Madness in the early modern era (pre-enlightenment, Habsburg monarchy)
score:7
On the subject of schizophrenia in history specifically, I happen to be working my way through Julian Jaynes' The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind which I'm finding to be a simply fascinating take on the role of (in)sanity with the origin of civilization. It speaks extensively about schizophrenia and discusses how it was viewed through history.
Essentially, he makes the claim that early on in our civilization the prevalence of schizophrenia may have been higher, and the "voices" were interpreted to be the animal spirits, angels, gods, and ancestors. IOW early on (bronze age) schizophrenia was not insanity, it was normality. He theorizes that a decrease in the prevalence of schizophrenia led to or played into the bronze age collapse. Not sure I buy into it but I'm only a third of the way through the book so far. Regardless it's a fascinatingly different way to look at these topics.
Through the Iron Age up to the Christian Era, schizophrenia would have been treated as perhaps evidence of being touched by the gods, and individuals with these afflictions might be venerated as shamans, priests or oracles and safely sequestered away in temples and shrines. Schizophrenics unfortunately tend to end in suicide at a significantly higher rate than the general population; I must imagine before modern medicines and psychology this would have been even more severe. The madman in the dungeon is a classic trope, and I can easily imagine the more troublesome schizophrenics were handled this way (if not slain outright), but don't know of a source to give you there. I would not be surprised if many were handled as possessed or practitioners of witchcraft, but if this is discussed in the book I haven't gotten to it yet. :-)
It was not really until the 19th century that this received ample study. In fact as a general rule most all psychological diseases were poorly recognized until this point in time.
Anyway, Jaynes' book is quite thick with references and IMHO well worth the read. Despite the obtuse title and hefty theory, it seems to be an easy read and would serve as a good starting point for a study of mental health through history.
More post
- 📝 Were pre-columbian peoples aware of "America" as a three parts continent?
- 📝 How can a diamond shape be a reference to Napoleon?
- 📝 What did the Crusaders really wear?
- 📝 What happened with North African oil during the Second World War?
- 📝 What year was Hitler's final known painting created?
- 📝 What were the major imports and exports of Germany and France from 1850-1915?
- 📝 Why were Roman dice elongated?
- 📝 How much did a sword cost in AD 1000 Constantinople?
- 📝 Is there evidence people outside USSR were involved in attacks, within Soviet borders, between c.1928 and Stalin's death in 1953?
- 📝 Which culture first referenced bigfoot?
- 📝 What jobs exempted one from being conscripted in the UK during World War 2?
- 📝 How many humans were killed by Alexander.the Great, versus Genghis Khan?
- 📝 Rose tattoo used to mark convicts condemned to death?
- 📝 Study of causal structures and dynamics in history?
- 📝 Why were penal colony members from Australia moved to San Francisco in 1840's?
- 📝 What did Flaminius bring to the Greeks?
- 📝 What did Thomas Jefferson say about "what I say now is only valid now; I can change my thoughts?"
- 📝 Why do land mines seem to be a more serious problem in the Balkans than the Alps?
- 📝 What was the alcoholic beverage of choice for British soldiers during WW2?
- 📝 Did herders/horde people get constipation from not eating any vegetables or fiber?
- 📝 Are there any historically significant volcanic eruptions that predate Akrotiri?
- 📝 How do numbered names work in history?
- 📝 Are there any battles that have been extensively studied across the world?
- 📝 Were there ever any libraries in medieval villages?
- 📝 How many U.S. Founding Fathers knew about Baruch Spinoza?
- 📝 What does "new royal power centers" mean?
- 📝 Why was John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry treason?
- 📝 Was there ever a single train that ran straight from San Francisco to New York City, or any that ran truly from coast to coast?
- 📝 Was Anti-Japaneseism a real political ideology?
- 📝 Has The USPS / APWU Ever Had A Strike Since 1970?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 Madness in the early modern era (pre-enlightenment, Habsburg monarchy)
- 📝 Military training in the Hijaz during early Islamic era
- 📝 Was it common in Europe in the modern era that proper names were translated?
- 📝 Did Moscow have natural gas in the early era of the Soviet Union (1917 - 1930)?
- 📝 How were British monarchs educated about military strategy in the Middle Ages and early modern period?
- 📝 Identify the era or any other clues from this soldier's picture?
- 📝 What did babies eat before the advent of modern blenders?
- 📝 What is the oldest authentic example of people complaining about modern times and the young?
- 📝 How and when was the modern company ownership structure invented?
- 📝 Are modern Greeks related to the ancient Greeks?
- 📝 How did early adopters of the automobile fill up their cars?
- 📝 Why did modern "Romania" remain the most "Roman" part of the Balkans?
- 📝 What do the modern Japanese people think about the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki?
- 📝 Were Russians in the cold war era USA discriminated against for their ethnicity?
- 📝 What is the earliest known account of the modern military salute?
- 📝 How was the modern geographic boundary between Europe and Asia decided?
- 📝 Was the concept of religious freedom in the early United States applied to native American faiths?
- 📝 Why did quill pens persist until the early 19th century despite the capacity to make metal dip pens?
- 📝 Why was the Red Army successful against the Japanese in 1939 but perform poorly against Finland 1939-40 and early part of WW2?
- 📝 Did Antarctica remain entirely unvisited by humans until the early 19th century?
- 📝 Why did piracy thrive in the late 17th and early 18th centuries?
- 📝 What is the name of the theory that says an early discovery can stop technological development?
- 📝 In the early 1900s, how did US politicians treat black dignitaries from other countries?
- 📝 What would a Norseman in the early 11th century have worn as daily clothing?
- 📝 Was the British Army a millionaire factory in the early 20th century?
- 📝 Were bookshops 'common' in the late 19th century, and how did they differ from modern ones?
- 📝 In WWII, what was behind the very early decision to accept nothing but unconditional surrender in 1941-42?
- 📝 What was the process of early medieval urban development?
- 📝 Was the Napoleonic era cavalry armour effective against firearms?
- 📝 Was the European slave market in the East during the colonial era similar to the transatlantic slave market? If not (less brutal, etc), why?