Ruth Salter

My research interests focus on the high Middle Ages (specifically the long twelfth century) and on experiences of health, ill health, and healing, including miraculous cures. I am also interested in medieval popular/lay religion, and in medieval women and childhood. My research explores these topics primarily through analysis of high-medieval collections of posthumous miracles. Accounts of healing miracles, for instance, provide fascinating insights into the experiences and practices of ‘cure-seeking’, and its place within the wider healthcare milieu. These miracles, attributed to the power of God and worked through the intercession of the saints, provide tantalising insights into the lived experiences of those who sought what we might call today ‘alternative medicine’.

You can read more about my research interests and teaching in our History Stories.