3.75 ( )

Fascinating. ( )

Medieval Bodies: Life, Death and Art in the Middle Ages by Jack Hartnell was a great follow up after reading Life in a Medieval Castle by Joseph Gies and Frances Gies in July.

Medieval Bodies is structured with chapters dedicated to different parts of the body (e.g. head, heart, hands, feet and so on) from the head to foot in order to provide the reader with an overall picture of the body in the middle ages and the approach to medicine at the time. Of course, this includes the four humours (blood, yellow bile, black bile and phlegm), and if a person was unwell, this was attributed to an imbalance of the humours. The appropriate treatment was then prescribed, which might include blood letting, leeches, poultices and more.

"Lauded above sweat or urine or spiritus, blood was the medieval body’s most vital substance." Chapter 7

Occasionally the author drifted off topic and while still maintaining my interest in the content provided, it weakened the overall structure of the book in my opinion.

Jack Hartnell is an Associate Professor of Art History specialising in the art of the Middle Ages and it shows in this book. There was a clear focus on the Art in the Life, Death and Art in the Middle Ages subtitle, and by listening to this on audiobook, I missed out on the illustrations which might have lifted this from a 3 star to a 4 star read. My natural curiosity led me to seek out the artworks mentioned online and my efforts were rewarded.

Medieval Bodies: Life, Death and Art in the Middle Ages by Jack Hartnell is recommended reading in print form for those with an interest in history, art, medicine and the middle ages. ( )

I was expecting a medical book. What I got was more of an art history, hung on the frame of the human body. This was a very broad look at the medieval period, so it was, by default, not a deep look. Like many such broad treatment, parts were fascinating; other parts less so.

I'm not a historian, so have heard very little about any kind of enlightenment in the Middle Ages. I found there was more diversity of viewpoints during this period, and more culture than I had realized. It was the time when the heart became known as the seat of emotion, especially love.

The illustrations are amazing; this is definitely a book that should be read in paper format. No e-book or audible version would do it justice. ( )

A very readable, head-to-toe survey of how the human body was perceived and understood by people in medieval times, as evidenced in artwork and manuscripts of the time. The handsome and judiciously selected color illustrations enhance the text and make this an enjoyable read. However "wrong" many of the concepts of the body's workings were, art historian Hartnell successfully makes a case for the complexity and sophistication of medieval thoughts on the subject - the beautiful 12th century Thorney Computus illustrates a delightfully kaleidoscopic interweaving of elements, humors, zodiac, months, winds and ages. A thirteenth century diagram of the brain is of course grossly oversimplified and flat wrong, but they DID get the optic chiasm right: the optic nerves correctly cross over, sending impulses from each eye to the opposite sides of the brain.

Other reviewers have "complained" that the book trends to wander from its structure of focusing on specific body parts - the sense of hearing includes discussion of the significance of church bells, for example - and the lengthy discursion from feet into pilgrimage travel goes a little too far afield. But Hartnell's stated intent is to consider the medieval body in "its very broadest sense, a jumping-off point for exploring all kinds of aspects of medieval life." Fair enough. I found it all engaging, fascinating, amusing (see the nuns harvesting a penis tree on p. 252), and particularly enjoyed his inclusion of Islamic, Jewish, and north African ideas alongside the western European. A nice addition to the history of medicine collection, and an interesting companion to David Bainbridge's Stripped Bare on the art of veterinary anatomy.

julistielstra.com ( )