Maria Do Sameiro Barroso
What inspired your transition from practicing family medicine to focusing on the history of medicine?
My first unexpected achievement was to succeed in finishing my degree in Medicine after being already a Germanist. Some years after initiating my medical practice, I researched different areas to counterbalance stress. I resumed my literary studies and became interested in Archaeology and the History of Medicine. As a medical historian, I was honoured to have my second published article, “Female Physicians in Classical Antiquity - a Rediscovered Face”, awarded the prestigious History of Medicine Barros Veloso Prize by the Portuguese Society of Internal Medicine, a testament to the quality and significance of my work. Other relevant achievements lie in my research in ancient gynaecology and obstetrics, Roman surgical instruments from the Portuguese territory, the study of the medicinal use of gems, minerals and bezoar stones (a scarcely approached area), and the early history of visual eyewear.
How did your background in Germanic Philology influence your work in the medical field?
My Latin background, while not a significant influence on my medical studies, did provide me with a valuable tool: an understanding of medical vocabulary. However, my English skills were truly indispensable, as most textbooks and mainstream medical literature were in English. Later, my knowledge of German became crucial for my research in the History of Medicine. The bibliography for areas like the early history of eyewear and Graeco-Roman medical and surgical tools is primarily German, underscoring the importance of language skills in academic pursuits.
You've extensively studied the history of medicine. What topic within this field excites you the most, and why does it stand out to you?
It is hard to say because I am always profoundly committed to specific research when I get the bug of a new interest. However, one of the undoubtedly most exciting topics for me is the pursuit of women’s achievements, which are frequently hidden. Bringing these endeavours to light and valuing the meaningful contribution of women to literature and medical history is a genuinely inspiring task that has found echoes, being acknowledged as in the recognition below.
The legacy of monastic apothecaries is a fascinating aspect of medical history. What do you find most important about their contributions, and how do you think they have influenced modern medicine?
Monastic apothecaries and monasteries were crucial in developing medical and social assistance from the 5th century to the 18th century AD. In the 16th century, Portuguese lay hospitals started providing an alternative to monastic infirmaries. The regulation of the pharmacist lay profession also began to overtake the monastic apothecaries. However, monastic orders still played a crucial role in social and medical assistance until the early 19th century, when they were extinct by a royal decree. Lay hospitals and apothecaries took over monastic medical assistance and pharmacy. However, as in many other understudied areas, there is still much to study and recover.
Your research covers various significant figures and practices in the history of medicine. Could you share a particular discovery or contribution from your studies that you believe is often overlooked but had a profound impact on the development of medical practices?
Many pioneer therapeutic procedures have been overlooked, mainly because the science behind the medical knowledge of the time could not provide a complete understanding.
Although evaluating ancient therapies is also quite challenging, it is crucial to understand medical thought before the great medical revolution of the early 18th century. These ancient therapies sometimes contain surprising and thought-provoking medical insights.
The early history of eyewear, often neglected, is a testament to past innovations that are indispensable today.
Many of your research papers involve an interdisciplinary approach, combining literature, medicine, and history. How do you think this blending of disciplines enhances our understanding of historical medical practices?
A humanistic background helps to disclose the past from a multidisciplinary perspective rather than just a medical, philological, or historical point of view.
Sometimes, I combine my literary and medical history research interests, publishing articles on poetesses and female physicians. Moreover, I translated Friedrich Schiller’s ballads into Portuguese, followed by essays in the Bulletin of Classical Studies of the Classic Department of the University of Coimbra. I also presented a paper on Shiller’s medical background of crucial knowledge for Schille´s literary studies.
Likewise, I published an article in a Brazilian literary magazine with a Portuguese translation of the last poem by Rainer Maria Rilke and other of his earlier poems, addressing his attitude towards death when he was hit by leukaemia. Rilke’s views provide a challenging contribution, referred to in Palliative Care, which is a testament to the need for humanistic values in current patient care alongside medical therapeutic skills.
In your view, how has the knowledge preserved and passed down by monastic apothecaries shaped the development of pharmacology and the approach to natural remedies in contemporary medicine?
Monastic pharmacies have been insightful matters from the past but are irrelevant to modern pharmaceutical research.
Can you discuss any particular monastic practices or remedies that have survived through time and are still relevant in today's medical or holistic health practices?
Some drugs have been used since the Egyptian, Assyro-Babylonian and Indian cultures because their therapeutical value has been recognized almost since immemorial. These drugs are still used in modern medicine, although they have complex purposes and require proper knowledge of their safe use. Many medicinal plants with antimicrobial and soothing properties have been known since immemorial times. Plants with emetic, laxant properties, and others were also utilized.
The holistic value of millenarian Ayurvedic and Chinese therapeutic approaches, mainly in managing pain, is still valued and employed.
Your work often delves deep into historical texts and medical manuscripts. Could you walk us through your research methodology? How do you approach the challenge of interpreting and contextualizing these historical documents?
When I get interested in a new subject, I do some preliminary research to check whether there are translations into the languages that I know (Portuguese, Spanish, French, English, German and Dutch) and the languages that I can read (Latin, Catalan, and ancient French, English and German). As for the manuscripts, I look for those that are legible to me. When I cannot read them, I look for expert transcriptions and translations.
