Anster Nicht: More Than Leeches? Weird and Wonderful New Discoveries in Medieval Medicine

Everyone knows that living in the Dark Ages was dangerous. All that plague, odd ideas about leeches, and ignorance. But what if medieval ideas about health and wellbeing weren’t all (entirely) mad? Professor James Palmer from the University of St Andrews gives us an entertaining tour of new discoveries that have transformed what we know about medieval medicine.   The talk draws on his British Academy research project – recently featured in the Times and the Mail – which has more than doubled the evidence we thought we had for medicine in the first millennium. It reveals a lively, if flawed, world of experimentation, as people collected and studied what they could, using books and herbals ingredients from as far away as Indonesia. In many ways, we discover, the principles of wellbeing were not so different than they are today.   Members and non-members are welcome to attend our public talks at Dreel Halls in Anstruther. If you are not yet a member of the AIA you can attend individual Anster Nichts for £3 per event. Membership is £10 per year and to find out more please visit our Membership page:http://www.anstrutherimprovements.org/support-us/membership/