Luis García-Ballester

Galenism, a rational, coherent medical system embracing all health and disease related matters, was the dominant medical doctrine in the Latin West during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Deriving from the medical and philosophical views of Galen (129-c.210/6) as well as from his clinical practice, Latin Galenism had its origins in 12th-century Salerno and was constructed from the cultural exchanges between the Arabic and Christian worlds. It flourished all over Europe, following the patterns of expansion of the university system during the subsequent centuries and was a major factor in shaping the healing systems of the Christian, Jewish and Muslim communities - the subject of a previous volume by Professor García-Ballester. The present collection deals with a wide array of issues regarding the historical Galen and late medieval and Renaissance Galenism, but focuses in particular on the relationship between theory and practice. It includes first English versions of two major studies originally published in Spanish.

The present collection by Professor García-Ballester deals with medicine and science (i.e. natural philosophy) in the Spanish kingdoms of Castile and Aragon between the 13th and the 17th centuries. It includes a new English version of a major study first published in Spanish. While sharing much, including Galenism (which is the subject of a further collection) as a dominant medical doctrine, with other parts of medieval and Renaissance Europe, Spain was unique in having a medical marketplace uniting Christian, Jewish, Muslim and converso practitioners. The complex processes of cultural interchange that resulted form the main theme in this book. Together, these studies have thrown new light on problems of theory and practice, perceptions of health and disease, and the doctor-patient relationship, as well as on the social and legal settings where the healers (physicians, surgeons, barbers, and apothecaries) of these different religious communities were at work.