My research is based on solid evidence, avoiding speculation.
Your research often highlights the intersection between culture and medicine. Can you elaborate on how cultural contexts have influenced the evolution of medical practices in different historical periods?
Cultural contexts, especially when approaching ancient and primitive medicine, shed light on our understanding of practices that otherwise would seem bizarre. Ancient medicine functions on another level and speaks a language almost entirely unintelligible to modern physicians.
How did you become involved with the Group of Friends of the National Museum of Archaeology and the Federation of Groups of Friends of Portuguese Museums? What role do you believe museums play in preserving medical history?
Yes, I was invited by friends related to Museums and Museum Directors. Aside from medical and pharmaceutical museums, palaces and art museums hold items like mortars and pharmacy jars on their reserve shelves. They also have items associated with Medicine, such as precious materials used as pharmaceutical ingredients and depictions of diseases in Ancient Art. The role of a medical doctor is to read those items from the perspective of the History of Medicine and not just interpret them but also actively engage and arouse interest among other physicians and medical historians. In 2023, the Portuguese Association of Museology, whose President is the Director of the Portuguese Museum of Health and Pharmacy, Dr João Neto, awarded me a Museology Prize of Professional Merit in the field of Museology, in the Organization of Conferences (below, a photo by Manuel Santos, photographer of the Archaeological Museum D. Diogo de Sousa in Braga).
As Secretary of these organizations, what initiatives have you spearheaded to promote the history of medicine in Portuguese museums?
The history of Medicine is of collateral interest to museologists and art historians, aside from museum spaces such as the Mafra National Palace. Otherwise, it goes unnoticed. However, when items are identified as related to Medicine and Pharmacy, they gain much more value than when viewed as decorative art pieces. In my crucial role in the Group of Friends of the National Museum of Archaeology and the Federation of the Group of Friends of the Museums of Portugal, I am advocating for the recognition of the significance of those items from the medical history point of view.
Your edited volume "Medical Heritage of the National Palace of Mafra" delves into Portuguese medical history. What were some of the most surprising discoveries you made during this project?
The publications on the medical part of the National Palace of Mafra, with its beautiful infirmary and memories of its lost apothecary, were surprisingly scarce and in Portuguese. This research, therefore, is not only relevant but also of significant importance. It is the first step towards uncovering the rich medical history of the National Palace of Mafra, a journey that must continue beyond the publication of this book.
Can you tell us about your work on "Insights into Portuguese Medical History"? What do you believe is the most important lesson of contemporary medicine can learn from historical practices?
This book aimed to publish relevant topics of the Portuguese History of Medicine in English that were poorly known outside of Portugal and others on which there were already studies but addressed from a new and insightful perspective. For example, my contributions about medical surgical instruments from the Roman city of Bracara Augusta and the Bühler-Brockhaus Collection absolutely address unpublished materials, and so my chapter on the early history of eyewear in which I identified the candidates to most ancient pairs of spectacles so far found in Portugal. Most other contributions are also quite innovative, covering little-studied subjects and never studied subjects.
The 46th Congress of the International Society, Lisbon, 3-7 September 2018, of which I was the Vice President, witnessed a keen interest from foreign researchers in Portuguese medical history. Delegates and attendees highlighted the scarcity of English publications on this topic and the urgency of addressing this gap. A reasonable number of presentations featured Portuguese medical history, some of which were included in the Proceedings.
Similarly, I published an article in a Brazilian literary magazine featuring a Portuguese translation of the last poem by Rainer Maria Rilke and some of his earlier works. This article delved into Rilke’s attitude towards death, particularly when he was afflicted by leukaemia, a condition that was poorly understood in his time. While not directly related to medical practice, Rilke’s perspective frowning upon depersonalised death in hospitals offers a unique and challenging contribution to Palliative Care, emphasising the unique experience of illness and death. His view underscores the importance of humanistic values in modern patient care, complementing the role of medical therapeutic skills.
As someone deeply invested in the history of medicine, what future directions or emerging areas of research do you find promising for expanding our understanding of this field?
I am constantly finding new research interests. Currently, the Department of History of Medicine of the Portuguese Medical Association, of which I am President, is conducting ongoing research on the medical legacy of Algarve (South of Portugal).
Finally, I am most grateful to Dr Ana Steltja, who has kindly translated one of my poetry books from Portuguese into Serbian, for the opportunity to showcase my research in the History of Medicine. I am also indebted to Dr Vladimir Abramovic for his excellent review of my book "Insights into Portuguese Medical History", published in the academic journal Acta historiae medicinae, stomatolologiae, pharmaciae, medicinae veterinariae (2023 Vol. 42, issue 1, pp. 75-76), and Chief Editor Dr Maya Vasilovic for inviting me to contribute to the journal, in which I published the article “The legacy of monastic apothecaries: S. Martinho de Tibães” (2023 vol. 42, issue 2, pp. 64-83). Serbia is definitively a culturally friendly and supportive country!
For those who are interested in delving deeper into my work, I invite you to explore the following sites:
Interview by: Ana Stjelja (Gad)
Photos: Maria do Sameiro Barroso
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