Massage Therapy in the Middle Ages and Renaissance

Massage therapy has a colorful history. Continuing where it found its earliest known roots, massage flourished in medieval China. Within the 6th century, the Sui Dynasty had sought to promote education concerning Chinese medicine, inclusive of massage. By the 7th century, the Tang Dynasty continued this effort and established a medical school. There were four departments within the school, with a department of massage being one of the four.[1]

Meanwhile, in the West, the practice of massage declined due to the ancient era passing with the fall of Rome. This led to the rise of the Middle Ages. Historians, however, are not entirely sure of how massage was practiced during this time. This is because some debate over how the Dark Age Church handled the practice. One writer argues that the laying-of-hands value of Christianity continued the practice in the Western world.[2] However, another writer argues that while massage may have been preserved to a degree, it was only in hospital settings, whereas massage in any other context would have been condemned as a form of witchcraft. [3]

Thankfully, the medieval Persians were keeping the knowledge of massage alive.

The first of these individuals was the philosopher and physician, Abu Bakr Muhammad Ibn Zakariya Al Razi , or Al-Razi for short (otherwise known as Rhazes in the West). Al-Razi was born between the mid and late 800s, in an area near the present-day capital of Iran. There, he grew up interested in a wide array of topics. Eventually his focus would latch onto medicine, which he’d study formally. As a result of his education and active intellect, he’d go on to write several books on medical practice, such as Al-Hawi fi al-Tibb, otherwise known as The Comprehensive Book on Medicine. This book was based on his readings of Greek and Roman practice, inclusive of massage.[4]

Similarly, another individual would walk in Al-Razi’s footsteps. Born in the late 900s in Afshana, Uzbekistan, Persian philosopher-physician Abu Ali al-Husayn ibn Abdallah Ibn-Sina, or Ibn-Sina for short (otherwise known as Avicenna), would become one of the most prolific writers of his time. Like Al-Razi, he had interests in multiple topics, which eventually narrowed down to a pursuit in medicine. And because of his professional background, he would also write about several medical-related practices, like those from the ancient Greco-Roman culture. His writings would then spread throughout the West years later. [5] One of these publications, the famed Canon of Medicine, spoke of massage being used for various things, such as helping to relieve swelling of the jaws, to dilating the pores of the skin in order to prepare for exercise.[6]

When the 1500s came around, a French surgeon by the name of Ambroise Pare began mentioning massage in his publications. He himself put this into practice and was known to have helped Mary, Queen of the Scots, to recover from ailments through massage. Eventually, his ideas were spread to other French physicians.[7] Meanwhile, back in China, massage became recognized as one of the thirteen professions in the field of medicine.[8] As time went on, the practice of massage spread and would eventually boom worldwide in the modern era.

Enjoy this blast from the past? Here at EPIC, you can take part of the ever-growing history of massage by living it. Don’t be shy to hit us up with a booking! 

Sources:

1. Jingwei, L. (1986). Chinese Massage and the Introduction of Massage into China Before the 8th Century. Ancient Science of Life, 6(1), 25-29.

2. MacDonald, G. (2005). Massage for the Hospital Patient and Medically Frail Client. Baltimore, Maryland: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.

3. Braun, M.B. and Simonson, S. (2008). Introduction to Massage Therapy. Baltimore, Maryland: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.

4. Amr, S. S., & Tbakhi, A. (2007). Abu Bakr Muhammad Ibn Zakariya Al Razi (Rhazes): philosopher, physician and alchemist. Annals of Saudi medicine, 27(4), 305–307.

5. Britannica. Avicenna. Britannica Encyclopedia. Retrieved from: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Avicenna

6. Ibn Sina, H. (1993). Canon of Medicine: Book I. New Delhi, India: Jamia Hamdard Department of Islamic Studies.

7. Casanelia, L. and Stelfox, D. (2010). Foundations of Massage. Chatswood, Australia: Elsevier.

8. Shen-Nong Limited. Development of Massage Therapy in China. Shen-Nong Limited. Retrieved from: http://shen-nong.com/eng/treatment/massage_development.html

Article by: Jonathan A. Watson