Publication
The black death and St Roch – on the evolution of the iconography of the wound
| Summary: | History is built upon what is rememberable, what has been documented through testimonies, documents, or other means of preserving memory. This occurs when we know the origin of the events that have taken place. Forgetting, on the other hand, happens when knowledge that gave rise to a particular event or practice is lost. In medicine, this is particularly evident. The example of the Black Death and its associated iconography, namely the figure of the miracle worker Saint Roch, the author examines this societal dynamic where the progressive loss of facts is observed. The author evaluates the nature of the plague, its effects on a medieval society where, the understanding of disease was different, and the consequences this generated. The emergence of this saint, whose intervention who was associated with both disease and healing, is explored. The once lost origin of the wound on the lower limb present in Saint Roch’s iconography is retrieved once again in the present day. The history of medicine, as a structuring element in this ongoing struggle against the loss of scientifical information provides elements of interpretation that permit a critical integration in the present. |
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| Main Authors: | Cartucho, Daniel |
| Subject: | Yersinia pestis Black death St Roch Wound Yersinia pestis Peste negra S. Roque Ferida |
| Year: | 2026 |
| Country: | Portugal |
| Document type: | article |
| Access type: | unknown |
| Associated institution: | USL Algarve |
| Language: | Portuguese |
| Origin: | Algarve Médico |
| Summary: | History is built upon what is rememberable, what has been documented through testimonies, documents, or other means of preserving memory. This occurs when we know the origin of the events that have taken place. Forgetting, on the other hand, happens when knowledge that gave rise to a particular event or practice is lost. In medicine, this is particularly evident. The example of the Black Death and its associated iconography, namely the figure of the miracle worker Saint Roch, the author examines this societal dynamic where the progressive loss of facts is observed. The author evaluates the nature of the plague, its effects on a medieval society where, the understanding of disease was different, and the consequences this generated. The emergence of this saint, whose intervention who was associated with both disease and healing, is explored. The once lost origin of the wound on the lower limb present in Saint Roch’s iconography is retrieved once again in the present day. The history of medicine, as a structuring element in this ongoing struggle against the loss of scientifical information provides elements of interpretation that permit a critical integration in the present. |
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