Oct
15
to Oct 29

When the Moon is in the Seventh House: Astrology, Astronomy and Medicine

  • Google Calendar ICS

(citation here)

Dates: October 15, October 22, and October 29, 2025

Schedule: Wednesdays

Time: 2:00 – 3:15pm ET | 11:00am – 12:15pm PT |
London | 10/15 & 10/22 (7:00 – 8:15pm), 10/29 (6:00 – 7:15pm)


Beginning in antiquity and continuing into the early modern period a critical component of medical practice centered on observations of the planets and the starry constellations. People in the ancient and medieval world believed that the sun and planets revolved around the earth (the geocentric model). There was no real distinction between astrology and astronomy until the development of the heliocentric model of the solar system (that the planets revolved around the sun). Before (and even after) the revolutionary work of Copernicus, Kepler, and Tycho Brahe, the border between astrology and astronomy was fluid and a belief in one did not preclude expertise and a belief in the other.

“Medical Mathematics” was a course taught in medieval European medical schools. But this was not what we moderns would think of as quantitative medicine, for example statistics and epidemiology. Rather it constituted a training in astrology and astronomy, how to read the heavens for a specific patient at a specific time and use that arcane knowledge to provide a diagnosis, a prognosis and to develop a therapy.

In this course, we will explore the history of the application of astrology and astronomical science to medical practice from antiquity through the early modern period. We will trace the development of astronomical knowledge of the sun, the visible planets, the moon, and the stars and explore the theories that developed about the potential influence of these stellar bodies on the lives and fates of human beings. Our focus will be on the theories that developed around the concept (to reverse the famous quote from Shakespeare’s Julius Ceasar) that the fault (our destiny) does lie in our stars and not in ourselves, at least in terms of our health and physical well-being. Where did these ideas come from? How did the ideas evolve over time and how were they applied in a myriad of ways to the art and science of medicine?

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Lions and Tigers and Bears: Medieval Bestiaries And Medieval Medicine
Jan
16
11:00 AM11:00

Lions and Tigers and Bears: Medieval Bestiaries And Medieval Medicine

BASILISK AND WEASEL (c. 1200), Univ. Lib. MS 24, Aberdeen Bestiary, folio 66r, Aberdeen University Library, Aberdeen

Date: Thursday, January 16, 2025

Time Zones : 2:00 – 3:00pm ET | 7:00 – 8:00pm London

In the hands of its original Greek-speaking Christian author, the Physiologus was a book of natural history whose stories served as a moral exegesis of the Bible. The work is composed of approximately 48 chapters; each one describing an animal, plant or mineral, whether real or mythological. The sources for these tales go back to even earlier folk legends from Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Hebrew and Indian cultures. Though the original Greek Physiologus was lost in antiquity, numerous copies were produced, some with additional stories.  The earliest known translation dates from the 5th century and is written in Ethiopian while the oldest surviving Latin manuscripts date from the 8th century. Versions of the Physiologus appeared in many languages including Anglo-Saxon, Icelandic, French, German and Arabic.

More than just moral fables, the Physiologus also refers to the medical and magico-medical properties of the flora and fauna described. A chapter, for example, is devoted to the (mythical) charadrius bird whose excrement can cure blindness. Even more extraordinary, if brought before a sick patient, the charadrius will predict if the patient will survive. If the bird faces towards the patient, he will live. If the bird faces away the patient will die.  Beginning in the 12th century these stories served as the primary source material for the manuscripts that we now call bestiaries.

Bestiaries are books of natural and unnatural histories.  These collections, many fantastically illuminated, show us what was thought to be true about the biology of the animals and plants and the geology of the minerals described including details on their use in medicine.

In this talk I will trace the connections between the Physiologus and medieval bestiaries as a way of illustrating the understanding of natural science and medicine in the Middle Ages. We will explore manuscripts from across Europe and examine the Islamic/Middle Eastern tradition of natural historical works. Come and take a walk on the wild side as we explore these medieval books of beasts and their important role in medieval medicine!

Sample of a webinar slide. Quote slide.

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