Disease of the mind; The Sacred Disease, Hippocrates

 Why you might read The Sacred Disease?

The Sacred Disease is Hippocrates continuing to insist that medicine be a science. It carries on the trend previously set by works like Science in medicine. 

In my Self Education project, it serves to continue expanding my understanding of Hippocrates minds set toward medicine. As well as building on the foundations of his other works.

Content of the Sacred Disease

The sacred disease seems to be any disease acting on the brain. From Epileptic fits to strokes. From madness to sleepwalking. Hippocrates spends the book both describing these ailments and rebutting those who would call them Sacred. He describes them as standard diseases that have physical causes. Even if some of those causes have been since proven wrong. He calls those who treat them as sacred, charletons and faith healers. He tries to prove that the gods coming over someone would produce a blessing, not a curse. He points out that these so-called healers also use the basic principles of medicine to help the patient. 

Reflections on the Sacred Disease

Hippocrates idea of how air enters the body is a bit surprising. He thinks that air goes first to the brain, then to the stomach and then to the lungs. Of course, we know that now not to be true. His reasoning though is interesting. He thinks that air is cooling and so does not go to the lungs until it is warm. He has got the order of most important organs right though. His areas are those the body will priorities if we are short.

He also spends some time discussing the blood vessels and how they proceed through the body to the brain. He does not have a heart centric view like we do now. Instead says that one side comes from the liver and the other the spleen.

What others have to say about the Sacred Disease

"a Hippocratic inquiry into the so-called ‘sacred disease’ of epilepsy" From Portland State University

Comparisons with other Texts

Like Regimen in Acute Diseases Hippocrates does spend some time on how to treat the diseases of the mind. It is not his primary focus though, that is disputing Faith healers.

In some ways, it is a subset of what is discussed in the Science of Medicine. Both try to show the given diseases as having natural causes.

Conclusion

Hippocrates spends most of the book debating against those who would call these diseases sacred. That is from the gods. Once he is done with that he moves on to what he believes are the causes of these diseases. He closes with some discussion on how to treat them. This is an extension on his previous works and again shows us his focus on the science of medicine.

Have you read The Sacred Disease? If so what did you think of it? 

 
Want to read The Sacred Disease but haven't? Please leave me a comment and let me know why you want to read it.

Hopefully, this post inspires you to take the time to look into it on your own journey of Self Education.

Get a copy of The Sacred Disease.