Treating Pox, Pests and Worms: Saints, Sympathy and Materiality in Late‐Medieval English Charms

Charms were a commonplace form of medical intervention in late‐medieval England, as they allowed afflicted and ailing devotees to seek the aid of saints and biblical figures. Those holy dead who had suffered something on earth were considered particularly adept at posthumously treating the same in their devotees, with the words used to recount their travails believed to possess curative power. This essay examines a selection of pox, earwig and worm charms circulating in England ca. 1300–1550, specifically those powered by the fifth‐century saint Nicasius of Rheims and Old Testament figure Job. It begins by demonstrating how charms aligned with contemporary medicine, natural philosophy and orthodox Christian devotion, particularly regarding the use of words as material ingredients. Then, this essay reconstructs how these otherwise static texts, at the nexus of religion and medical science, could transform into living, curative performances.