Sign in

Dr. Black's Medieval Remedies

@winstonblack.bsky.social
3.6K followers 2.6K following 685 posts

Haligonian, Medievalist, Author, Historian of Medicine, Science, and Religion. Dad to kids and cats. Playing piano, MTG, D&D, BG3

PostsRepliesMedia
Dr. Black's Medieval Remedies @winstonblack.bsky.social · 11h
Did my first sea turtle patrol walk of the season. Unseasonably warm so the turtles are probably not getting cold shock yet! Visited with the stinky cormorant colony but not too close.
Photograph of black cormorants hanging out on huge silver boulders at the seashore.   One has its wings spread wide to dry out. Selfie of a curly haired medievalist with salt and pepper hair and beard, green glasses, and black tshirt, on white rocks at the seashore.
090
Reposted by Dr. Black's Medieval Remedies
Katherine Weikert @kateweikert.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Come work with us at Winchester! We're hiring a 0.5FTE open-ended contract in pre-1800 English Lit. Details at the link. Deadline 14 October. Please share! Lecturer in English Literature at University of Winchester share.google/2la1PLwY1Tey...
share.google
Lecturer in English Literature at University of Winchester
An opportunity for an academic position as a Lecturer in English Literature is available, as advertised on jobs.ac.uk. Apply now and explore other academic job openings.
1128
Reposted by Dr. Black's Medieval Remedies
Rosemary Mosco @rosemarymosco.com · 19h
Butterbutt. An older comic.
A four-panel comic titled "yellow-rumped warbler poem". In panel 1, a yellow-rumped warbler stands on a branch in a late autumn scene, and says "Fall is here." In panel 2, the warbler watches a brown leaf fall to the ground, and says "Winter's near." In panel 3, the warbler faces the viewer as brown leaves fall, and says "Need some cheer?" In panel 4, the warbler is showing its luminous yellow rump, and cheerfully says "See my rear."
222681623
Reposted by Dr. Black's Medieval Remedies
Bad Hand Books @badhandbooks.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
A few years ago, this post of mine went viral (millions and millions of views) and it continues to circulate every few months. It seems to be making the rounds again. Posting it again here in case anyone needs this today. - Doug Murano, Founder & CEO, Bad Hand Books
1133383
Reposted by Dr. Black's Medieval Remedies
Katherine Weikert @kateweikert.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Hwaet! Winchester is advertising for a 0.5FTE, open-ended contract in English Lit (pre-1800). Deadline 14 October for applications. Please share this with anyone who might be interested! www.winchester.ac.uk/About-Us/Wor...
winchester.ac.uk
01515
Reposted by Dr. Black's Medieval Remedies
Elizabeth Boyle @thecelticist.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
"What the islanders discovered were extensive burial grounds, decorated stonework and early buildings – all the features belonging to a major sixth-century monastery, comparable to the much better known site of Iona a little to the south-west." #MedievalSky www.theguardian.com/science/2026...
theguardian.com
‘Hugely exciting’ finds on tiny Scottish island shed light on spread of Christianity
Community-funded archaeological excavations of ‘really important’ sixth-century monastery also rewrite story of Lismore
03813
Reposted by Dr. Black's Medieval Remedies
The Medieval Academy of America @medievalacademy.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Jobs For Medievalists The Department of History at Johns Hopkins University invites applications for a full-time position in Medieval European and/or Mediterranean History (400-1500) at the rank of Associate Professor (with www.themedievalacademyblog.org/jobs…
0910
