Medieval Bodies

October 1, 2019
An in-depth look at the medieval conception of the human body. Some readers may be put off initially by this head-to-toe dissection of the body, but they should press on to encounter a delightful mixture of thought, experiment, discovery, and religion. In his debut book, Hartnell (Art History/Univ. of East Anglia, Norwich) uses his knowledge of art history and the drawings and paintings that showed then-current thinking on organs, bones, blood, and the body in general. The key to understanding this era is the interaction among diverse cultures. "A shared classical heritage undeniably binds together the medieval history of the regions on all sides of the Mediterranean," writes the author, "separating them somewhat from the busy parallel stories of the Far East, India, China, sub-Saharan Africa or the pre-Columbian Americas. Three principal inheritors of the legacy of Rome [Byzantium, Western and Central Europe, and the Islamic world] come to the fore, each representing a different texture of the medieval bodies that I want to try to trace." With the exception of the Crusades, the Muslim kingdoms thrived through tolerance for other religions and cultures, enabling trade and, most importantly, the sharing of ideas. For Hartnell, two of the most interesting illustrations are the "Hebrew Bloodletting Figure" and the "German Wound Man." The bloodletting figure provided a map of the most efficacious spots to bleed a patient while the Wound Man offered cures for punctures and other wounds as well as instructions on the placement of a styptic. Among other intriguing topics, the author discusses a 10th-century Arabic author who provided dental advice and instructions on suturing wounds. As Hartnell shows, medieval conceptions of medicine and the body fluctuated between tangible and fantastic and often conflated thoughts, philosophy, and religion with artistic imagination. When we consider that observational dissections didn't regularly take place until the 1500s, the scope of the work of these cultures is quite impressive. A wise, eye-opening interdisciplinary view of an era that "featured numerous exciting conceptions of the human form."

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October 14, 2019
Art historian Hartnell’s entertaining, comprehensive debut contradicts the popular conception of the Middle Ages as a “backwards, muddy” time by surveying medieval attitudes toward the human body. Analyzing medical textbooks, physicians’ accounts, poetry, religious sermons, and artworks from Europe, the Byzantine Empire, and the Islamic world, Hartnell works his way from “head to heel,” addressing each body part in turn. Hair types, he notes, were seen to reflect certain mental characteristics: lank, blonde hair indicated deviousness, while red hair suggested a quick temper. Middle Eastern writers thought the pale skin and “unsettling” blue eyes of Northern Europeans were indicative of cowardice; Christians, meanwhile, associated dark skin with sinfulness. The heart maintained the body’s “humoral equilibrium,” according to physicians, and generated romantic feelings, according to the poets of “courtly love.” Male and female sex organs were understood to be inverted versions of each other, with the exteriority of male genitals taken as proof of masculine superiority. In the Middle Ages, Hartnell writes, “the body was everything to everyone”—a statement that holds true for any historical era. But the book’s broadness is also its strength, recasting Dark Age medicine and culture as more globally interconnected and enduring than previously thought. Curious readers will marvel at Hartnell’s lucid prose and generous selection of illustrations.

September 27, 2019

Hartnell (art history, Univ. of East Anglia, Norwich) delivers a delightful romp through medieval cultural history regarding the perception of the human body during the Middle Ages. In chapters starting with the head and traveling down to the feet, Hartnell explores an aspect of the human body with an interdisciplinary focus, drawing on resources from art and literature to fashion and medical textbooks, Hartnell attempts to pinpoint the perceptions of people toward the body and how their outlook influenced their actions. The author marvelously interweaves discussions on art history, textile manufacturing, and theology to convey his arguments. Yet he doesn't stop at these disciplines, pulling from a variety of sources throughout the medieval world, from the religious, describing both Catholic majority and minority religions, to those documenting major occupations and areas including the Middle East and Asia. VERDICT While even Hartnell admits this book only brushes the surface of the topic, for an overview account it offers a well-rounded, thoughtful, and witty exploration that general readers should appreciate and even learn a thing or two from.--Laura Hiatt, Fort Collins, CO

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Starred review from October 15, 2019
Medieval Bodies was a Sunday Times History Book of the Year when published in Britain last year, and it is now coming out in the U.S. Hartnell, a professor of the history of art and visual culture, brings together his vast knowledge of medieval art and writing to examine how European and Middle Eastern peoples of the time understood the workings of their own bodies. He starts with medical texts and illustrations, explores the legacy of classical Greek and Roman teachings, and surveys the general practices of medicine and healing during this period. But he doesn't stop there. The body becomes a metaphor for medieval culture overall that informs our understanding of everything from the politics, religious beliefs, and class structures of this swath of Western history to the arts and interpersonal relationships of those who peopled it. Armed with Hartnell's telling, readers will reassess their traditional view of the Middle Ages. Far from a Dark Age of superstition and ignorance, this was a time of curiosity, inquiry, and experimentation?a collision of the legacies of the past and the realities of the present. His knowledge and insight are impressive, and he shows uses with wit and humor.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)