Unguent

 St. Hildegard was a mystic, naturalist and a healer among other things. She is one of the four women designated as “Doctors of the Church.” I bumped into her when I was looking for medieval manuscripts that students could read that were authentically medieval. Hildegard was essentially a physician of her time and her ideas were sought after and retained. The major work is titled Physica. It is filled with fascinating information about the natural world as Hildegard understood it. Dragons and unicorns mix in with lavender and oak trees, all rated and explained for medicinal use—or not. Somethings were poisonous or useless.

I have thoroughly enjoyed this read. She sounds just like a modern doctor only badly misinformed. She stepped up to Willow bark and declared it useless. She did suffer from unbearable migraines that willow bark/aspirin wouldn’t have touched. Some of her patients must have been wealthy because she suggests making a daily cake with gold dust to keep up one’s health or to restore it. Her compassion bubbles over in the motherly way she gives her advice. “Keep up with my unguent and your skin will be beautiful!” she promises. She also leaves lots of room for God in her work. If God would not allow her medicine to work there was nothing she could do.

I am still amazed at the vast resources of the internet. When I was young I’d have been lucky to find a encyclopedia article about Hildegard, and now I can read her work. The internet has not only connected the living. It is connecting us with all time.