W zdrowiu i w chorobie. Zalecenia dietetyczne w wybranych średniowiecznych traktatach medycznych z Salerno (XI-XIII w.)

Abstract

The concern for health, the elimination of suffering and illness in the physical and spiritual dimension has been the subject of theoretical reflection since antiquity. Medieval medical treatises, written at the Salerno medical school, dealt in detail with food substances, classify-ing them as nourishment and effective remedies for many conditions. Diet was considered an integral part of a person’s overall wellbeing. Food and drink had nutritional, preventive, and healing functions. Dietary recommendations were based on formed knowledge, observation, experience and were justified by the rules of humoral pathology. They were based on the principles of balance, moderation, and an individual approach to a person.

Keywords

• diet
• food
• medicine
• medical treatises
• early middle ages