I was so caught up in the beauty of the snow yesterday that I put aside this review until this afternoon. Victoria snow usually doesn’t last long, so I appreciate it’s beauty while being cautious about icy streets and sidewalks. Saturday, before all the snow, I and a friend attended a full day of learning about Medieval Medicine. I’m not very good at sitting still and haven’t been in full day classes for a very long time.
Facilitated by Hélène Cazes of Medieval Studies and French, this was the 30th Annual Medieval Workshop, held on the UVic campus, and was well attended. Started in the living room of one of the founders, interest in Medieval issues has grown so that the venue is now in the Bob Wright Centre at the University. The interest has also been such that a core group of attendees have been returning regularly. The workshop will be taking a new form that will be forthcoming.
Galen and Hippocrates, Master Bartholomaeus and The Black Death. The Balsam Tree, no longer found in this world of modernity, was the panacea of the Medieval world. We learned about the beginnings of medicine. In the foyer on Saturday, there was a Library Presentation, a Silent Auction and demonstrations of various medieval tools, including wool carding, weaving and spinning. Jewelry made and crafted after jewelry from Medieval times were on display and for sale. (I did try on several rings, but didn’t buy anything.) After our lunch break and before the afternoon session, we were treated to music by the Banquo Folk Ensemble playing and singing medieval music. They had a varied selection of medieval musical instruments.
Writing this review cannot encompass all that was presented. Was this fun? Not certain I can say that it was. Was it interesting? Most definitely. Since medieval times, men like Hippocrates and Galen, have grasped onto questions about the nature of healing. Along the way, the identification of diagnosing and differing treatments have brought us into the sphere of modern medicine.
“Wherever the art of medicine is loved, there is also a love of humanity.”
~ Hippocrates
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