New Springer Book

Muller, J. (Ed.). (2026). Food, plants, remedies and healing practices: Women’s ideas in the history of medicine. Springer Nature Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-032-17766-7

About this book:

This book examines the contributions of women to the history of philosophy and medicine, as well as the traditional medical knowledge that has been employed in households. Women have played integral roles in the history of medicine, often serving as healers, caretakers, midwives and guardians of traditional knowledge surrounding food, plants, remedies, and healing practices. However, women’s writings are often overlooked or marginalized in mainstream narratives because they did not write in the scientific language of Latin, and because their writings were not in the conventional form of a published book. The work, therefore, considers a diverse range of women, from Hildegard von Bingen and Oliva Sabuco to Maria Deraismes in the 19th century, midwives in Germany and numerous other women in European households. It demonstrates the significant influence of female knowledge and practices in the field of medicine, remedies, chemistry and healing practices. The chapters predominantly reflect on plants, food and practical remedies used and tested by women. Those engaged in research or teaching on the history of philosophy and medicine will find this collection invaluable, as it offers insights into a domain that has been relatively unexplored and lacks a substantial corpus of documented evidence.

Further information about the Springer Book Series:
https://historyofwomenphilosophers.org/study/springer-book-series-women-in-the-history-of-philosophy-and-sciences/

About the Editor:

Jil Muller is Deputy Head of the Center for the History of Women Philosophers and Scientists, Postdoctoral Researcher, and Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Paderborn University.

Her research combines the history of medicine with the history of philosophy. She specializes in the medical traditions of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, with particular attention to women thinkers and their understandings of the body, mechanism, and humourism. Her work also focuses on the moral philosophy of early modern women philosophers, including Marie de Gournay, Sophie Germain, and Émilie du Châtelet.