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Social History of Medicine Advance Access published online on March 11, 2008
Social History of Medicine, doi:10.1093/shm/hkm113
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© The Author 2008. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for the Social History of Medicine. All rights reserved

Second Opinions

Unhealthy Neglect? The Medicine and Medical Historiography of Early Modern Wales

Alun Withey*

* Department of History, James Callaghan Building, Swansea University, Singleton Park, Swansea, SA2 8PP, UK, E-mail: Alun.w{at}virgin.net


  Abstract

Summary The medical historiography of Wales is dominated by two themes: industrialisation and medical folklore. For the early modern period, this academic concentration on folklore has served to posit an unbalanced rural caricature with an over-emphasis on magical healing. Welsh medicine was actually a diverse mix of traditional and orthodox beliefs under one general model of understanding, affected by various factors including religion and urban growth. The study of the medical history of early modern Wales may also have wider implications, such as the importance of regionalism, rural and urban variations and the spread of alternative medical ideas such as Helmontianism. The interdependence of town and countryside also serves to highlight the ways in which medical information could be disseminated. Wales was not a rural enclave, and was part of a wider medical network. Many sources exist which can be used to shed light on early modern Welsh medical culture and such work could contribute to a better understanding of wider medical milieux by exploring variations as well as similarities. Further, such research would address a wider need for more rural studies and lead to a better understanding of the role played by distinct regions such as Wales.

Keywords: Wales; medicine; folklore; early modern; rural; culture; towns; religion


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