Dr. Black's Medieval Remedies @winstonblack.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Quite a story from my home county. Worth mentioning this is also where Stevie Ray Vaughan crashed and died.
170
Reposted by Dr. Black's Medieval Remedies
Dr Jill Whitelock @jillwhitelock.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Migrations. From ‘Ortus sanitatis’ (Mainz: Jacob Meydenbach, 23 June 1491). Inc.3.A.1.8[37] @theulspeccoll.bsky.social cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/view/PR-INC-...
14212
Reposted by Dr. Black's Medieval Remedies
Monica H Green @monicamedhist.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Very cool! The Medieval Academy of America & @uchicagopress.bsky.social have kindly agreed to temporarily lift the paywall on a short essay I published a few months ago: www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/.... Dating, dating, dating. Vital for the historian; essential for interdisc. dialogue.
journals.uchicago.edu
The Future of Time: Methodological Dialogues between Philology, Archaeology, and Genomics | Speculum: Vol 101, No 1
26025
Reposted by Dr. Black's Medieval Remedies
Dr Ben Wilkinson-Turnbull (He/They) 🏳️‍🌈 @benwt.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Call for papers! “Reading Sixteenth and Seventeenth Century Religion and Politics: Marginalia and Manuscripts” @rorymaclellan.bsky.social and I are putting together a panel for next year’s SRS conference in London. Deadline for 200 word abstracts is tomorrow Please get in touch and repost!
11918
Dr. Black's Medieval Remedies @winstonblack.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
I hereby elect the Les Mis/Rage Against the Machine mashup quilt for U.S. president. We just need a constitutional amendment to allow textiles to hold office.
0201
Dr. Black's Medieval Remedies @winstonblack.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
So much I love here (busy nuns! soapwort marginalia! medieval people kept clean!), but the plant was called "saponaria" not "saponifera". Soapwort was used for washing, but real soap was made in many medieval homes, and imported in large quantities and many varieties.
23412
Reposted by Dr. Black's Medieval Remedies
Jesse Locker @jessemlocker.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
A carved "pillar-biter" from the church of St. Bavo in Haarlem, from 1509-1517. With roots in Medieval iconography, pillar-biters represented hypocrisy and false piety. More here: www.leidenmedievalistsblog.nl/articles/dev...
A polychrome wooden carving of a man in pilgrim's garb with a priminent rosary grotesquely gnawing on a church column
35958222
Reposted by Dr. Black's Medieval Remedies
Zanna Van Loon @zannavanloon.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Want to see this and other extraordinary books in our collections? There's still a week left to apply for our Nottebohm fellowship. All info here: museumplantinmoretus.be/en/nottebohm... 2/
museumplantinmoretus.be
Nottebohm Fellowship for Book Historical Research
The Plantin-Moretus Museum and the Hendrik Conscience Heritage Library (Antwerp) are pleased to launch a new call for applications for our fellowship programme.
01510
Dr. Black's Medieval Remedies @winstonblack.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
It's fun to see the Bluesky algo try to figure out my "Discover" feed as I often block or mute. It's shifted from "Canadian" anti-MAGA bot accounts, to furry porn, to romantasy with AI ads, to classic cars, to lots of mediocre poetry, then old motorcycles, and repeat. Good times, but not for me.
210
Reposted by Dr. Black's Medieval Remedies
NANCY COMICS BY ERNIE BUSHMILLER @nancycomics.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
IT’S WEDNESDAY AGAIN
WOIMSDAY 
NANCY MEETS SLUGGO DOWNTOWN 

