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At least 1,369 records · Page 76Linked to original sources
PubMed1977

The role of mental illness in the European witch hunts of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries: an assessment.

Historians of psychiatry have propagated the view that the witch hunts of sixteenth and seventeenth-century Europe were primarily a persecution of the mentally ill and that demonological concepts of possession and witchcraft impeded psychiatric progress for centuries. The author reviews the evidence marshaled by these historians and examines additional historical material bearing on the psychopathological view. He concludes that the role of mental disorder in the witch hunts has been overinflated by authors with an interest in promulgating the medical model of abnormal behavior. Furthermore, the psychopathological paradigm is based on an outmoded philosophy of science, which results in historical distortion and paradoxes, and on restriction and selectivity in the choice of evidence.

Attitude to Health↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Bioethics in the face of death].

We review death, thanatology and bioethics concepts and precepts, the value scale and hierarchization; the changes in death vision according to culture, religion and hierarchy, changes in perception of, according to culture, religion and mores in different communities and times, as well with scientific and technological advances. We analyzed patient's reactions to death, and the reactions of people close to them. We describe and analyze the principal bioethical dilemmas associated with death: therapeutic overkill or dysthanasia, passive and active euthanasia, assisted suicide, orthothanasia, and organ transplants. We discuss the relationship between death and science, bioethics and thanatology, as a necessary discipline today.

Attitude to Death↗
PubMed2002

Implementing a medicine-spirituality curriculum in a community-based internal medicine residency program.

OBJECTIVE: To promote greater sensitivity to and heightened awareness of the relevance and therapeutic potential of integrating medicine and spirituality in the healing process of patients cared for by our medical residents. Strategies for clear, effective, and empathetic communication are integrated into the curriculum. DESCRIPTION: With the support of The University of Massachusetts Medical School Macy Initiative in health communication, funded by the Josiah Macy, Jr. Foundation, we have fully implemented a medicine-spirituality curriculum as an integral aspect of our residency program. Current strategies include (1) new house officers participate in the workshop "Communicating Bad News," which is based on a videotaped interaction and experiential role-play about the challenging "art" of sharing bad and often traumatic news; (2) a monthly lecture series that looks at various aspects of religious and spiritual practices and their implications on science and health with topics including the following: taking a spiritual history, exploring world religious views from a Judeo-Christian perspective, studying Eastern philosophies such as Buddhism and Hinduism, and discussing cultural diversity's effect on how people understand and cope with illness; (3) residents receive a comprehensive, evidence-based syllabus that encompasses all of the medical literature relating to spirituality, religion and health; (4) local hospice professionals give end-of-life care lectures about pain management, palliation, advanced directives, and ethical implications; (5) our residents spend one or two days per year with our pastoral care leaders and one to two days per year with our hospice team; (6) monthly ward rounds with a faculty member who emphasizes the spiritual dimension of a particular case and the faith-based resources in our hospital and community. DISCUSSION: Traditionally, graduate medical education has not emphasized the importance of spirituality as a "target" for routine inquiry, understanding, and sharing in the context of patient care. We are beginning to see that residents need to be aware of the relationship between spirituality and health, as a consequence of this curriculum. Because the curriculum is seamlessly integrated into a preexisting infrastructure (e.g., noon conferences, ambulatory off-site experiences, walk-rounds, etc.), it has been relatively easy to implement. Focusing on the literature has also provided a "scientific door" that has made this more palatable. Over time, we will foster a growing alliance of the medical and faith communities in our rural area. This has potent implications for community health initiatives. Two of our residents have already volunteered to give talks at local congregations. Spirituality and religion are sensitive and personal areas that can be awkward to embrace and openly discuss. By remaining sensitive and respectful of all views, we strive to diminish the obstacles and enable a more provocative, enlightening residency experience. As a consequence, we are forced to reconsider what it is to be a "healer" and what it is to be "healed." Annual verbal and written feedback will allow us to refine our curriculum. I anticipate this to be a permanent aspect of our residents' training.

Community Health Services↗
PubMed2004

Religious involvement and adult mortality in the United States: review and perspective.

