Medicine and religion: a historical introduction (original) (raw)
2014, Choice Reviews Online
As Ferngren explains in the opening pages: 'My purpose in this volume is to provide a concise but comprehensive survey that traces the history of the intersection of medicine and healing with religious traditions in the Western world from the earliest civilizations of Mesopotamia and Egypt to our own era'; a sizeable task to say the least. The chronological and geographical scope of work is striking, taking the reader on a journey through eight distinct eras: one, 'The ancient Near East'; two, 'Greece'; three, 'Rome'; four, 'Early Christianity'; five, 'The Middle Ages'; six, 'Islam in the Middle Ages'; seven, 'The early modern period'; and eight, 'The nineteenth and twentieth centuries'. Preceding these chapters, the author's 'acknowledgements' provides readers with helpful guidelines about what to expect along the way: 'I have not written a scholarly monograph but rather an introduction intended for non-specialists who wish to gain an understanding of the place of religion in the Western medical and healing traditions'. He duly explains his decision to avoid arcane language and technical medical terms, keep annotation to a minimum, and confine the notes chiefly to citations rather than to extended discussions. In addition, the author directs readers seeking to pursue subjects of special interest to an extensive bibliography of secondary literature on medicine and religion available at the publisher's website: www.press.jhu.edu [2] (p. ix-x).
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Review of 'Medicine and Religion: A Historical Introduction
Reviews in history, 2014
As Ferngren explains in the opening pages: 'My purpose in this volume is to provide a concise but comprehensive survey that traces the history of the intersection of medicine and healing with religious traditions in the Western world from the earliest civilizations of Mesopotamia and Egypt to our own era'; a sizeable task to say the least. The chronological and geographical scope of work is striking, taking the reader on a journey through eight distinct eras: one, 'The ancient Near East'; two, 'Greece'; three, 'Rome'; four, 'Early Christianity'; five, 'The Middle Ages'; six, 'Islam in the Middle Ages'; seven, 'The early modern period'; and eight, 'The nineteenth and twentieth centuries'. Preceding these chapters, the author's 'acknowledgements' provides readers with helpful guidelines about what to expect along the way: 'I have not written a scholarly monograph but rather an introduction intended for non-specialists who wish to gain an understanding of the place of religion in the Western medical and healing traditions'. He duly explains his decision to avoid arcane language and technical medical terms, keep annotation to a minimum, and confine the notes chiefly to citations rather than to extended discussions. In addition, the author directs readers seeking to pursue subjects of special interest to an extensive bibliography of secondary literature on medicine and religion available at the publisher's website: www.press.jhu.edu [2] (p. ix-x).
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