Up until the late Middle Ages, it was required at some universities that physicians study astrology. At the university of Bologna in Italy, it was required that physicians study astrology for at least 4 years!
Physicians of the time used astrology to diagnose a patient by looking at their natal chart and seeing how current transits could be effecting them and causing illness. There is a diagram called the Zodiac Man that they’d refer to that depicted a human body with its parts and systems labelled with the zodiac signs that rule over them. For example, the feet are ruled by Pisces.
The signs rule the parts of the body, but the planets show the pathology. For example, Mars – the red hot planet – rules fevers. To this day, there is a lot of astrological language in medicine: the lusty planet Venus is where we derive the word venereal, as in venereal disease. The Rx on pharmaceutical prescriptions used to refer to radix – an old term for the natal chart.
Just as physicians could diagnose with astrology, they would also seek to heal using it by looking ahead at favorable transits and dates to schedule a surgery, or by using herbal medicine. Plants have different planetary associations and rulerships just as the parts of the body do. Using these rulerships of medicinal herbs, physicians could treat an illness by sympathy or antipathy.
Astrologer/physician/herbalist/author Nicholas Culpepper wrote a book entitled Culpepper’s Complete Herbal, which is one of the most successful herbals written of all time. It describes the different planetary rulerships of plants. An example of how all this knowledge might combine: a physician might have sought to heal a patient suffering from fever, a condition of Mars, by antipathy – giving them a cooling herb of Venus to treat them.
**This blog post is made for entertainment purposes and is not meant to be used to diagnose/treat illness. If you are experiencing any health issues, please consult a doctor/licensed medical professional.