The women of
Salerno, also referred to as the ladies of Salerno and the Salernitan women ( la, mulieres Salernitanae), are a group of women physicians who studied in medieval
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
, at the
Schola Medica Salernitana
The Schola Medica Salernitana ( it, Scuola Medica Salernitana) was a Medieval medical school, the first and most important of its kind. Situated on the Tyrrhenian Sea in the south Italian city of Salerno, it was founded in the 9th century and rose ...
, one of the first medical schools to allow women.
Introduction
These women practiced
medicine
Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pr ...
, and were known to both teach and to publish medical works.
Additionally, there is evidence that the study of female diseases was not their only interest, but they studied, taught, and practiced all branches of medicine, indeed multiple references attest to the vital role they played in surgical and scientific achievements.
It has been possible for them to assert themselves within Salerno thanks to a climate of great tolerance that extended itself from women practitioners as well as
Jews
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
and
Arabs
The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...
. In addition, during most of its lifetime, Salerno was the only medical school in Europe that opened its doors to women
Women in medieval southern Italy and Salerno
![Scuola_medica_2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/99/Scuola_medica_2.jpg)
In medieval southern Italy, Salerno was, in
XI century, a "city of extraordinary wealth and splendor for its trade, in which it had supplanted
Amalfi
Amalfi (, , ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno, in the region of Campania, Italy, on the Gulf of Salerno. It lies at the mouth of a deep ravine, at the foot of Monte Cerreto (1,315 metres, 4,314 feet), surrounded by dramati ...
and
Gaeta. There were cedars, almonds, coated walnuts, imperial drapes, fine gold ornaments; wine, nuts, fruit, trees and crops abounded. Beautiful palaces adorned it; attractive women and upright men lived there" (
Guglielmo di Puglia, 1090). In this political, social and cultural background, the women shared the deeds of men, participated in battles and exercised the medical art, as doctor or not. Intellectual openness excluded dogmas and confronted with the daily practice of dialogue and experience, with the comparison of
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
,
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
,
Arab
The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...
texts that were studied without prejudices or hierarchies of value. In this climate, accepting women as students and even more as teachers seemed natural and important.Indeed, the remedies used by women are appreciated and welcomed in the writings of the Schola Medica Salernitana.
Matteo Plateario (1140-1180) mentioned the women of Salerno and their remedies, in the article “Bernix” is reported a cosmetic; in the article “Cyclamen” two recipes for
haemorrhoids
Hemorrhoids (or haemorrhoids), also known as piles, are vascular structures in the anal canal. In their normal state, they are cushions that help with stool control. They become a disease when swollen or inflamed; the unqualified term ''he ...
and for splenic diseases; in the article “Calamentum” an astringent for the
uterus
The uterus (from Latin ''uterus'', plural ''uteri'') or womb () is the organ in the reproductive system of most female mammals, including humans that accommodates the embryonic and fetal development of one or more embryos until birth. The ...
; in the article “Papaver” a
sedative; in the article “Parietaria” a remedy for abdominal pain; in the article “Terra Sigillata” a recipe to overcome hair dryness; in the article “Tetrahit” a recipe for urination disorders.
Studies and methodologies
The women of Salerno were free to talk about sexual topics without moralisms or religious conditionings, in addition, their writings were some of the firsts to talk about menstruations.
During early years of 1000s, people were already talking about fundamentals modern values as
prevention
Prevention may refer to:
Health and medicine
* Preventive healthcare, measures to prevent diseases or injuries rather than curing them or treating their symptoms
General safety
* Crime prevention, the attempt to reduce deter crime and crim ...
and healthy eating as a base for medical treatments. Mulieres Salernitanae preferred treatments like aromatized baths, therapies with herbs and massages, and there is no traces in their history of prayers or other sovrannatural methods in order to treat diseases.
Generally,
Trotula
''Trotula'' is a name referring to a group of three texts on women's medicine that were composed in the southern Italian port town of Salerno in the 12th century. The name derives from a historic female figure, Trota of Salerno, a physician and ...
's and the other women's writings were the first studies on female body in medicine.
Fundamental for them was the history of the patient, in order to identify the right therapy, reading their works shows that they were not only deep acquaintances of the female body, but also had a high knowledge of plants and the benefits of herbs. They were innovative in many respects, considered prevention fundamental, proposed unusual methods for the time, stressed the importance of
hygiene
Hygiene is a series of practices performed to preserve health.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), "Hygiene refers to conditions and practices that help to maintain health and prevent the spread of diseases." Personal hygiene refer ...
