Book ID: CBB133743847

The Sense of Smell in the Middle Ages: A Source of Certainty (2019)

unapi

Robinson, Katelynn (Author)


Routledge


Publication Date: 2019
Physical Details: 238
Language: English

Odors, including those of incense, spices, cooking, and refuse, were both ubiquitous and meaningful in central and late medieval Western Europe. The significance of the sense of smell is evident in scholastic Latin texts, most of which are untranslated and unedited by modern scholars. Between the late eleventh and thirteenth century, medieval scholars developed a logical theory of the workings of the sense of smell based on Greek and Arabic learning. In the thirteenth through fifteenth century, medical authors detailed practical applications of smell theory and these were communicated to individuals and governing authorities by the medical profession in the interests of personal and public health. At the same time, religious authors read philosophical and medical texts and gave their information religious meaning. This reinterpretation of scholastic philosophy and medicine led to the development of what can be termed a medically aware theology of smell that was communicated to popular audiences alongside traditional olfactory theory in sermons. Its impact on popular thought is reflected in late medieval mystical texts. While the senses have received increasing scholarly attention in recent decades, this volume presents the first detailed research into the sense of smell in the later European Middle Ages.

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Authors & Contributors
Speziale, Salvatore
Vincenti, Denise
Silvano, Giovanni
Burke, Owen
Maria Paola Zanoboni
Beneduce, Chiara
Journals
Atti e Memorie, Rivista di Storia della Farmacia
Micrologus: Nature, Sciences and Medieval Societies
Science in Context
Micrologus: Natura, Scienze e Società Medievali
Journal of the History of the Neurosciences
Journal of the History of Ideas
Publishers
Edizioni ETS
Editoriale Jouvence
Città del Sole Edizioni
McGill University (Canada)
Fordham University
University of Illinois Press
Concepts
Medicine
Science and religion
Public health
Human anatomy
Smell; olfactory perception
Anatomy
People
Jesus Christ
Avicenna
Aristotle
Time Periods
Medieval
Early modern
Renaissance
Modern
Ancient
19th century
Places
Europe
Mediterranean region
France
Mexico
Great Britain
Institutions
World Health Organization (WHO)
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