History of Trotula of Salerno

1. Trotula was a name given to
compilations of medieval
medical texts, including
Practica secundum
Trotam, De egritudinum
curatione, and On
Treatments for Women.

2. The author of these texts was
an 11th-century
woman, Trotula, who served
as an
obstetrician, gynecologist, an
d physician in Salerno, where
there was in that time a
school of medicine of
significant fame.

3. The books contain some practices surprisingly modern, such
as the use of silk thread to repair tears that occur during
delivery, or the instructions for how to handle abnormal
birth presentations. She recommended the use of opium in
childbirth, contrary to church teachings that women must
suffer in childbirth.