to see medicine in action" (7). Simultaneously, Turner and Butler describe the law as invested in medicine and physicians for their expertise in court cases and legal matters. ...presenting several avenues for future study, highlighting one of the strengths of this collection. ...The distinction between theory and practice raised by several essays in the collection, especially those discussing the prestige of medical education or licensure, serves … as one of the more significant contributions the collection makes. And, indeed, for this reviewer, reading [Katherine D. Watson's] remarks makes clear how this collection raises as many questions as it answers, which is particularly appealing. Indeed, although scholars might wish for essays on subjects not covered, it is fitting that such a scholarly endeavor would need to strike a balance between comprehensiveness and coverage. So while this collection contains essays that are focused--almost surgical in their specific interventions--it also makes an effort to include a range of topics, covering almost ten centuries of material and most of Western Europe in twelve well-constructed chapters. Although it is ambitious, the collection responds with clarity and concision to the texts under discussion."Will Rogers, University of Louisiana, Monroe in The Medieval Review, 15.10.46

• Acknowledgements …ixAbout the Authors …xAbbreviations …xiiiMedicine and Law: The Confluence of Art and Science in the Middle Ages …1Wendy J. Turner and Sara M. ButlerMedical Matters in Law and Administration of Law …231 Compensating Body and Honor: The Old Frisian Compensation Tariffs …25Han Nijdam2 Midwives in the Middle Ages? Birth Attendants, 600–1300 …58Fiona Harris-Stoertz3 Learned Men and Skillful Matrons: Medical Expertise and the Forensics of Rape in the Middle Ages… 88Hiram Kümper4 Expert Examination of Wounds in the Criminal Court of Justice in Cocentaina (Kingdom of Valencia) during the Late Middle Ages …109Carmel Ferragud5 Forensic Evidence, Lay Witnesses and Medical Expertise in the Criminal Courts of Late Medieval Italy… 133Joanna Carraway Vitiello6 Mental Health as a Foundation for Suit or an Excuse for Theft in Medieval English Legal Disputes …157Wendy J. TurnerProfessionalization and Regulation of Medicine …1757 Making Right Practice? Regulating Surgery and Medicine in Fourteenth and Fifteenth-Century Bologna …177Kira Robison8 Medical Licensing in Late Medieval Portugal… 196Iona McCleery9 Dreaming of Valencia’s Social Order in Jaume Roig’s Espill…220Jean Dangler10 Portrait of a Surgeon in Fifteenth-Century England …243Sara M. ButlerMedicine and the Law in Hagiography …26711 An Infirm Man: Reading Francis of Assisi’s Retirement in the Context of Canon Law …269Donna Trembinski12 Medicine and Miracle: Law Enforcement in the Lives of Irish Saints …288Máire JohnsonConcluding Remarks …317Katherine D. WatsonWorks Cited …328Index…369