Witchcraft And Medicine In Ancient Greece And Early Modern Spain

Rory Housh

Professor Blume

Classics 321

May 09, 2023

Witchcraft and Medicine in Ancient Greece/Rome and Early Modern Spain

The question that we aimed to answer with this research project was, in what ways were women excluded from the field of medicine in Ancient Greece and Rome and how does that connect to the persecution of female healers and the idea of witchcraft in Early Modern Spain? In Ancient Greece and Rome, midwives - particularly those of lower social status - were initially regarded with suspicion, while in Early Modern Spain they were accused of witchcraft due to their gender. Although both eras saw medicine practiced within religious contexts, the Catholic Church disapproved of female practitioners in Early Modern Spain. Because

Midwives helped with childbirth and could also administer drugs to prevent or induce pregnancy. They often turned to Artemis for assistance during births, as they believed she could bring new life into the world, and even take it away if she chose too. These women were usually free slaves, once enslaved but eventually gained freedom, and were usually seen as a part of the lower class of society. They could be presented as incompetent, drunken, and superstitious in texts and could be accused of child trafficking or the cause of banned abortions (Holloway). Medicae were considered physicians and dealt mostly with gynecological and obstetric issues but could practice other medical fields too. They had a higher status than midwives and enjoyed social standing while earning good money through their practice. Iatromea combined the practices of both midwives and Medicae to become medical practitioners. There are two literary figures that were found to be important to understanding the correlation between women practicing medicine and witchcraft. Agnodice of Athens was the first recorded midwife practitioner who disguised herself as a man to study obstetrics and gynecology when women were not allowed to do so in Greece. Fabiola was a noblewoman who used her wealth to build a hospital and practiced healing as a religous

However, some argue that there may have been positive outcomes from this exclusion. One argument is that it allowed for the development and advancement of modern science and medicine.

According to historian James Hannam, "the exclusion of women from medical practice allowed male physicians to develop their skills and techniques without competition." Additionally, during the medieval period in Europe, many believed that illnesses were caused by supernatural forces such as demons or witchcraft. This belief led to widespread fear and superstitions surrounding illness and death. The exclusion of witches from medicine helped shift the focus towards rational explanations for diseases rather than attributing them to supernatural causes.

Furthermore, excluding women from religious leadership roles has also been argued to have had positive effects. According to sociologist Rodney Stark, "religions that exclude women from their highest leadership positions are more likely to survive long term than those who do not." He argues that this is due to the fact that religions with strict hierarchies are better at maintaining social order within their