Veronika Lahodinski
Thesis
Thesis
The Meanings of Excrements in England and the German countries 1470-1720
Supervisor: Mark Jenner
Research
Research
In my thesis I examine the meanings of excrements in England and the German countries from circa 1470 to 1720. In particular, my research focuses on the significance of uroscopy in 16th-century vernacular print culture and in practitioners' case books such as by Forman and Napier. Furthermore, my thesis explores the recommendation of excrements as therapeutic agents in 16th- and 17th-century printed vernacular books which contained recipes. My findings show that the authors of the relevant works reiterated standard patterns of medical diagnosis and therapy. What is more, my study of readers' annotations in a substantial number of the surviving copies of various editions of the respective books indicate that contemporary readers engaged actively with these texts.
Papers and publications
Papers and publications
- "The Perceptions of Excretions in Early Modern Primary Sources", Annual History PGR Conference, University of York (1 October 2021)
- "Excretions and Early Modern Feelings of Disgust", Graduate and ECR Conference
- "Emotion, Embodiment and the Everyday, c. 1500-1800", University of Cambridge (10 December 2021)
- "The Perceptions of Urine and Uroscopy in Early Modern England and the German countries", Cabinet of Curiosities Seminar, University of York (6 June 2022)
- "The Meanings of Excrements in England and the German countries, c. 1470-1720", Postgraduate Research Students Conference, German Historical Institute London (11 January 2024)
- "Uroscopy in Early Modern Vernacular Print Culture", History PGR Conference, University of York (25 January 2024)
- "The Circulation of and the Engagement with Uroscopic Knowledge in 16th-century English-language Print Culture", Northern Early Modern Network Conference, University of Edinburgh (11 June 2024)
- "Interconnections in Early Modern Excremental Therapy between England and the German Countries", Society for Renaissance Studies, University of Bristol (4 July 2025)
External Activities
- Visitor Welcome Volunteer at Bedern Hall
- Co-Chair and Events Officer (Wentworth Graduate Common Room Committee, Wentworth College, University of York)
- Palaeography Club Host (University of York)
- Head of the Student Conference Committee for the 2025 York/Bielefeld/Lund Postgraduate Conference in Historical Studies (University of York)
- Voluntary Helper with the “POO!” Exhibition at the Thackray Museum of Medicine
