Sophie Mann - University of Warwick
About
Press
Papers
We're Hiring!
Sophie Mann
University of Warwick
History
Faculty Member
King's College London
History
Graduate Student
Followers
52
Following
21
Public Views
I am an Assistant Professor in the History of Medicine at the University of Warwick.
I completed my PhD entitled 'Religion, Medicine and Confessional Identity in Early Modern England' in the Department of History at King's College London, funded by a King's Continuation Scholarship. Following the completion of my doctorate I spent a year lecturing in Early Modern History at the University of Essex, before moving onto Warwick in 09/2015.
I have published original research in Studies in Church History, Social History of Medicine and The Seventeenth Century Journal, and review articles for both the Journal of Historical Sociology and the European Journal of Integrative Medicine. My forthcoming monograph is titled Double Nature, Double Care: Religion and Medicine in Early Modern England (Manchester University Press). I am currently developing a research grant focused on chronic illness in early modernity.
Supervisors:
Dr Lucy Kostyanovsky and Professor Ludmilla Jordanova
less
Related Authors
Sheilagh Ogilvie
University of Oxford
Simon Werrett
University College London
Gloria ORIGGI
EHESS-Ecole des hautes études en sciences sociales
François Soyer
University of New England - Australia
Alejandra B Osorio
Wellesley College
David Seamon
Kansas State University
Armando Marques-Guedes
UNL - New University of Lisbon
Florin Curta
University of Florida
Noé Cornago
University of the Basque Country, Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea
Stéphane Péquignot
Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes
Interests
View All (20)
Uploads
all
12
Papers
Conference Presentations
Papers by Sophie Mann
‘A Dose of Physick’: Medical Practice and Confessional Identity within the Household
Studies in Church History
, 2014
In early modern England the place where most people experienced and treated illness was the home....
more
In early modern England the place where most people experienced and treated illness was the home. Medical practices were therefore invariably centred on the family, and in many cases, sufferers diagnosed and nursed their ailments without seeking advice from a practitioner, instead favouring the counsel of a family member or friend. Centred on the personal transactions between patients, kin, neighbours, and in some cases a practitioner, how might the religiously plural context of the Reformation era have shaped these close social relationships? The subjects of this study belonged to two Catholic families: Nicholas Blundell (1669–1737) of Little Crosby in Lancashire, and Catharine Burton (1668–1714) of Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk. Focusing on the sickness experiences, lay healing practices and medical treatment described at length in their diaries, this essay asks three central questions. First, in what ways did confessionally opposed families integrate or separate from one another in relation to matters of health? Second, did these subjects forge more exclusive ties with medical practitioners of their own confession, or, conversely, did they find a way to coexist comfortably with, and interact in, the ‘medical marketplace’? Third, by examining the practices through which religion and medicine interrelated within the household, I aim to challenge longstanding assumptions concerning the progressive ‘secularization’ or ‘medicalization’ of the sickbed. I hope to shed fresh light on the ways in which medical practices were embedded in social relations and community experiences; and to begin to unravel some of the complex channels through which confessional identity was experienced and expressed in relation to healing.
'A Double Care': Prayer as Therapy in Early Modern England
Social History of Medicine
, 2019
This article explores three central questions. What did people consider the physical effects of p...
more
This article explores three central questions. What did people consider the physical effects of prayer to be? Why were these effects considered to be therapeutic? How did an awareness of prayer's physiological benefits shape the practices of patients and practitioners? It also presents a wider attempt to incorporate the notion of 'double care' into our thinking about early modern medical treatment. To date, early modernists have demonstrated that the sick engaged in prayer in order to elicit the Lord's mercy and bring about a recovery. What remains underexplored is the way in which prayer was believed to somatically manifest in the devotee's own body. Exploring this theme will highlight that medical practitioners, clergymen and the laity perceived and invoked prayer as both a spiritual and physical aid. In this way, prayer was not only a central religious exercise but also could be an important component of early modern therapeutics.
format_quote
Prayer was documented as a legitimate therapeutic method, noted in diverse medical and personal records for its physical health benefits.
format_quote
Physic and Divinity: the Case of Dr John Downes M.D. (1627–1694), The Seventeenth Century, published online 12 Oct 2016
This article examines casebooks and papers penned by the Anglican physician Dr John Downes. His m...
more
This article examines casebooks and papers penned by the Anglican physician Dr John Downes. His manuscripts highlight how a physician's faith informed their occupational practices in day-to-day life. Considered alongside the writings of other physicians, the study provides a rich sense of doctors' vocational duties, and elucidates how much of this activity was expressed within religious frameworks. Early modern histories about the faith of physicians operate largely in the field of intellectual history. Furthermore, the assumption that secular medical interventions gradually supplanted religious responses to illness remains influential. Here, I shift our gaze from the intellectual to the everyday, and argue that faith remained fundamental in many physicians' approaches to their lives, and their work. In this way, the article explores intricate relationships between religion and medicine in the seventeenth century, and seeks to underline the importance of studying histories of religion and medicine in conjunction.
