HÔPITAL NOTRE-DAME À LA ROSE

We are now in Wallonie which is the French speaking part of Belgium. We moored at a small town called Lessines. The town was very quiet. In fact so quiet that when we went out for a drink at 9pm on Friday evening the bars were all closed! However there was a huge hospital/convent in the centre of town which dates back to 1242. It was run by the Augustinian nuns and provided care for the poor and needy for over 7 centuries, the last nuns leaving in the 1980s. In the Middle Ages illnesses and diseases were conceived to be the consequence of sin and therefore curing the body went hand in hand with purifying the soul! Hence a large, beautiful chapel was incorporated next to the wards. A tour around the hospital was fascinating. It showed medicine from the thirteenth century through the Middle Ages to more modern concepts.

Racks of medicines/chemicals.

Some of the early remedies, concoctions and treatment were quite horrifying. You really wondered if they cured people or if those people got better because they had a decent roof over their heads. I'm sure many didn't survive because of the 'remedies' given to them. 

Surgical Instruments.

There were shelves and shelves of all sorts of instruments. Some looked horrendous. You can't imagine the pain caused by these implements with no anaesthetics. In fact Geoff had to walk away several times as his stomach was churning at the sight of them!

Mask and gown used by doctors to treat plague victims.

The hospital treated many plague victims, although it was rather controversial as to whether the hospital was set up only for the poor and needy people or for plague victims who may not be so poor. However either way the doctors wore scary looking masks and gowns which I'm sure wouldn't have helped a patient's mental state......the grim reaper springs to mind!

Herbs all labelled with their medicinal properties.

In order to meet its needs, the Hospital also had a medicinal herb garden. About 120 species of herbs were growing with all their medicinal properties labelled. Some were ancient herbs that were mixed and used with others. There was a notice saying 'Don't eat any as they have to be administered in very specific proportions'. Did they really know what those safe specific proportions were back in the Middle Ages.......?