TURNING THE PAGES OF HISTORY ONLINE

For immediate release: 20 June 2005

Women’s woes on childbirth and men make a surprising appearance alongside urine flasks and body parts, in the pages of a 15th century medical manuscript available online for the first time.

One of many treasures from the Wellcome Library’s collection, the manuscript provides a fascinating insight into medieval medicine.Written in Latin and German, the manuscript is dominated by the theme of spiritual and physical health.Unearthed from the library’s vaults and brought to life online via the innovative ‘turning the pages’ technology, readers now have the opportunity to browse through selected pages with the click of a mouse.

One of three manuscripts available online, the medieval text – known as the Wellcome Apocalypse – was probably produced in a monastic workshop as an instruction manual for monks dispensing healthcare.At that time, religious communities played an important medical role and were the preferred choice for women seeking medical advice, hence the many pages devoted to women’s health.

The text and colourful illustrations depict women lamenting the female lot and undergoing a range of medical interventions.For example, we see an illustration of childbirth and a caesarean section, alongside an illustration of two women talking together – one nude and possibly pregnant – with one saying, “I have often been distressed, sister, by the size and length of the male member”.

We also see an illustration of a tree surrounded by urine flasks (jordans), which provided a similar function to today’s stethoscope by providing an internal look at the body.Different shades of urine were associated with different ailments, with black urine representing death.

Robert Kiley from the Wellcome Library said: “We hope by putting our resources online we give virtual visitors a flavour of what we have on offer.Not only does this mean people worldwide can enjoy our collection from their computer, but it also enables us to extend the fascinating world of medical history to a larger audience while preserving the often fragile pages of our books.”

Alongside Wellcome Apocalypse, two other gems from the Library will be available online: a 17th century Persian astrological manuscript, and an 18th century medical textbook written by the founding father of dermatology, Robert Willan.

The Persian work, entitled Nujum al-‘Ulum ’Star of Sciences‘, provides an insight into Islamic astrology and astronomy and is lavishly illustrated.Willan’s text, the first of its kind on the subject of dermatology, gives a vivid description of skin diseases which are accompanied by numerous medical illustrations portraying conditions such as psoriasis and smallpox, an essential learning aid to medics of the time who did not have the benefit of medical photography.

For further information and images contact:

Noorece Ahmed
Wellcome Trust Media Office
Tel: 020 7611 8540
mailto:n.ahmed@wellcome.ac.uk

Notes to editors:

1. The manuscripts can be viewed online at: Turning the pages

2. The manuscripts can also be viewed on a 48 inch plasma screen at the offices of the Wellcome Library, 210 Euston Road, NW1.Open Monday to Friday 9.30am to 6pm, and Saturday, 9.30am to 1pm.

3.‘Turning the Pages’ is an award-winning interactive programme developed by the British Library, that allows users to virtually 'turn' pages, zoom-in on high-quality digitised images and read or listen to notes explaining the beauty and significance of each page.

4.The Wellcome Library houses hundreds of thousands of books, journals, manuscripts, pictures and films and is one of the world’s greatest collections covering the meaning and history of medicine. Wellcome Library website

5.The Wellcome Trust is an independent research funding charity established in 1936 under the will of the tropical medicine pioneer Sir Henry Wellcome. The Trust’s mission is to foster and promote research with the aim of improving human and animal health and it currently spends over £400 million per annum. The Wellcome Trust