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Healing Fiction: Literature and Medicine Introduction Melancholy is nearly as old as the universe, the scholars claim. Ancient Egyptian priests (approx. 4 thousand years ago) healed people who suffered from pathological state of anguish and boredom. Indian priests considered that boredom as well as other mental derangements is the result of diabolism and specially trained priests undertake efforts to conjure out devils. The phenomenon of melancholy as the condition that has been identified and treated for thousands of years is explored in the paper with detailed analysis of social factors that influence the changes.
According to The Anatomy of Melancholy, one of the earliest descriptions of melancholy is in the Bible (Subsection XI. Of the Will). Although the Bible contains no direct mentioning of melancholy or depression, it describes the story about the first Israelite king Saul who lived in XI B. C. it was an angry man in dismal mood, who was up to his eyes in despair: But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him. (1 Samuel 16: 14).
With time Saul more and more often suffered from attacks of dismal mood and optimistic thoughts left him. The servants said to Saul that he will feel better if he hears the sounds of harp. They found David, who is cunning in playing, and a mighty valiant man, and a man of war, and prudent in matters, and a comely person, and the LORD is with him (1 Samuel 16: 18). Saul the King felt much better and evil spirit leaves him.
However, as the time goes by, Saul becomes jealous of David. He doesnt like that David is more successful, smarter and more gifted than Saul is. Saul is afflicted by Davids popularity; he strives for admiration and love but in vain. Finally, Saul was yet the more afraid of David; and Saul became David's enemy continually (1 Samuel 18: 29).
This ancient biblical story clearly describes all typical signs of melancholia. First of all, it is gloomy, distressed mood, aggression, fear, hatred, envy, etc. Besides, guilt complex is also related to the reasons of melancholic mood of Saul because Saul went back upon his word to the Lord and felt guilty for it. All these aspects drive Saul in melancholia and, in result of this, Saul commits a suicide. Besides, David also suffered from melancholia, as described in the biblical psalms: I am weary with my groaning; all the night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears. Mine eye is consumed because of grief; it warmth old because of all mine enemies (Psalms 6: 6 - 7).
The descriptions of melancholic mood can be found in Homers Iliad in the episode where Bellerophon t wandered around the field, with a heavy heart and gloomy mood, trying to escape from other people. The well-known philosopher Pythagoras (570 - 500 B. C. ) provided the patients with recommendations concerning melancholia. He advised to stay alone and to digest the hard feeling in order to calm down. Besides, Pythagoras can be considered the first specialist in music therapy because he recommended listening to music (especially the Hesiod hymns) during the hours of despair. Democritus (460 - 370 B.
C. ) recommended to contemplate the world and to analyze life. He considered that it can help to get rid of passions, because passions, according to him, were the sources of sufferings. The term depression (Latin depression suppression, repression) first appeared in XIX century. Within the course of more than 2, 000 years depression was generally called melancholia.
This term was introduced by Hippocrates (460 - 370 B. C. ). Melancholia means melting code the black bile. Hippocrates proposed two meaning of the word.
Firstly, he considered that melancholia is one of the peccant humors. Melancholic temperament, according to him, mainly consists of the black bile. Such people are afraid of light, they avoid other people, they are full of various dangers, and they suffer from stomach ache as they are pricked by needles. Secondly, he gave the first definition of melancholia as a disorder: If fear or distress last for a long time it is melancholia. According to him, if fear and distress are not caused by ordinary reasons occur because of the black bile. He provided with symptoms peculiar for melancholia: aversion to food, despondency, sleeplessness, irritability, and restlessness.
Although Pythagoras and Alkmeon also made assumptions that brain is the cause of melancholia, Hippocrates proposed more detailed explanation. He wrote that grief, boredom, distress, affliction, discontent, dissatisfaction and complaints take place because of our brain. Brain is the reason of our madness, feeling of fear and despair at night or day hours. Aristotle tried to find out the explanation of the fact that all people who were talented in philosophy, state affairs, military art, poetry or art suffered from melancholia. Some of them suffered from the black bile. For example, Heracles was of melancholic nature and ancient people called melancholia the Heracles disease.
