Urology in medieval medicine explained through the saints
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14201231Keywords:
Religion and Medicine, Medieval, History, Kidney Diseases, Urology, SaintsAbstract
The Middle Ages were a period influenced by the Christian faith. In medicine the saints were venerated as intercessory figures in the cure of diseases. Particularly, urology has 6 saints that stand out: firstly, the couple of Saint Cosmas and Saint Damian, venerated for healing diseases related to the urinary tract and kidney stones. There is also Saint Margaret of Antioch, who is represented with a belt that surrounds the kidneys, which is why she is associated as the protector of nephrology. St. Liborius of Le Mans healed an archbishop from "the disease of stones," which made him the patron saint of kidney stones. St. Zoilo of Cordoba was a martyr who was tortured with the removal of his kidneys before his execution, which made him a symbol of healing for kidney problems and urinary retention. Lastly, St. Roch of Montpellier was a martyr associated with the "plague of pleasure," syphilis, since he devoted his life to the treatment of patients with plague. Medieval urological practice is noted as well due to uroscopy, a 6000-year-old method consisting of macroscopic analysis of urine that evolved from ancient Babylonian texts, went to the observations recorded by Hippocrates, and ended in the systematization by Theophilus of Constantinople in his work De Urinis. Uroscopy, although primitive, represented a significant step towards a medicine based on observation and systematic analysis of diseases.
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