HE HAS JUST GOT PAID AT THE BAIT SHOP WHERE HE WORKS 

NANCY IS TRULY SURPRISED ABOUT HIS PAY

SLUGGO:THEY PAY ME IN WOIMS

SLUGGO IS HOLDING A TIN CAN FILLED WITH WOIMS (WORMS)
651594
Dr. Black's Medieval Remedies @winstonblack.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Nights are already getting cold, so I needed to get out while the days are still warm. Pretty amazing that this is a few minutes from my door. Unfortunately saw a scraggly medievalist lurking among the rocks.
1150
Reposted by Dr. Black's Medieval Remedies
Matthew L Reznicek @drreznicek.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Visiting fellowship for PhD students in medical humanities at Upsala www.uu.se/en/centre/me...
uu.se
Call for applications: Visiting PhD-student position in Medical Humanities, Uppsala University, spring semester 2027 – Centre for Medical Humanities (CMH) – Uppsala University
02121
Reposted by Dr. Black's Medieval Remedies
Kristof Smeyers @kristofsmeyers.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
6-year fully funded research and teaching assistant job at University of Ghent in the fields of English literature/cultural theory, history/translation history, linguistics, language acquisition, communication. Own projects are welcome! Details: jobs.ugent.be/job/Ghent-As...
jobs.ugent.be
Assistant English
Assistant English
13856
Dr. Black's Medieval Remedies @winstonblack.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Thanks @michellefranklin.bsky.social for having me on Legends and Lectures. It was a great chat about so many facets of medieval medicine and disease and myths! #histmed #medhist #plague
183
Reposted by Dr. Black's Medieval Remedies
Michelle Franklin│Legends and Lectures @michellefranklin.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
LIVE NOW: LEGENDS AND LECTURES welcomes Dr @winstonblack.bsky.social to talk about the history of the plague, Medieval medicine, and Middle Age myths! youtu.be/6bqkuRLVQ08?...
youtu.be
The History of Medieval Medicine
YouTube video by Michelle Franklin | Legends and Lectures
1127
Reposted by Dr. Black's Medieval Remedies
Monica H Green @monicamedhist.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
For those who want to follow along (& I have to say, at this point, I have no idea how many days this will take), I want to give a "deep dive" into how historians of medicine (#histmed) who work on the pre-modern/pre-print era actually go about researching a question. Today, I just discovered this:
The first part of an entry for a 13th-century English cardinal, Hugh of Evesham, who is said to have died in Rome in 1287 as the result of either "pestilence" or poisoning. Below is both the French text and an English translation.
"Hugues Atratus de Evesham. - Né à Evesham (Angleterre), il fréquenta les Universités de son pays natal, puis celles de France et d'Italie, se livrant surtout à l'étude des mathématiques et de la médecine. Il obtint des prébendes ecclésiastiques en Angleterre et fut appelé à Rome, en 1280, pour donner son avis sur des questions médicales. On a prétendu, à tort selon Marini, qu’il avait été le médecin du pape Martin IV, qui le fit cardinal."
"Hugh (the Black) of Evesham. Born at Evesham (England), he attended the universities of his home country, then those of France and Italy, focusing especially on the study of mathematics and medicine. He secured ecclesiastical prebends [appointments] in England and was called to Rome in 1280 to give his advice on medical matters. It is said (erroneously, according to Marini) that he was the (personal) physician to Pope Martin IV [r. 1281-1285], who made him a cardinal.The latter part of an entry from Wickersheimer's 1936 biographical dictionary of medieval French medical practitioners, for a 13th-century English cardinal, Hugh of Evesham, who is said to have died in Rome in 1287 as the result of either "pestilence" or poisoning. Below is both the French text and an English translation.

