Textile workers’ role in medieval healing set to be studied

Bandages, surgical instruments and drug jars made by textile workers and other medieval craftspeople are among the objects a University of Reading historian will study, as part of new research into the healing power of craft.

Dr Elma Brenner, who will join the University of Reading’s Department of History from Wellcome Collection, has been awarded £1.2 million by UK Research and Innovation to become a Future Leaders Fellow. UKRI's Future Leaders Fellowships allow universities and businesses to develop their most talented early career researchers and innovators.

The programme, Hands-on Healing, explores the relationship between handcrafts and healing in medieval France between 1200 and 1550, a period marked by economic growth, plague, war and technological change.

Dr Brenner said: "For centuries, the story of medieval medicine has been told through the eyes of male physicians. This programme puts a wide range of women and men involved in healing, from apothecaries to household servants and members of religious communities, at the centre of that story instead.

“The similarities between medieval and modern-day approaches to health are surprising, since medieval people prioritised diet, sleep, exercise and mental wellness just as we do today.

"By looking at how people used their own hands to thrive, recover and care for others in the medieval world, we can build a much richer picture of past experiences of health, and what that means for how we value craft and care today."

Craft and healing in medieval France

The research will draw upon the rich surviving material culture of medieval France, examining archival documents, artworks, buildings and objects used in daily life to answer previously unanswered questions about health and illness. By studying how objects were made and used, Dr Brenner and her team will highlight the role of skilled hands and practical craft knowledge in promoting healing, recovery and care.

Focusing on the major French cities of Rouen and Lyon, researchers will build a dataset of healing objects, their makers, uses and locations, also charting the development of craft-based skills in medical practice, such as those of surgeons. The project will investigate how craft work aided rehabilitation and supported disabled people and orphans into skilled work, alongside the health risks craftspeople themselves faced through workplace injury and illness.

The research is being carried out in partnership with archives and crafts organisations in France and the UK, and aims to influence heritage crafts policies as well as academic and public understanding, revealing the deep historical links between craft, health and care that remain relevant today.

Image via Wellcome Collection