Talismans in Medieval Medicine
Lea Olsan writes of the use of amulets and talisman as prescribed by medical practitioners in the medieval period, citing four doctors that served as primary sources for her research. She explains that the utilization of such charms and prayers (referred to a Empirica in authoritative medical texts) were “rarely a treatment of choice” due to the inability of such treatments to be properly justified in the realm of Galenic medical teachings. Yet, the use of amulets was typically considered acceptable due to the large number of references to their use in the medical literature overall. Through drawing on these references as a guide, Gilbertus, for example, writes of the necessity of using a talisman to ensure conception of a child. He describes the process of producing the talisman, which includes “writing words, some uninterruptable, some biblical, on a parchment to be hung around the neck of the man or woman during intercourse.”
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