A 13th-century description of uterine prolapse: causes, symptoms and treatment

Abstract

To describe and discuss Gilbertus Anglicus' contribution to the diagnosis and management of uterine prolapse in the Middle Ages. Anglicus'Compendium medicinae (ca. 1240) is generally considered a well-documented, systematic epitome of classical and early medieval medical knowledge. The British Library's Sloane manuscript 3486 contains a 15th-century English translation of Anglicus' work, and devotes folios 140(v)-147(v) to a small treatise on gynecology and obstetrics (the so-called 'sekenesse of wymmen'). Chapter six, in particular, deals with uterine prolapse by first approaching disease etiology, female physiology and symptom complex, and ending with a proposal of different therapeutic options to effectively treat or prevent the disorder. The 13th-century English physician Gilbertus Anglicus identified three different types of uterine prolapse, taking into account the obstetrical and gynecological writings of classical and early medieval authors. Anglicus systematically compiled some of the relevant information available to provide an accurate description of the etiology, symptom complex and treatment of this female disorder.