“A Dose of Physic: Confessional Identity and Medical Practice within the Family”, Studies in Church History, Volume 50: Religion and the Household, eds. John Doran and Charlotte Methuen (Woodbridge, 2014).
Health and the City: Disease, Environment and Government in Norwich, 1200–1575, by Isla Fay
The English Historical Review
, Dec 18, 2017
Review of 'Medicine and Religion: A Historical Introduction
Reviews in history
, 2014
As Ferngren explains in the opening pages: 'My purpose in this volume is to provide a concise but...
more
As Ferngren explains in the opening pages: 'My purpose in this volume is to provide a concise but comprehensive survey that traces the history of the intersection of medicine and healing with religious traditions in the Western world from the earliest civilizations of Mesopotamia and Egypt to our own era'; a sizeable task to say the least. The chronological and geographical scope of work is striking, taking the reader on a journey through eight distinct eras: one, 'The ancient Near East'; two, 'Greece'; three, 'Rome'; four, 'Early Christianity'; five, 'The Middle Ages'; six, 'Islam in the Middle Ages'; seven, 'The early modern period'; and eight, 'The nineteenth and twentieth centuries'. Preceding these chapters, the author's 'acknowledgements' provides readers with helpful guidelines about what to expect along the way: 'I have not written a scholarly monograph but rather an introduction intended for non-specialists who wish to gain an understanding of the place of religion in the Western medical and healing traditions'. He duly explains his decision to avoid arcane language and technical medical terms, keep annotation to a minimum, and confine the notes chiefly to citations rather than to extended discussions. In addition, the author directs readers seeking to pursue subjects of special interest to an extensive bibliography of secondary literature on medicine and religion available at the publisher's website:
www.press.jhu.edu
[2] (p. ix-x).
Household Medicine in Seventeenth-Century England, by Anne Stobart
The English Historical Review
, 2018
Religion, medicine and confessional identity in early modern England
Health and the City: Disease, Environment and Government in Norwich, 1200–1575, by Isla Fay
Review of 'Medicine and Religion: A Historical Introduction
Reviews in History
, 2014
Physic and divinity: the case of Dr John Downes M.D. (1627–1694)
The Seventeenth century
, Oct 1, 2016
ABSTRACT This article examines casebooks and papers penned by the Anglican physician Dr John Down...
more
ABSTRACT This article examines casebooks and papers penned by the Anglican physician Dr John Downes. His manuscripts highlight how a physician’s faith informed their occupational practices in day-to-day life. Considered alongside the writings of other physicians, the study provides a rich sense of doctors’ vocational duties, and elucidates how much of this activity was expressed within religious frameworks. Early modern histories about the faith of physicians operate largely in the field of intellectual history. Furthermore, the assumption that secular medical interventions gradually supplanted religious responses to illness remains influential. Here, I shift our gaze from the intellectual to the everyday, and argue that faith remained fundamental in many physicians’ approaches to their lives, and their work. In this way, the article explores intricate relationships between religion and medicine in the seventeenth century, and seeks to underline the importance of studying histories of religion and medicine in conjunction.
‘A Dose of Physick’: Medical Practice and Confessional Identity within the Household
Studies in Church History
, 2014
In early modern England the place where most people experienced and treated illness was the home....
more
In early modern England the place where most people experienced and treated illness was the home. Medical practices were therefore invariably centred on the family, and in many cases, sufferers diagnosed and nursed their ailments without seeking advice from a practitioner, instead favouring the counsel of a family member or friend. Centred on the personal transactions between patients, kin, neighbours, and in some cases a practitioner, how might the religiously plural context of the Reformation era have shaped these close social relationships? The subjects of this study belonged to two Catholic families: Nicholas Blundell (1669–1737) of Little Crosby in Lancashire, and Catharine Burton (1668–1714) of Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk. Focusing on the sickness experiences, lay healing practices and medical treatment described at length in their diaries, this essay asks three central questions. First, in what ways did confessionally opposed families integrate or separate from one another in ...
Conference Presentations by Sophie Mann
"Piety in Physic": Prayer as Therapy in Early Modern England
Diagnosing Sanctity in Early Modern England
"Religion and Medicine": Avenues for Future Research
Religion, Medicine and Everyday Practices: The Papers of Dr John Downes (1627-1694)
The Diagnosis of Sanctity in Seventeenth-Century England
"A Dose of Physic": Confessional Identity and Medical Practice within the Family
“The Devout Hart": Anatomy and Religious Identity in Seventeenth-Century England
or
or
reset password
Need an account?
Click here to sign up
About
Press
Papers
Topics
Academia.edu Journals
work
We're Hiring!
help
Find new research papers in:
Physics
Chemistry
Biology
Health Sciences
Ecology
Earth Sciences
Cognitive Science
Mathematics
Computer Science
Content Policy
Academia ©2026