Besides, Empedocles, Socrates, Plato and other philosophers also suffered from melancholia. Plato (428 - 348 B. C. ) was the first scholar who described not only the signs of depression but also the features of mania. He calls mania the disease of correct fury that comes from muses. It brings poetical inspiration and witnesses about exceptional qualities of a person who suffers from this disease. Ancient Romans also examined melancholia.
Marcus Tullius Cicero (106 - 43 B. C. E), the Roman orator, politician and writer spoke about melancholia in his Tusculan Disputations. He provides us with exact explanation of all symptoms of melancholia and many researchers claim that such clear explanation can be given only by a person who was very familiar to melancholia himself. Cicero says that fear and despair originate from the thought about evil (Cicero n. p. ).
The fear is the thought about the future evil. Boredom and despair come from these thoughts and the person considers that he suffers rightly. Cicero accentuates that any mental disorder is distress. Grief and distress are tortures.
If fear arouses depression, grief arouses inanition, exhaustion, marasmus, contrition, and finally, destruction, demolition and devastation of mind. Cicero considered that melancholia has no cure because the body can be cured, whereas the soul has no remedy. Cicero considers that a person is unable to overcome melancholia. He mentions that time is the best remedy for it. At the same time he considered that talks with person who suffers from melancholia, can help him to recover from it. Actually, Cicero was the first man who proposed psychotherapeutic talks as a component part of medical treatment.
As described in The Anatomy of Melancholia, Asclepiad, the Roman doctor (128 - 56 B. C. ) recommended curing melancholia by taking warm baths, moistening the head with cold water, taking effective laxatives, massage, and moderate physical exercises, abstinence from fat meat and wine. He asked not to leave a patient alone and recommended travels. During the Middle Ages such scientists, scholars and doctors like Avicenna (980 - 1037), Constantine African (XI century), Enagruis Pontiac (346 - 399), Joann Caspian (360 - 435), Jean Feel (1496 - 1558) and others considered that melancholia is the result of nervous exhaustion. Latin word desperation, acedia (tristitia grief), ennui, bore, boredom, see all these words were the synonyms of melancholia (Burton n. p. ).
In XVIII century melancholia was considered a disease a la mode. The condition that was one of the vices became the disease, then after refined lyrical emotion that became the source of inspiration for writers, poets, artists and other talented people. What concerns cure, antidepressants are the most popular medications prescribed to patients suffering from depression (melancholia). What about the ancient times?
In Ancient Rome the doctors made letting of blood (Memb. III Chirurgical remedies). In case the patient was too weak, the doctors replaced blood-letting with emetic drugs. They also recommended attrition of skin, motions and laxatives. It was important to cheer up the patient amusing him with talks and entertainments.
Patricians knew that deprivation of sleep combined with entertainments is able to eliminate the symptoms of melancholia. This method was undeservedly forgotten and discovered only in XX century. The Anatomy of Melancholia provides the reader with the most comprehensive collection of medical cures and explains the basics in understanding of melancholia. It is the greatest medical treatise that provides insight into psychology and modern psychotherapeutic approaches to the disease.
The Anatomy of melancholia will be useful both for physicians and patients, and will not lose its importance with the passing of the years. References Gutenberg. Org Website. 11 Apr. 2007. Burton, Robert. (1920). Anatomy of Melancholy. New York: Tudor.
April 11 2007 < web >. Gutenberg. Org Website. 11 Apr. 2007. Cicero, Marcus Tullius.
Cicero's Tusculan Disputations. April 11 2007 < web >. The Bartleby. Com Website. 11 Apr. 2007. The Bible. 1 Samuel - chapter. April 11 2007 < web >.
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