Saint Anthony's Fire from Antiquity to the Eighteenth Century / / Alessandra Foscati.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter Amsterdam University Press Complete eBook-Package 2020
• VerfasserIn: Foscati, Alessandra,
• MitwirkendeR: Paravicini Bagliani, Agostino,
• Place / Publishing House: Amsterdam : : Amsterdam University Press, , [2019]; ©2019
• Year of Publication: 2019
• Language: English
• Series: Premodern Health, Disease, and Disability ; 2
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (264 p.) :; 4
• Other title: Frontmatter --; Table of Contents --; Preface --; Acknowledgements --; List of Abbreviations --; Introduction --; Part I: The Burning Disease : Different Names for the Same Disease or Different Diseases with the Same Name? --; Part II: St Anthony the Abbot , Thaumaturge of the Burning Disease, and the Order of the Hospital Brothers of St Anthony --; Part III: The Discovery of Ergotism (Saint Anthony's Fire?) --; Conclusion --; Bibliography --; About the Author --; Index
• Format: Mode of access: Internet via World Wide Web.
• ISBN: 9789048533312; 9783110689556; 9783110610765; 9783110664232; 9783110610536; 9783110606386; 9783110696301
• DOI: 10.1515/9789048533312?locatt=mode:legacy
• Access: restricted access
• Hierarchical level: Monograph
• Statement of Responsibility: Alessandra Foscati.

After the discovery of the ergotism epidemics (poisoning caused by ingesting the fungal toxin of rye) and its etiology, eighteenth-century physicians interpreted medieval chronicles in their medical texts in order to recognize the occurrences of ergotic diseases through retrospective diagnosis. They assumed that St. Anthony's fire and ignis sacer ("sacred fire") recorded in medieval texts represented the same disease, ergotism. This interpretative method, lacking a textual basis in the sources, has been incorrectly followed by historians till now. This book examines this historical prejudice through textual analysis, comparing diverse medieval and early modern sources. A striking semantic complexity emerges that changes the concept of St. Anthony's fire and modifies our understanding of diseases in general. This research illuminates aspects of the history of medicine, society, and hospitals.