I've known E. C. for several years through conventions,
Broad Universe, and online
chatting--and she's an amazing resource on medieval history--which she
beautifully works into her novel.
Because I am such a history buff, I was thrilled at the chance to pick
her brain at all this cool info!
Let's start with a
little blurb about the book, Elisha
Barber.
England
in the fourteenth century: a land of poverty and opulence, prayer and plague,
witchcraft and necromancy. Where the medieval barber-surgeon Elisha seeks
redemption as a medic on the front lines of an unjust war, and is drawn into
the perilous world of sorcery by a beautiful young witch. In the crucible of
combat, at the mercy of his capricious superiors, Elisha must unravel
conspiracies both magical and mundane, as well as come to terms with his own
disturbing new abilities. But the only things more dangerous than the questions
he’s asking are the answers he may reveal...
I'd really love to
hear about the research you did to make Elisha's knowledge as a barber surgeon
real. What drew you to this profession?
When I started out, I only need to know a little more about
medieval medicine for a scene in another novel, but what I found was
fascinating to me. It was another way of viewing the European Middle Ages, a
popular setting for fantasy, that would allow me access to all levels of
society, and also engage with characters in a more intimate way. Medical treatment and the need for it create
great vulnerabilities, openings into the spirit as well as the body. Medieval medicine was fragmented by
philosophies handed down from Greek and Roman sources, by the demands of
religion, and by social class—it's rich territory for fiction.
I wanted to write about a less traditional fantasy
hero. We're used to reading about
knights, princesses, remarkable children—Elisha is a mid-career adult,
respected in his sphere of influence. He works among the poor and desperate of London's
lesser neighborhoods: prostitutes,
carters, laborers, for whom he's the best medical care they can afford. When he's forced to the front, he finds
himself serving beneath the full weight of the medieval hierarchy: a surgeon who manages the hospital and works
with knights and lesser nobility, a physician who advises only at the highest
level, yet insists on supervising Elisha's work, and all of the political
layers outside of medicine—the warriors, royalty, lords and ladies who are the
more usual denizens of the fantasy novel, and to whom the barber surgeon is
beneath contempt.
Where did you go for
this level of research?
I started with some general resources, like Medicine:
an Illustrated History, which grounded me in a broad understanding
of the period. I moved down through the
books that would take me closer to the source, specialized compendia of
knowledge like The History of Magic and
Experimental Science. From there, I took note especially of any primary
sources I could study. That lead me to
Galen, the first-century physician who developed the hugely influential theory
of the four humors, and to medieval practitioners like Ambroise Pare, a French
barber-surgeon, or Guy de Chauliac, surgeon and personal physician to Pope
Clement VI. Any time I could, I read
works written by the practitioners, or by their contemporaries and patients. I was a bit stymied in this area because I
never learned to read Latin!
I also had the chance to visit some specialty museums of
medicine, or to locate exhibits about medicine within larger collections in
places like the Museum of The City of London.
Lately, I've been accumulating a collection of period-style surgical
tools I can bring to signings and readings to illustrate the research.
What were some of the
more amazing, gross, crazy things you found out?
One of the popes died of a surfeit of emeralds, which he was
eating at the recommendation of his physician in order to cure a humoral
imbalance. That's pretty crazy! They
believed that all material things had properties—hot, cold, wet, and dry—which
related to the humors, so when a cure could not be effected by bleeding the
patient, say, because the wrong astrological sign was ascendant at that time,
the patient could also be fed a diet meant to balance these properties.
What are some
interesting facts you learned but that didn't make it into this book...or the
series? :)
I haven't written much about disease as opposed to wound
healing or individual ailments—as of yet.
But in the 14th century there were three modes by which disease was
believed to be transmitted: breath, skin
(touching) and gaze. This includes the
notion that a young woman without a husband or a calling to God might emit a
certain poison affecting those around her.
The so-called "maleficent gaze of the venomous virgin." Still want to use that. . . but I haven't
quite found the place for it!
Where should readers
go to learn more about the book?
Buy Links:
Bio:
E. C. Ambrose wrote Elisha
Barber and the rest of "The Dark Apostle" historical fantasy
series from DAW books. Published works
include "The Romance of Ruins" in Clarkesworld, and "Custom of
the Sea," winner of the Tenebris Press Flash Fiction Contest 2012. In
addition to writing, the author works as an adventure guide. Past occupations include founding a wholesale
business, selecting stamps for a philatelic company, selling equestrian
equipment, and portraying the Easter Bunny on weekends.
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