WOMEN IN MEDICINE AND SURGERY 275 



on women, especially on the lady in the castle and on the 

 nun in the convent. 



The old romance of Sir Isumbras gives us a charming 

 picture of the nuns of long ago receiving the wounded 

 knight and ministering unto him until he was made whole 

 and strong, as witness the following verses : 



"The nonnes of him they were full fayne, 

 For that he had the Saracenes slayne 



And those haythene honndes. 

 And of his paynnes sare ganne them rewe. 

 like a day they made salves new 



And laid them till his woundes; 

 They gave him metis and drynkis lythe, 

 And heled the knyghte wunder swythe." 



So universally during mediaeval times was the healing art 

 considered as pertaining to woman's calling that it became 

 a part of the curriculum in convent schools; and no girl's 

 education was considered complete unless she had an ele- 

 mentary knowledge of medicine and of that part of surgery 

 which deals with the treatment of wounds. For during 

 those troublous times a woman was liable to be called upon 

 at any time to nurse the sick wayfarer or dress the wounds 

 of those who had been maimed in battle or in the tourney. 



Illustrations of these facts are found in many of the 

 romances and fabliaux of the Middle Ages. Thus, when a 

 sick or wounded man was given hospitality in a chateau 

 or castle it was not the seigneur, but his wife and daugh- 

 ters, as being better versed in medicine and surgery, who 

 acted as nurses and doctors and took entire charge of the 

 patient until his recovery. 



In the exquisite little story of Aucassin et Nicolette, the 

 heroine is pictured as setting the dislocated shoulder of 

 her lover in the following simple but touching language : 



"Nicolette searched his hurt, and perceived that his 

 shoulder was out of joint. She handled it so deftly with 



