Ars Moriendi 12 / 20
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The Physician's Departure
The Woodcut
The physician packs his instruments and turns away from the bed. His face is shadowed; there is nothing more medicine can do. The family watches him leave, understanding.
The Text
When the physician departeth, the true physician of the soul must arrive. For the body's healer healeth only for a time, but the soul's physician healeth for eternity.
The medieval understanding: medicine and spiritual care have distinct jurisdictions. When one ends, the other must not falter.
Ars Moriendi · Block Book Tradition · c. 1415–1450