The Incredible Medical Interventions of the Monks of Soutra Aisle

Soutra Aisle refers to a set of ruins in Scotland that were once part of a larger complex comprising a hospital and a friar. Excavations at Soutra Aisle have provided an extraordinary window into the lives of the Augustinian monks that resided there, including their vast array of medicinal treatments from pain killers, to appetite suppressants, parasite killers, labor induction concoctions, and hangover cures. With new discoveries still being made, Soutra Aisle is a very important site for the understanding of medieval medical practice.

Apart from their religious duties, the monks of the Middle Ages had a variety of tasks to do each day. These include the planting of their own grains and vegetables, the production of wine, ale and honey, the copying of manuscripts, and the provision of medical care for the sick. The hospital at Soutra Aisle, along with the friary, was collectively known as the House of the Holy Trinity. The archaeological investigation of this site has provided us with an insight into the way this medieval hospital functioned during its heyday.

Reconstruction of the medieval hospital of Soutra Aisle built from stones found on site. (CC BY-SA 3.0)