Medieval uroscopy and its representation on misericords – Part 1: uroscopy

Abstract

The art of uroscopy involved the visual inspection of urine in a specially shaped flask called a matula. By the fourteenth century it had become an integral part of the assessment of the patient's humoral balance, which was the linchpin of both diagnosis and management in medieval medical practice, and the matula became the symbol of a physician. However, the practice was open to abuse by unscrupulous physicians, who offered treatment solely on the basis of uroscopy without even seeing the patient. Further abuse occurred as Latin texts on the subject were translated into the vernacular by unqualified imposters. Although more orthodox practitioners and the College of Physicians tried hard to distance themselves from the practice, the matula became a symbol of ridicule.