Materia Medica: Exploring Medieval Pharmacy Detail from British Library Cotton Vitellius C III, f. 57v.

“In return for mere words [of gratitude] we use mountain herbs, but for real money, we recommend spices and aromatics.”

Materia Medica: Exploring Medieval Pharmacy Of the three main branches of medicine (regimen, pharmacy and surgery), pharmacy is the best represented in the surviving sources. Scholars have uncovered a fascinating history of commerce in materia medica, even in the earlier middle ages that has helped in the reconsideration of the often bewildering ingredients in medical manuscripts. More recently, some have even ventured to experiment with recreating ancient and medieval remedies in laboratory settings, with sometimes surprising results; but how should we think of medieval medical efficacy?

Sources of Early Medieval Pharmacy Herbals and other guides to Materia medica: ancient and medieval reference works, often illustrated Antidotaria (sing. Antidotarium): recipe collections Euporista literature: herb substitution lists References in narrative sources

Drug classifications Simples: single- ingredient remedies Compound drugs: made up of two or more substances; could be extremely complicated Theriac Mithridatum Illustration of a pharmacy in the Italian Tacuinum sanitatis, 14th century.

Modern compound medicines But there was one particular ingredient in what was originally labelled as Pemberton’s French Wine Cola that is definitely not included today ~ and that was an infusion of coca leaves.

Metrological Units in Early Medieval Recipe Collections 1 libra (pound) = 12 unciae (ounces) =24 semunciae (half-ounces) = 96 dragmae (drachmas or drams) = 288 scripula (scruples)

The Medieval Drug Trade Bede (Northumbria, 8th century): distributed “linen, pepper and incense” at death Bishop Cynehard’s request (8th century) for medical books and spices Chlothar III of Franks (657- 773): granted Corbie 30 pounds of pepper and 150 pounds of cumin annually from royal warehouses Willibald’s balsam-smuggling operation (8th century)

Exotic Products Alphabetum Galieni: 281 ingredients 50 provided with provenance Additional 34 ingredients: the ”best” comes from a particular place Rest of ingredients: “Known by everyone” Attested Provenance Egypt (16 ingredients) India (12) Pontus (10) Gallia (10) Arabia (8)

Did medieval drugs work?

AncientBiotics University of Nottingham research team composed of Anglo-Saxonists and microbiologists Recreated an Anglo- Saxon recipe drawn from Bald’s Leechbook intended for eye problems Electron micrograph of Methicilin-Resistant Staphlococcus aureus being eaten by human neutrophil

Make an eyesalve against a wen: take equal amounts of cropleac and garlic, pound well together, take equal amounts of wine and oxgall, mix with the alliums, put this in a brass vessel, let stand for nine nights in the brass vessel, wring through a cloth and clarify well, put in a horn and at night apply to the eye with a feather; the best medicine. (Translation in Freya Harrison’s study, 2015)

A Recipe with a Large Shadow AncientBiotics not the first to explore this recipe Malcolm Cameron (1991): “likely to have been helpful” Brennessel, Drout and Gravel (2004): recreated recipe but found opposite results of AncientBiotics Recipe for an eye salve, from Bald’s Leechbook, England (Winchester?), mid-10th century, Royal MS 12 D XVII, f. 12v

Helen King’s critique What are ingredients? Cropleac: alternately translated as leeks, shallots, garlic, onions – basically any onion-like thing Modern bias regarding “improbable” vs. “feasible” remedies and ingredients What is the original recipe supposed to treat? How should we proceed? And how to think about medieval medical efficacy? Narcosis and nightshade Foxglove Members of the Allium family of root vegetables

Next Class: Wed. November 1 “If these bones could talk”: Using Genetics as a Historical Source Readings Monica Green, “Genetics as a Historicist Discipline” [online] Robin Fleming, “Bones for Historians” [PDF] RECOMMENDED: Piers Mitchell, “Retrospective Diagnosis” [ejournal] RECOMMENDED: Tony Waldron, “Epidemiology” RECOMMENDED: Milner and Boldsen, “Life not Death”