The idea of lapidary medicine: its circulation and practical applications in medieval and early modern England: 1000-1750

Abstract

This dissertation explores the transmission and circulation of ideas related to a rarely studied aspect of medieval and early modern medicine: the therapeutic application of gemstones. It traces the dissemination of ideas about the healing virtues of "stones" beginning with their Western origins in classical Greek and Roman texts to the manuscript culture of medieval Europe. Then the study continues with a close look at the development of lapidary theory in the print culture of early modern England, especially popular advice manuals. Finally, the dissertation examines the practice of lapidary medicine as it is recorded in a range of archival sources, such as wills and apothecary inventories, as well as in iconographic and archeological evidence found in portraits, woodcuts, and surviving examples of jewelry. The study demonstrates that lapidary theory was part of the orthodox medical tradition of early modern England and that ideas about lapidary healing circulated widely through the use of popular medical advice manuals. Furthermore, it presents evidence that lapidary materials were commonly sold by seventeenth-century jewelers and apothecary shops and were therefore widely available to early modern consumers.

Ph.D.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 209-250)

by Nichola Erin Harris