US EditionOnline Catalog Nearly Doubles Dark Ages Medical Manuscripts and Reveals Sophisticated Remedies
WESTERN EUROPE, JUL 16 – Researchers cataloged hundreds of early medieval Latin medical manuscripts revealing a wide use of exotic ingredients and scientific approaches in remedies, challenging the notion of a medical Dark Age.
- The Western Roman Empire fell in 476 AD when Romulus Augustulus was forced to abdicate by the Germanic chieftain Odoacer, ending Roman imperial rule in the West.
- This collapse caused political fragmentation as Germanic tribes quickly filled the power vacuum while the Eastern Roman Empire continued to survive and thrive from Constantinople.
- Following Rome's fall, urban centers declined due to insecurity and economic turmoil, disrupting trade and infrastructure while literacy and classical education plummeted.
- Researchers, including historian Meg Leja, have nearly doubled the catalog of known Dark Ages medical manuscripts, showing that many remedies were based on careful observation and use of natural substances.
- These findings challenge the view of the era as anti-scientific and suggest medieval medicine was complex amid broader social and political transformations that reshaped Europe.
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Medieval remedies show surprising parallels to modern wellness trends
It turns out the Dark Ages weren't all that dark! According to new research, medieval medicine was way more sophisticated than previously thought, and some of its remedies are trending today on TikTok.
Eurek Alert
Binghamton University - Binghamton UniversityMedieval medicine was smarter than you think – and weirdly similar to TikTok trends
A new international research project featuring faculty at Binghamton University, State University of New York reveals that people in the Middle Ages weren’t cooped up in castles, wallowing in superstition. They were developing health practices based on the best knowledge they had at the time – some of which mirror modern wellness trends.
Medieval medicine was smarter than you think—and weirdly similar to TikTok trends
It turns out the Dark Ages weren't all that dark. According to new research, medieval medicine was way more sophisticated than previously thought, and some of its remedies are trending today on TikTok.
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