Through her essay titled Sex, Society, and Medieval Women, N.M. Heckle analyzes the stance assumed by both secular and religious authorities regarding women in terms of anatomy, sex, and virginity. Because the majority of the essay is more explanatory than analytical, it is evident that Heckle aims present a well-rounded scope of medieval perspectives rather than to condemn outdated medieval ideas. The general lack of judgement that characterizes Heckle’s narrative adds merit to her piece as a whole. In her discussion of women and medicine, Heckle opens with an acknowledgement of the medieval tendency of physicians to interpret women as mirror images of men. Noting medieval medical emphasis on the four humors and gross anatomy, Heckle explains
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Both the Trotula and The Book Of Women’s Love are significant in their mechanical and nonjudgmental nature. These texts discuss many aspects of women’s health including conception, birthing, uterine abnormalities, and irregular menses, along with more controversial topics like contraception and abortion. The significance of these texts lies in their divergence from male perception of the female body and greater emphasis on nonjudgmental explanation regarding how females experience their anatomy. This lack of judgement is likely reflective of the author’s perspective, as The Trotula is believed to be written in the eleventh or twelfth century by a Salerno educated female physician. To a woman, the female body is not “other”, but merely human. The Book of Women’s Love, a Hebrew text, considers female anatomy in a similarly blunt manner. The non-critical discussion of contraception and abortion within The Book of Women’s Love is reflective of Jewish law, which permits both under certain circumstances. Heckle also references the prominence of more condemnatory texts including Pseudo Alberts Magnus’ De Secretis Melireum, which aims to equate womanhood with monstrosity. Through her inclusion of a diverse group of texts, Heckle’s piece creates a well rounded depiction of the portrayal of females in medieval
Both the Trotula and The Book Of Women’s Love are significant in their mechanical and nonjudgmental nature. These texts discuss many aspects of women’s health including conception, birthing, uterine abnormalities, and irregular menses, along with more controversial topics like contraception and abortion. The significance of these texts lies in their divergence from male perception of the female body and greater emphasis on nonjudgmental explanation regarding how females experience their anatomy. This lack of judgement is likely reflective of the author’s perspective, as The Trotula is believed to be written in the eleventh or twelfth century by a Salerno educated female physician. To a woman, the female body is not “other”, but merely human. The Book of Women’s Love, a Hebrew text, considers female anatomy in a similarly blunt manner. The non-critical discussion of contraception and abortion within The Book of Women’s Love is reflective of Jewish law, which permits both under certain circumstances. Heckle also references the prominence of more condemnatory texts including Pseudo Alberts Magnus’ De Secretis Melireum, which aims to equate womanhood with monstrosity. Through her inclusion of a diverse group of texts, Heckle’s piece creates a well rounded depiction of the portrayal of females in medieval