The Western Medieval Medical Literature, its Books and Readership: a Complex Reality

Abstract

The aim of this article is to present the main characteristics of the development of medical literature in the Western world from the 12th century onwards, in relation to the intellectual context of its production and the social conditions of its reception and reading. By connecting the theoretical and practical dimensions of the discipline with the materiality of manuscript books, and the cultural context of the writings to the expectations of the medical readership, this article aims to highlight the great diversity of this literature. Written in universities, but increasingly in the court milieux and the urban world, these texts primarily aimed at students and colleagues to help them in learning and practice, but also at a wider public concerned about its health.