Medicine and Magic in Early Modern English Witchcraft Pamphlets

Kirjoittajat

• Carla Suhr University of Helsinki https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5730-7180

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54334/mirator.162976

Avainsanat:

witchcraft pamphlets, medicine, early modern England

Abstrakti

This paper investigates accounts of bewitching in English witchcraft pamphlets to identify connections between medicine and witchcraft in the minds of common people. The focus is especially on how the symptoms of bewitching are described and the diagnosis of bewitching is justified. In addition, this paper analyzes how people reacted to bewitching in the accounts: is there any evidence of considering medical causes for the afflictions, or of resorting to medical practitioners to alleviate the symptoms? The findings indicate that people had a very clear understanding of the stereotypical symptoms of bewitching, and they were also resistant to learned medical views and practices that suggested alternative explanations for bewitching.