Care of the Breast in the Late Middle Ages

Abstract

The Tractatus de passionibus mamillarum, a short treatise written in fifteenth-century Italy, details treatments for women who experienced painful breast engorgement while lactating. It is primarily a translation of a chapter concerning the breast taken from the Lilium medicine of the Montpellier physician, Bernard de Gordon. The author of the Tractatus, however, eliminates most of Bernard’s commentary. The treatments are simple combinations of herbs, minerals, and liquids meant to be applied to the skin as plasters or poultices. This essay contextualizes the Tractatus within the historiography and literature of breastfeeding and provides a brief transcription and translation of its original recipe. It argues that the Tractatus represents a ‘hybrid’ form of healthcare and body knowledge that bridged household and academy.