ABSTRACT
The attitude of the friars to the care and recovery of their own health was shaped not only by theological and philosophical concerns but also by practical, medical and social considerations. In addition to the impetus of these practical and theological principles, the actions of the friars were driven by important elements of medical theory, underlying many of the measures taken with regard to the siting, development and functioning of the convent, its infirmary and gardens, as beneficial and important to the maintenance of the friars' mental and physical health. The detail furnished in the infirmary inventory of the large convent of S. Domenico, Bologna, combined with the evidence from the account books, has identified the reality of the services and equipment provided for such a mendicant infirmary and its sick friars in the fourteenth century. The Franciscan records have supplied some hitherto unnoticed details of treatment in use during the outbreak of 1362.
