A book, entitled Physic, Empiricism, and the Healing Communities in Medieval England, is presently under contract with Princeton University Press. This book describes the variety of healers and healing practices current in medieval England. It outlines the assumptions about health and disease that lie behind various forms of healing, including religious healing, surgery, and learned practice or physic. It also describes the development of medical institutions, including the university, hospitals, and professional organizations. Of primary importance is the role of the audience of the medical practitioner; the various social groups whose demand for healing helped shape the nature of medical practice. Finally, this book explores the ways in which medieval English people experienced disease and injury. Sources include medical texts, legal records, illustrations, and literary documents.