, a balanced diet, physical activity, their advices included baths and massages,
decoctions,
bloodletting
Bloodletting (or blood-letting) is the withdrawal of blood from a patient to prevent or cure illness and disease. Bloodletting, whether by a physician or by leeches, was based on an ancient system of medicine in which blood and other bodily flu ...
. They had no fear of revealing truths never told and to solve problems never solved, their lessons were taught to us with extreme naturalness of sexuality, contraception using a simple language accessible to all.
Their students were able to differentiate between
typhoid
Typhoid fever, also known as typhoid, is a disease caused by ''Salmonella'' serotype Typhi bacteria. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often there is a gradual onset of a high fever over several d ...
and
malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...
, they could calculate
fever
Fever, also referred to as pyrexia, is defined as having a temperature above the normal range due to an increase in the body's temperature set point. There is not a single agreed-upon upper limit for normal temperature with sources using val ...
temperatures and estimate recovery times, and they could treat complex wounds with appreciable chances of success.
Allegations of witchcraft
About the mulieres salernitanae there were also many rumours : as an example
Arnaldo da Villanova, Spanish scientist, explained that women of Salerno drank mysterious potions during
gestation and for this reason women grew aberrant, accompanying the recitation of the Pater noster with a mysterious magic formula:
These rumors were born due to the fact that, although the wealth and intellectual openness of the city of Salerno, early medieval era represented also the start of prejudice towards women and theory of feminine inferiority.
Jules Michelet (1862) stated that “the only doctor of the people, for a thousand years, was the Witch”.
Despite these rumors of discredit, however, their fame grew, not only in Italy but also beyond the
Alps
The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Swi ...
.
Notable women of Salerno
These women included:
*
Trota of Salerno
Trota of Salerno (also spelled Trocta) was the world's first gynecologist. She was a medical practitioner and writer in the southern Italian coastal town of Salerno who lived in the early or middle decades of the 12th century. Her fame spread as ...
– The most famous of the women of
Salerno, Trota is believed to have lived during the 11th or 12th century.
She had long been believed to be "
Trotula
''Trotula'' is a name referring to a group of three texts on women's medicine that were composed in the southern Italian port town of Salerno in the 12th century. The name derives from a historic female figure, Trota of Salerno, a physician and ...
of Salerno", the author of a 3-part book about medical treatments for women, ''De curis mulierum'' ("On Treatments for Women"). However, recent discoveries indicate she was likely only the author of one third of this compendium.
*
Constance Calenda
Constance Calenda ( it, Costanza or ; ) was an Italian surgeon specializing in diseases of the eye. (15th century) – Lectured on medicine and was eventually a professor at the
University of Naples
The University of Naples Federico II ( it, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II) is a public university in Naples, Italy. Founded in 1224, it is the oldest public non-sectarian university in the world, and is now organized into 26 depar ...
.
*
Rebecca Guarna – Published works on "Fevers, ''De febrius''" the "Urine, ''De Urinis''" and the "Embryo, ''De embrione''".
*
Abella
Abella, often known as Abella of Salerno or Abella of Castellomata, was a physician in the mid fourteenth century. Abella studied and taught at the Salerno School of Medicine. Abella is believed to have been born around 1380, but the exact time o ...
– Published works on "Black Bile" and "Nature of Seminal Fluid"
*
Maria Incarnata
Maria may refer to:
People
* Mary, mother of Jesus
* Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages
Place names Extraterrestrial
*170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877
*Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, da ...
*
Mercuriade – Published works on "Crises", "Pestilent Fever, ''De Febre Pestilenti''", and "The Cure of Wounds, ''De Curatio''"
The first to remember the women of Salerno is a historian from Salerno,
Antonio Mazza, prior of the School of Medicine in the seventeenth century, who in the essay "
Historiarum epitome de rebus salernitanis" writes "We have many learned women, who in many fields surpassed or equalled by ingenuity and doctrine many men and, like men, were remarkable in the field of medicine". Among the most famous women who attended the school of Salerno was Francesca Cenci, wife of
Matteo Romano Cenci, who received a degree in medicine and surgery from
Carlo D’Angiò, Duke of
Calabria, in 1321.
Abella
Abella, often known as Abella of Salerno or Abella of Castellomata, was a physician in the mid fourteenth century. Abella studied and taught at the Salerno School of Medicine. Abella is believed to have been born around 1380, but the exact time o ...
, from the noble family of
Castellaneta
Castellaneta (Tarantino: ) is a city and ''comune'' in the province of Taranto in the Apulia region of Southern Italy, about from Taranto. Located in a territory spanning from the Murgia to the Ionian Sea, characterized by numerous ''gravina'' ...
, wrote “De atrabile” and “De nature seminis humani”, of which, unfortunately, any trace has been lost.
