Gode
Cookery Presents
True stories, fables and anecdotes from the
Middle Ages
Contrary to popular legend,
medieval man loved baths. People probably
bathed more than they did in the 19th century, says the great
medievalist
Lynn Thorndike. Some castles had a special room beside the kitchen
where
the ladies might bathe sociably in parties. Hot water, sometimes with
perfume
or rose leaves, was brought to the lord in the bedchamber and poured
into
a tub shaped like a half-barrel and containing a stool, so that the
occupant
could sit and soak long. In the cities there were public baths, or
"stews"
for the populace.
Soap was probably invented
in the Orient and brought to the West
early in the Middle Ages. This was a soft soap without much detergent
power.
Generally it was made in the manorial workshops, of accumulated mutton
fat, wood ash or potash, and natural soda. Laundresses might also use a
solution of lye and fuller's earth or white clay. They worked usually
by
streamside, rhythmically beating the material with wooden paddles.
After
the winter's freeze they had a great spring washing of the
accumulations.
It was on such an occasion in the Merry Wives of Windsor that Falstaff
hid in the laundry basket. Hard soaps appeared in the 12th century.
They
were luxury articles, made of olive oil, soda, and a little lime, often
with aromatic herbs. They were manufactured in the olive-growing south,
especially Spain; hence the modern Castile soap.
Shaving was difficult, painful, and infrequent, since the soap was inefficient and razors, which looked like carving knives and perhaps substituted for them at need, were likely to be old and dull. Even haircutting was disagreeable. Scissors were of the one-piece squeeze type, similar to grass trimming shears; they must have pulled mightily. Although by the thirteenth century a few aristocrats had tooth brushes, the toilet of the teeth was generally accomplished by rubbing with a green hazel twig and wiping with a woolen cloth. Excerpts from: The Middle Ages by Morris Bishop. New York: American Heritage Press, 1970. Literary descriptions and
archaeological finds such as decorated nail
and ear cleaners give us an idea of a certain degree of hygienic
concern.
Combs were common and frequently depicted scenes from courtly
literature,
and mirrors held both a functional & decorative use as well,
indicating
that these everyday items had achieved a regard of respect. Enough
attention
was paid to personal hygiene to make neglecting it exceptional, a
product
of asceticism. Thus this report of Brun, the brother of the German
emperor
Otto the Great: "When he took a bath, he hardly
ever used any soap or preparations
to make his skin shiny, which is even more surprising, since he was
familar
with such cleansing methods and royal comforts from early childhood."
Excerpts from: Leben im Mittelalter by Hans-Werner Goetz (Albert Wimmer, translator). Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 1993. Gilbertus Anglicus, born
about 1180, was the author of the Compendium
Medicinae (1240), one of the leading medical works of the early
Middle
Ages. In addition to a variety of medicinal advice and instructions,
the Compendium
also concerns itself with hygiene and the care of one's appearance.
Steam
baths to soften the skin and open the pores, and washing in warm water,
carefully drying the skin, are suggested. Pale cheeks may be improved
with
a lotion of "Brazil-wood chips" soaked in rose water, or conversely, if
the face is too red, the root of cyclamen will blanch the skin.
Freckles, moles, wrinkles, warts and other skin blemishes are all discussed as well as halitosis and bodily odors which strongly imply that the seeking of artificial beauty aids is no new phenomenon. Excerpts from: Medieval English Medicine by Stanley Rubin. New York: Barnes and Noble Books, 1974. |
DAILY LIFE continues with DAILY LIFE PAGE TWO
ANGELS | CATS
| CHRISTMAS | CLERGY
|
DAILY LIFE | GARDENS
| FOOD & DRINK
INNS & TAVERNS | MIRACLES
| RELIGIOUS ART | RIDDLES
© 1997-2004 James L. Matterer
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