Medieval treatments may seem questionable to modern minds, but a new exhibition aims to shed light on the reasoning behind them. Curious Cures, opening on Saturday at Cambridge University Library, showcases the culmination of a project to digitize and catalogue over 180 manuscripts from the 14th and 15th centuries that contain recipes for medical treatments. The exhibits include illustrations and diagrams, as well as recipes themselves, which reveal that medieval people faced similar ailments as modern patients but tackled them differently. Some remedies, such as burning weasel testicles to cure infertility, restore faith in the medical knowledge of the time. The exhibition explores the role of astrology and magic in medieval medicine, and acknowledges the range of medical practitioners, including women, who treated patients. While some of the cures seem alarming to modern eyes, the curator, Dr. James Freeman, insists that medieval people were rational and curious, and that their remedies are best understood within the context of their worldview, where plants and animals were seen as placed by God for humanity’s benefit. The exhibition also touches on the remnants of medieval medical practices today, including some herbal remedies,

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/mar/28/mercury-weasel-testicles-feature-uk-exhibition-medieval-medicine-curious-cases-cambridge-university-library