Rachael Gillibrand interviewed for Healing the Eye Podcast

Rachael Gillibrand, a postgraduate research student in Institute for Medieval Studies, has recently been interviewed for the Healing the Eye Podcast.

Having completed the Camino Le Puy - a spiritual pilgrimage which begins in Le Puy, in south-central France, and ends in Saint Jean Pied de Port, on the border of Spain - Dr. Edward Kondrot (‘America’s Favourite Eye Doctor’) was curious to learn more about the miracles of Sainte Foy, whose shrine he had recently visited during his journey. He contacted Rachael Gillibrand after reading her blog post about medieval understandings of vision, blindness and healthcare, and invited her to speak on his weekly radio show – ‘Healthy Vision’. The following interview is taken from the show broadcast on the 28th December 2017. In it, Edward and Rachael talk about Rachael’s PhD thesis and her interest in medieval disability, health and the non-conformist body; Dr. Kondrot’s interest in modern alternative eye care; late medieval miracle cures; Sainte Foy, Saint Lucy and Thomas Becket; ‘scientific’ understandings of ocular anatomy and humoral theory; the relationship between sight and sanctity; and lastly the invention of spectacles in the thirteenth century. A transcript of the interview will feature in Dr. Edward Kondrot’s forthcoming book ‘Embacing Spiritual Loss with Spiritual Insight’.