DOMINICANS AND BALNEOLOGY IN THE BOHEMIA AND SURROUNDING COUNTRIES (1650 – 1720)

Abstract

The paper tackles the question of balneological treatment available for the members of the Order of Preachers in Central Europe between 1650 and 1720. I took advantage of a strict record keeping procedure within the Dominican order, which required that all members obtain a written permission from the Father Provincial before taking any journey beyond local boundaries. As all the records were kept in so called “Provincial books” (Libri provinciae) it was possible to identify travelling permits issued for balneological treatment and collect data about visits to spas from the entire Czech Province.

Keywords: Dominicans, balneology, spa, early modern period, Bohemia