O zaleceniach medycznych Jana z Kwidzyna na podstawie Żywotu Doroty z Mątów
On medical recommendations of Johannes Marienwerder based on The Life of Dorothea of Montau

Summary/Abstract: Hagiographic texts are a treasury of medical knowledge. I would like to prove that thesis with the example of the life of blessed Dorothea of Montau, a 14th century mystic, stigmatic, Franciscan tertiary. The text was written in 1398 by Johannes Marienwerder – a Teutonic monk, a dean of the cathedral Pomesanian Chapter. His knowledge of medical issues is astounding as the hagiographer writes about types of wounds, bones and particular diseases such as gout and scabies and he associates the state of one’s complexion with one’s health. The author is also aware of the existence of body inflammation and considers it necessary to get rid of it. Apart from historical reality, the hagiographer makes us familiar with mediaeval imagination deriving from it, adding medical issues to the symbolism of that period. However, first of all, he shows us how important it is to study historical written sources that also explain our contemporary times.

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