« Et les grenouilles crient de joye » : Laurent Joubert et la qualité des eaux

Abstract

We tend to assume that in pre-modern Europe people did not drink water, considering it too risky and generally unhealthy. And yet, communities went to great lengths to ensure a supply of fresh water. The difficulty for the cultural historian is water’s very banality and ambiguity. This is why the little-known Traicté des eaux (1559), by French Renaissance physician Laurent Joubert, is such a valuable source. With reference to the water of Montbrison, where Joubert was practising medicine, he explores the question of different water sources, water quality and how to remedy this, shedding light on contemporary medical attitudes to drinking water.