Peter Riethe: Scabies und die Bedeutung der „Suriones“ in den Handschriften Hildegards von Bingen

In her studies on nature and medicine, the “Liber simplicis medicinae” (LSM or “Physica”) and the “Liber compositae medicinae” (LCM or “Causae et Curae”), Hildegard von Bingen mentions Scabies (mange) in several passages. She characterizes „suren aut (= or) sneuelzen“ as the cause of the disease, which she calls also „gracillimi vermiculi“, that is, tiny worms that burrow into the human skin („ubi suren aut sneuelzen hominem comedendo ledunt“). In this context the meanings of the German-ancestor terms „suren aut sneuelzen“, which are found in the Latin text concerning the „Alia Mynza“, are still disputed. The question whether Hildegard knew the cause of scabies the author discusses on the basis of ancient and medieval sources as well as modern medical historical and philological/linguistic research approaches. He concludes that Hildegard was able not only to describe the symptoms exactly, but also to define the cause of the disease as a special parasite. Consequently, she differentiates other diseases of the skin, such as „grint“, from scabies. The proposed interpretation of „sneuelzen“ as the tick is untenable. The assumption that both terms are synonyms for sarcoptes scabiei can be confirmed by philological and medical historical research.

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