Hildegard of Bingen (c. 1098-1179) on sleep and dreams in her Causae et curae and Physica: A historical perspective
Source
Sleep Medicine, 88, (2021), pp. 7-12ISSN
Publication type
Article / Letter to editor

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Organization
SW OZ DCC NRP
Journal title
Sleep Medicine
Volume
vol. 88
Languages used
English (eng)
Page start
p. 7
Page end
p. 12
Subject
Neuropsychology and rehabilitation psychology; Neuro- en revalidatiepsychologieAbstract
Saint Hildegard of Bingen (c. 1098-1179) was a 12th century Benedictine abbess, a visionary, a composer, a poet, a healer, and one of few medieval women who produced treatises on medicine. In her medical writings, Causae et curae and Physica, the abbess described, among other topics, physical functions and mechanisms of sleep, dreams and waking, emphasizing the importance of sleep for the human body. She regarded sleep as both a passive and an active process. Hildegard warned her readers about sleeping too little or too much, evaluated possible causes of insomnia and nightmares, and discussed potential treatments for these sleep disorders. In this paper, we analyze Hildegard's writings in the context of Greco-Roman physiological theories, which were held to the end of the Middle Ages and later. We also discuss questions concerning the abbess's putative education, the originality of her works, and the significance of her writings in the context of current knowledge on sleep medicine.
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- Academic publications [227436]
- Faculty of Social Sciences [28417]
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