The Trotula and the Works of Hildegard of Bingen

Abstract

Two thirteenth century works on medicine attributed to women are examined for what they tell us about those writing inside and outside the medical tradition, and what the authors might have known about folk medicine. The Trotula is traditionally attributed to a female author (Trota) who was a teacher in the medical school at Salerno. While only part of the book, if any, was written by Trota, the text was a mainstay of gynaecological treatment through the sixteenth century. Hildegard of Bingen was a prolific author and abbess who wrote two works addressing health: Causae et curae and Physica. All three texts are examined and compared for their take on humoral theory and influence of folk medicine.