Rebecca de Guarna
Rebecca Guarna (fl. 1200), was an Italian physician and surgeon and author. She is one of a number of female physicians known from the Middle Ages. She was one of the women known as the " ladies of Salerno".
Rebecca Guarna was a member of the same ...
specialized in the study and treatment of urinary diseases and fevers.
Mercuriade, surgeon, wrote many didactic essays: “Le crisi”, “La febbre da pestilenza”, “La cura delle ferite”. The most known woman of Salerno is Trotula, she was a Magistra of Medicine at the School of Salerno and ran a prolific clinical practice. She taught her students about three types of diseases: inherited, contagious, and self-generated, and these type of teaching was carried by all the other women.
Contributions
One of the most important contributions of the women of Salerno is a textbook that was widely distributed throughout Europe. The textbook, “De Passionibus Mulierum ante in et post partum”, that witnesses the birth of
obstetrics and
gynecology as science, was first published around 1100 AD and then it was completely revised by
Ambrose Paré's assistants in the early 17th century. Also Paley, one of the greatest anatomist of his time, stated that many of his important anatomical and surgical considerations came directly or indirectly from the work of Salerno women. He advances that Salerno women first documents, thoughts and practices are an interesting and important part of our surgical heritage.
The work begins by outlining the characteristic nature of the female gender, which, unlike the nature of the male, hot and dry, is rather cold and humid. So, lacking women the heat necessary to dissipate bad moods, their diseases were more frequent and mainly affect the reproductive organs. To defend themselves from moods women have a particular purification, the
menstruation, whose regularity is a source and sign of health. The first task of the doctor is then to diagnose the reasons for the interruption of the regularity or scarcity of the menstruation and to identify with the
pharmacopoeia
A pharmacopoeia, pharmacopeia, or pharmacopoea (from the obsolete typography ''pharmacopœia'', meaning "drug-making"), in its modern technical sense, is a book containing directions for the identification of compound medicines, and published by ...
the appropriate remedies.
Perineal tears and uterine tears are common wounds often experienced by
midwives
A midwife is a health professional who cares for mothers and newborns around childbirth, a specialization known as midwifery.
The education and training for a midwife concentrates extensively on the care of women throughout their lifespan; co ...
, giving Trotula and her students ample opportunity to develop new techniques and remedies for wound healing.
The anatomy of the
reproductive organs
A sex organ (or reproductive organ) is any part of an animal or plant that is involved in sexual reproduction. The reproductive organs together constitute the reproductive system. In animals, the testis in the male, and the ovary in the female, a ...
was known only through animal
anatomy
Anatomy () is the branch of biology concerned with the study of the structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old science, having it ...
and written descriptions in Islamic texts. Salerno female physicians made an important contribution on this subject because female physicians had greater access to female patients than their male colleagues. They deepened the study of the female body, coming to theorize that
infertility could also depend on men and not only women.
Bibliography
** Alaina Ferraris BA, Zoe, Ferraris, Victor A. ''The women of Salerno , Contribution to the Origins of Surgery From Medieval Italy'', PubMed (1997)
** Bestini,F. , Cardini, F. , Leopardi, C. , Fumagalli, Beoni Brocchieri, M.T. , ''Medioevo al Femminile'' , Laterza (1989) pp. 1-13
** Boggi Cavallo, P. , ''Salerno e la sua Scuola Medica'', Arti Grafiche Boccia (1994) pp.100/104
** Bonnie S Anderson , Zinnser Bs., ''A history of Their Own Women in Europe from Prehistory to Present,''Oxford University Press (1999), volume 2
** Brooke, E., ''Women healers portraits of herbalists, physicians and midwives,'' Healing Arts Press, Rochester (1995) pp. 28/39
** Campbell Hurd Mead K. , ''Trotula'' , The University of Chicago Press (1930), pp 349/366
** Fielding Hudson G. , ''An introduction to the history of Medicine'' , Saunders Company (1917) pp.180-193
** Jacquart, D. , ''A history of Twelfth century Western philosophy'' , Cambridge University Press (2011), chapter 15
** Plateario M., ''Liber De Semplici Medicina''
** Quagliolo F. , ''Mulieres Salernitanae, Scienza e Cultura nel Principato di Salerno'', storienapoli.it
** Quagliolo F. , ''Mulieres Salernitanae, a Salerno le prime donne che studiarono medicina nel Medioevo'', storienapoli.it
** Rashdall H., ''The Universities of Europe in the Middle Ages''. Cambridge University Press (1895) pp.75-86
** Siraisi NG. , ''Medieval and early Renaissance Medicine, an introduction to knowledge and practice'', University of Chicago Press, pp 13/15,84/90,162,169
References
Schola Medica Salernitana
Italian women physicians
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