About the Author

Professor of Medieval History, School of History, University of East Anglia

Reviews

An) important contribution. MEDICAL HISTORYProbably one of the most important publications for many years in the fields of medical, religious and social history. Rawcliffe's book completely overhauls our understanding of leprosy and contributes immensely to our knowledge of the English middle ages. A well informed and richly-detailed study, inter-disciplinary in its attention to art, literature, law and hagiography as well as medical material. (...) This is a fascinating study that will be a seminal work in the history of leprosy for many years to come. It is extraordinarily detailed, meticulous, well written and well illustrated and will appeal to anyone concerned to learn more about disease and its impact on people's lives and communities. ENGLISH HISTORICAL REVIEW A comprehensive and detailed history. (...) A major contribution to the study of medieval society, particularly its values and perceptions. SOUTHERN HISTORYIt is fair to say that Carole Rawcliffe has written the definitive study of leprosy in medieval England. Comprising more than 350 pages of text with illustrations, this meticulously researched work explores the topic from every imaginable angle by exploiting an impressive array of evidence. JOURNAL OF BRITISH STUDIESProvides a much-needed corrective to the general understanding of how medieval society viewed leprosy and treated its victims. SOCIAL HISTORY OF MEDICINEIn this comprehensive, thoughtfully argued, compelling, fascinating, rigorous and extensively researched work, Carole Rawcliffe sets out to disabuse the reader of all the most dearly-held modern misconceptions of the medieval leper, and succeeds. (...) A compassionate, compelling, and important model for (re)writing the history of the disease. THE MEDIEVAL REVIEWAn important book, written with a great deal of erudition. THE RICARDIAN, XVIII, 2008