PenicuikU3A
First
monthly meeting
at
A
big audience came to the April public meeting of Penicuik
& District U3A, the first of the monthly series following its inauguration in
March. The meeting was convened by
Margot Daru-Elliott who introduced a fascinating talk
by Brian Moffat on
Penicuik&district
Dr Moffat discussed the evidence of mediaeval medical practice
available at Soutra, including the remains of blood,
soft tissue, and herbs. He
described how libraries of medical advice from many countries and ages could be
drawn on by the more experienced Augustinians of the time. Souta holds
extensive clues to major surgery, hospital use of antidepressants, the use of
parturition inducing herbs (although attendance at childbirth was expressly
forbidden to monks in holy orders) and tumour treatments. He covered the range of local herbs used in
early medicine, including antidotes to dearth and starvation, the distances
some rarer herbs had travelled to reach Soutra, the
sheer number of doses prepared for daily use and the variety of ailments
presented in the wards. It was an
enormously informative presentation, and many carried on animated discussions
with Dr Moffat face-to-face.
Afterwards, the
newly formed Penicuik U3A subject groups were supplemented by new signings.
BBC link: Brian Moffat: Soutra & Medieval
Medicine)
About U3A -information shown in Penicuik Town Hall 21-23 March 2009
click for Penicuik &
District U3A Homepage
Penicuik U3A inaugural meeting
About U3A information shown in Penicuik Town Hall 21-23 March 2009
==============================================
SOME UPCOMING
AND EARLIER EVENTS