Medieval History
This is a post about where one would hope to find a medieval reference of some kind, but sadly didn't.
I happened to have the radio on this morning and was half listening to a MPR show called Midmorning hosted by Kerri Miller. She had a doctor on who was musing about her career choices. One of the things this doctor said was that in medicine it is a common thing to talk about "the time of the giants." The time in the not too distant past when doctors were doctors, gave preeminent care, diagnosed accurately with the merest of glances etc....I'm probably exagerating a couple smidges.
First, the immediate thing that jumped to mind was the Old English phrase "the work of giants," anything lasting and worthy was the work of giants, whether the remnants of a city, or a passing wondrous sword.
Second, and though not medieval draws on medieval and early Renaissance stories about such, is Newton's statement about seeing further because he has sat on the shoulders of giants. But that wasn't referenced in the discussion either.
Third, and last, I of course thought of the ubi sunt motif and the ideas of a golden age. Yes, some will be quick to point out that this isn't technically medieval either and predates the medieval some way. And you'd be quite right. But, I'd rejoin that the medieval period lifted the ubi sunt and ideas regarding a past golden age (separate ideas that often appear together) to an artform and refinement not see before.
Still, the point of this short post is that somewhere in the discussion on the "time of the giants" I'd have hoped for some sort of medieval reference, or even to Newton since the speaker was in the sciences, that the idea isn't a unique one to medicine and medical practioners. But alas, no. I was disappointed. And now you know that story.
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- Postponing The End
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Medieval History
Where the Medieval Isn't......
This is a post about where one would hope to find a medieval reference of some kind, but sadly didn't.
I happened to have the radio on this morning and was half listening to a MPR show called Midmorning hosted by Kerri Miller. She had a doctor on who was musing about her career choices. One of the things this doctor said was that in medicine it is a common thing to talk about "the time of the giants." The time in the not too distant past when doctors were doctors, gave preeminent care, diagnosed accurately with the merest of glances etc....I'm probably exagerating a couple smidges.
First, the immediate thing that jumped to mind was the Old English phrase "the work of giants," anything lasting and worthy was the work of giants, whether the remnants of a city, or a passing wondrous sword.
Second, and though not medieval draws on medieval and early Renaissance stories about such, is Newton's statement about seeing further because he has sat on the shoulders of giants. But that wasn't referenced in the discussion either.
Third, and last, I of course thought of the ubi sunt motif and the ideas of a golden age. Yes, some will be quick to point out that this isn't technically medieval either and predates the medieval some way. And you'd be quite right. But, I'd rejoin that the medieval period lifted the ubi sunt and ideas regarding a past golden age (separate ideas that often appear together) to an artform and refinement not see before.
Still, the point of this short post is that somewhere in the discussion on the "time of the giants" I'd have hoped for some sort of medieval reference, or even to Newton since the speaker was in the sciences, that the idea isn't a unique one to medicine and medical practioners. But alas, no. I was disappointed. And now you know that story.
- Todd Akin?s Views Are, Literally, Medieval
Republican congressman Todd Akin?s astonishing observations with respect to pregnancy resulting from rape continue to ricochet around the media in the United States. The nuances of his comments have gotten lost in the ensuing controversy over what constitutes...
- New Book Examines The Role Of Arab Doctors In The History Of Medieval Medicine
Professor Peter E Pormann from The University of Manchester says too few people realise European and Arab doctors were part of the same medical tradition which played a pivotal role in the development of medicine as we know it. ?Arabic was the scientific...
- 'i'm Glad I Chose History'
Toby Bakare had to decide between a law degree ? which had financial potential, and history ? which was his passion. This is his story: As a kid, I was always interested in history, but at school it was not seen as a useful subject. For my GCSEs I was...
- University Of Cambridge To Create Digital Library For The 21st Century
Cambridge University Library has announced visionary plans to become a digital library for the world - following a £1.5m lead gift pledged by Dr Leonard Polonsky. Home to more than seven million books and some of the greatest collections in existence,...
- Postponing The End
Lots of talk about endings recently. I talked about the end of The Sopranos and the end of Charlemagne. Euromad used the end of his time in Rome to riff on the end of both The Sopranos and Veronica Mars (a show, I'll admit, I never watched). And now...