"Il mourut à Rome, en 1287, du poison suivant les uns, de la peste suivant d'autres[2] et fut enterré dans l'église Saint-Laurent « in Lucina ». Il composa divers ouvrages dont deux de médecine, Canones medicinales et Super opere febrium Isaac[3]; le seul qui ait été conservé est un Sermo in dominica Septuagesime [4]."

He died in Rome, in 1287, from poisoning according to some, from "pestilence" according to others, and was interred in the church of Saint Laurence in Lucina. He composed various works of which two were on medicine: "Medical Canons" and "On Isaac [Israeli's] Work on Fevers." His only work that survives is a sermon on Septuagint Sunday [the ninth Sunday before Easter].
413634
Reposted by Dr. Black's Medieval Remedies
Monica H Green @monicamedhist.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
#GlobalMiddleAges #MedievalSky #TengriSky A crucial addition to your teaching files: Traveling to the “Tartars”: Three Missions to the Mongols, 1245–1248, Translated, Introduced, and Annotated by Alfred J. Andrea. Supersedes Dawson's 1955 Mission to Asia. hackettpublishing.com/traveling-to... 🗃️
Cover of Alfred J. Andrea, trans., Traveling to the 'Tartars': Three Missions to the Mongols, 1245-1248, published by Hackett (2026)
13612
Reposted by Dr. Black's Medieval Remedies
Shana @shanamd.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
I am SORRY for sharing something that was posted on the other place, but this is too good.
The future pope at a party with a caption “they don’t know I’m the future pope”
160185253415
Reposted by Dr. Black's Medieval Remedies
Sam Antics @dsoart.com · 28/06/2026
Garffeld Pt 2
A three panel comic of a classic Garfield comic strip drawn in medieval style: panel 1, Friar Jon reaches for something on his desk next to an inkwell; panel 2, he realizes it’s missing, and thinks “Where didst I leave my quill?”; panel 3, Garffeld is seen with a quill pen in his mouth and Jon is shouting off panel, “Garffeld!”
94032890
Dr. Black's Medieval Remedies @winstonblack.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
It's not Caturday, but here's a #medieval description of "cattys mynte" (catnip), from the Middle English #herbal of Henry Daniel, written ca.1380: “cattes louyn it souerynly, in so mykel þat þey walwen hem þat ar yn & þeron, & eten it by þe grounde, but if þer be þe more plente of....
static.klipy.com
Catnip Kitty Enjoys Catnip
ALT: Catnip Kitty Enjoys Catnip
24919
Dr. Black's Medieval Remedies @winstonblack.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Magic spell translation: SQUARE SQUARE THIS IS A SQUARE I know y'all want medieval magic to look more exciting but it was often just geometry.
46416
Reposted by Dr. Black's Medieval Remedies
Dr Rory MacLellan @rorymaclellan.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
A spell in a 15th-century grimoire for summoning a demon to find buried treasure. Sloane MS 3849, f. 18r. #medievalsky
Medieval spell to find buried treasure, with diagrams. When you come to a place where you believe there to be treasure hidden, you must draw a quadrangle in the earth as shown in the diagrams. Then burn or boil frankincense, saffron, and a dyed red rose and breath in the fumes, presenting the concoction to each corner of the quadrangle, this will bind the spirit to you when he appears in one of the corners.
27724
Dr. Black's Medieval Remedies @winstonblack.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Was only just introduced to the term "dump dinner". How f%^ing awful. Apparently not a midwestern phrase. I come from the land of casseroles and sheet pan meals, and cook all sorts of hearty "family" meals but have never heard it. Language is weird.
140
Dr. Black's Medieval Remedies @winstonblack.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Fellow migrainers--looking for help. I'm on day 5 of a migraine, ran out of rizotriptan, which sort of helps, but can't get a doctor appt for a month. advil+tylenol+caffeine help a little too, but have destroyed my stomach day after day Can't just hide in the dark, with 2 kids, life etc.
451
Reposted by Dr. Black's Medieval Remedies
Alexandre Klein @alexandreklein.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
(Call for applications) Postdoctoral Researcher position at @mcgill.ca Social Studies of Medicine Department histoiresante.blogspot.com/2026/09/post... #histmed
01010
Reposted by Dr. Black's Medieval Remedies
Global Maritime History @globalmarhist.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Thank you to @medievalmcsheff.bsky.social for this fantastic post.
13019
Reposted by Dr. Black's Medieval Remedies
Craig Lambert @medievalmariner.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
I’m recruiting a Research Fellow in Early Modern Spanish Maritime History to join our ERC-funded Uncharted Maritime Worlds project at the University of Southampton. Please share with anyone who might be interested! www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DSW249/r...
jobs.ac.uk
Research Fellow (Early Modern Spanish Maritime History) 3497426AR at University of Southampton
An opportunity for an academic position as a Research Fellow (Early Modern Spanish Maritime History) 3497426AR is available, as advertised on jobs.ac.uk. Apply now and explore other academic job openi...
14566
Reposted by Dr. Black's Medieval Remedies
Orkney Library & Archive @orkneylibrary.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
It's eight years tomorrow since we posted on Twitter that Sting had been in to return his books.
A shelf on the book return trolley. The titles of the five books are Every Breath You Take, Every Move You Make, The Bonds That Break, Every Step You Take and I Am Watching You.
131204220
Reposted by Dr. Black's Medieval Remedies
Charles West @pseudo-isidore.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Interested in late medieval witches? It's not too late to join sessions on the topic at the IMC2027, co-organised by a @hcaatedinburgh.bsky.social PhD student, Ana Inés Aldazabal.
Although the witch-hunt reached its peak in the early modern era, it was during the medieval period that the foundations were laid for the stereotype that would characterise witch trial records. In late medieval Europe, the idea emerged that an organised group of individuals led by the Devil sought to destroy the Christian community through maleficia. By allegedly attacking livestock, poisoning populations, spreading disease, and destroying crops, witches came to be perceived both as a collective threat and as a counter-community: an imagined parallel society with its own cult and culture, constructed as a negative reflection of Christendom. As witchcraft beliefs took hold, accusations and persecution became a means of reaffirming social boundaries. However, they could also have deeply disruptive effects on community life.

