As an aside to the main thrust of this thread and follow up Ebbie's point above, to give more information on Hildegard (who depending on the authority was said to suffer from either epilepsy or severe migraine which gave rise to her "visions").

Outside of this illness and its effects, she was clearly no "shop egg" and a rational thinker and a strong contributor to many areas including music and medicine in a time of intellectual vacuum.

Hildegard of Bingen

Hildegard von Bingen, also known as "Sybil of the Rhine", was born in 1098 AD and is notable not only for being a "first" in many areas but for being so as a woman at a period of history when few women were accorded respect even to the extent of being consulted by bishops, popes, and kings. She was the tenth child of a noble family and, as was customary for a tenth child at the time, was dedicated at birth to the church. In early childhood she began to have visions of luminous objects but hid this "ability" until later in her life.

At the age of eight the family sent Hildegard to a so-called "anchoress" or religious recluse named Jutta. Hildegard was educated by Jutta and remained 30 years until Jutta died whereupon she was elected the head of the adjacent convent.

In 1141, Hildegard had a vision that changed the course of her life. A vision of God purportedly gave her instant understanding of the meaning of the religious texts, and commanded her to write down everything she would observe in her visions. Thereafter, Hildegard became a prolific author on religious and other subjects and a musical composer. Major works of specific interest in medicine were Physica and Causae et Curae (1150), both works on natural history and curative powers of various natural objects, which are together known as Liber subtilatum ("The book of subtleties of the Diverse Nature of Things"). These works were uncharacteristic of Hildegard's writings in that they were not presented in a visionary form. However, like her religious writings they reflected her religious philosophy, i.e. that Man was the peak of God's creation and everything was put in the world for Man to use. It is now generally agreed that Hildegard suffered from migraine, and that her visions were a result of this condition.

Her scientific and medical views were derived from the Empedoclean/Aristotlean concept of the four elements-fire, air, water, and earth-with their complementary qualities of heat, dryness, moisture, and cold, and Galen's corresponding four humours in the body choler (yellow bile), blood, phlegm, black bile (cholere) and black bile melancholy. (black bile). Human constitution was based on the preponderance of one or two of the humours.

She used the curative powers of natural objects for healing as well as writing treatises about natural history and medicinal uses of plants, animals, trees and stones. She may have been the first author to write concerning the female orgasm. She is also the first musical composer whose biography is known.

Hildegard von Bingen is considered an important contributor to medical knowledge as her contribution came in Western Europe during a time of otherwise intellectual and philosophical sterility. It is all the more impressive given her religious surroundings and gender and is a testament to a keen and vibrant intellect overcoming the many social and cultural barriers of the Middle Ages.


Peace

moo