Roger Bacon and the Incorruptible Human, 1220-1292

​Meagan S. Allen is the 2021-2023 Cain Postdoctoral Fellow at the Science History Institute in Philadelphia, PA. She has previously held a visiting fellowship at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science in Berlin and a Huntington Exchange Fellowship at Corpus Christi College, Oxford.

• 1. Introduction.- 2. Roger Bacon and the Unnatural State of Man.- 3. Learning to Prolong Life.- 4. The Corpus Equale.- 5. Medicines and their Effects on the Body.- 6. Debate and Authority in the Reshaping of Medicine.- 7. Franciscan Understanding of the Ideal Human Body.- 8. Conclusion.

“Those interested in medical astrology, the medieval mind or alchemy’s connection with the cosmos should enjoy reading Roger Bacon and the Incorruptible Human, a well-researched and abundantly annotated work. Since Meagan S. Allen is a college professor, her book is another example of how ancient and medieval world views that support astrology continue to be legitimately explored today.(karenchristino.com, May 26, 2025)