For this panel, we welcome proposals dealing with witchcraft in relation to communities during the Middle Ages. We encourage submissions from a variety of disciplines (art history, history, law, literature, religious studies, etc.) and contributions that foster interdisciplinary dialogue from researchers at any stage of their career
05426
Reposted by Dr. Black's Medieval Remedies
Rory Naismith @rorynaismith.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Early medievalists may be happy to know that Simon Keynes’s collection of maps of Anglo-Saxon England has now been made freely available via @trincolllibcam.bsky.social These were commissioned by Simon and drawn (by hand) by Reg Piggott between 1991 and 2012. archives.trin.cam.ac.uk/index.php/ma...
archives.trin.cam.ac.uk
Maps of Anglo-Saxon England - archives.trin.cam.ac.uk
413568
Dr. Black's Medieval Remedies @winstonblack.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Lovely late summer happenings in my yard. Lots of native micro orchids (ladies tresses) coming up, and the hungry monarch caterpillars are cocooning.
Photo of a tiny wild orchid with one thick green stalk and a dozen tiny white flowers spiraling up it, in a lawn of moss and hawkweed. 
Closeup photo, not very good, of a monarch cocoon hanging from a daisy leaf. It is light green with dew on it and iridescent wings shining through.
091
Reposted by Dr. Black's Medieval Remedies
Dr Dean Irwin @medievaljews.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
With all of the emphasis on the Bayeux Tapestry this week, and with Rosh Hashanah about to start, it's reflecting that the world of William the Conqueror wasn't just a Christian one. The centuries before prior to 1066 had seen Jewish communities gradually expand North through Germany and France. 1/
17122
Reposted by Dr. Black's Medieval Remedies
Erika Gaffney @erikagaffney.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Job posting - tenure-track assistant professor position The Dept of the History of Art & Architecture at Brown Univ seeks applicants whose scholarship focuses on histories of early modern (ca. 1400s-1700s) European art & architecture in the world. More info: apply.interfolio.com/191701
A detail of the still life flower painting by Ambrosius Bosschaert (the elder), Still-Life of Flowers, 1614; J. Paul Getty Museum. The job title for which applicants are sought is in yellow text at the top.
13345
Reposted by Dr. Black's Medieval Remedies
Dissent Magazine @dissentmag.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Anthropic recently agreed to a $1.5 billion copyright settlement—the largest in U.S. history. For half a million authors, the $3,000 payout per book might look like a victory, but for Anthropic, it was simply the cost of doing business.
dissentmagazine.org
AI Is Theft - Dissent Magazine
If capital is rewriting the rules of work with AI, then workers must rewrite the terms of resistance.
01410
Reposted by Dr. Black's Medieval Remedies
Nina Willburger @drnwillburger.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
A medieval #ship was reused as basement ceiling in Konstanz (Southern Germany), it reveals rare clues medieval shipbuilding at Lake Constance. archaeologymag.com/2026/08/medi...
The photo shows the ceiling made of a flat-bottomed sailing vessel. The planks are clearly visible. A photographer is taking a picture.
726853
Reposted by Dr. Black's Medieval Remedies
The Fake History Hunter @fakehistoryhunter.net · 09/09/2026
And then suddenly you find the most important question ever asked in an 17th century book. The depth, the power, the genius... Is cheese rational? Well, is it? IS IT?! web.archive.org/web/20200915...
2740088
Reposted by Dr. Black's Medieval Remedies
Monica H Green @monicamedhist.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
#MedievalSky Job in "medieval and/or transregional history, 7th-16th centuries" at Ottawa. networks.h-net.org/jobs/70298/u...
networks.h-net.org
University of Ottawa - Assistant Professor - Medieval and/or transregional history, 7th-16th centuries | H-Net
The Department of History at the University of Ottawa invites applications for a position in medieval and/or transregional history, 7th-16th centuries. This tenure-track appointment will be made at the assistant professor level, beginning July 1, 2027.
1108
Reposted by Dr. Black's Medieval Remedies
Dr Bryony Coombs @bryonycoombs.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
jobs.chronicle.com/job/38032507...
jobs.chronicle.com
Assistant Professor of Early Modern European Art History (1300-1800) - University of Maryland, College Park job with University of Maryland | 38032507
Assistant Professor of Early Modern European Art History University of Maryland College Park Department of Art History and Archaeology   The Depart...
023
Reposted by Dr. Black's Medieval Remedies
Helen Gittos @helengittos.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
The complexity of the finest #lateantique art! A diagram of how this early sixth-century disc brooch is constructed. From Matthias Friedrich's 'Image & Ornament in the Early Medieval West'. Images: Archäologische Staatssammlung Munich.
2206
Dr. Black's Medieval Remedies @winstonblack.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
A fascinating thread on early modern whistles and wills. Love this kind of history. Thanks @lsangha.bsky.social!
000
Reposted by Dr. Black's Medieval Remedies
Monica H Green @monicamedhist.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
This needs to go to the top of your #GlobalMiddleAges reading list: Nicholas Matheou, "Commercial Revolution in the Central Eurasian Middle Ages: Tribute, Capital & Nomadic Aristocracy." #OpenAccess here: jwsr.pitt.edu/ojs/jwsr/iss.... #MedievalSky #TengriSky
Title and Abstract for Nicholas S. M. Matheou, "Commercial Revolution in the Central Eurasian Middle Ages: Tribute, Capital & Nomadic Aristocracy," Journal of World-Systems Research 32, no. 2 (2026), 534-570, https://jwsr.pitt.edu/ojs/jwsr/issue/view/90.
12810
Reposted by Dr. Black's Medieval Remedies
The Tennessee Holler @thetnholler.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
🔥 ♥️
421629423