OBJECTIVES: The scientific community has recently taken a serious interest in the relation between religious involvement and adult mortality risk in the United States. We review this literature, highlighting key findings, limitations, and future challenges. METHODS: Literature from medicine, epidemiology, and the social sciences is included. RESULTS: Taken together, the existing research indicates that religious involvement is related to US adult mortality risks. The evidence is strongest for public religious attendance and across specific religious denominations. The evidence is weakest for private religious activity. The mechanisms by which religious involvement appear to influence mortality include aspects of social integration, social regulation, and psychological resources. CONCLUSIONS: The religion-mortality literature has developed in both size and quality over the past decade. Fruitful avenues for continued research include the analysis of (1) more dimensions of religious involvement, including religious life histories; (2) population subgroups, including specific race/ethnic and socioeconomic populations; and (3) a richer set of social, psychologic, and behavioral mechanisms by which religion may be related to mortality.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Perceptions and causal attributions of Israeli women with breast cancer concerning their illness: the effects of ethnicity and religiosity.

The study analyzes the perceptions, causal attributions, and attitudes toward help of a group of 33 Jewish Israeli women with breast cancer. We find two distinct response patterns--that of the 'Western' patients (science-oriented, active) and that of the 'Oriental' ones (fatalistic, passive). Questions regarding the relationship of response patterns, cultural context and coping levels are discussed.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2003

Toward pastoral counseling integration: one Bowen oriented approach.

Integration between the resources of faith and of the behavioral sciences in pastoral counseling is a challenging endeavor. The two domains have points of contact and many shared values. Yet, their fundamental presuppositions are quite different. The multiplicity of faith positions and of behavioral science positions complicates the effort enormously. This article presents one application of a comprehensive model of integration in one composite case. Based on an understanding of Bowen Theory, such a model (1) treats the relationship between the client and God in a way similar to the client's other significant relationships, (2) involves religious community and sacred texts as "God's available next of kin," and (3) considers "I positions" (which include the idea of therapist neutrality) as a framework for therapist authentic expression of faith without an authoritarian attempt to dictate the faith of the client. This case illustrates how one intervention based on this model made a positive contribution to the well being of a representative client. Therapists with other faith positions and other behavioral science positions would develop different models of integration, of course. This small slice of one case example is offered to further the discussion as others take positions of their own.

Adult↗
PubMed1977

[Pathology and clinical medicine. An introduction].

In the introduction the author presents a review of themes connected with the autopsy and some problems of pathology which are not discussed in further detail during the course of the symposium. Thus, the signification and influence of religious, metaphysical, legal, socioeconomical and certain technical factors of the autopsy practice are briefly described, followed by a synopsis of the situation of the pathologist facing the demands of medicine, science, education, and administration. As a conclusion, follows a survey of the history and the activities of the Neuchâtel Institute of pathological anatomy.

Anatomy↗
PubMed1991

[Food prohibitions of social and religious origin].

There are two types of food prohibitions: permanent and temporary. Permanent prohibitions have little influence on diet, except in India. They are symbolic social markers and continue to govern the attitude and behaviour system while facilitating social dynamics. Temporary prohibitions play a major role, particularly as regards the nutritionally "vulnerable" groups. They reflect empirical preoccupations and some of them are in line with science. In each concrete case these aspects interpenetrate and bear the mark of the culture in which they are observed. An inductive approach therefore is necessary and caution must be exerted in interpreting them.

Deficiency Diseases↗
PubMed2005

[Feliks Karol Koneczny - academic career path].

Feliks Koneczny's ideas in history and philosophy of history are well-known in today's world. Since the 1990s many researchers have devoted their interests and studies to that very matter. They have written a lot about the issue. Yet there hasn't been even one thorough biography of that outstanding scholar based on an in-depth archival query. It was the author's research conducted in national and foreign archives, that finally provided the answer to the hitherto unexplained, mysteries concerning Feliks Koneczny. Feliks Koneczny (1862-1949) graduated from the Faculty of Philosophy at the Jagiellonian University in Cracow and began work as an office senior lecturer at the Academy of Arts and Sciences; since 1897, he worked at the Jagiellonian Library. After Poland regained its independence, he became an assistant professor in 1919. In June 1920, after he had qualified received the degree of doctor habilitatus, he became a professor of the Stefan Batory University in Vilnius. After having retired in 1929, he came back to Cracow. His interests moved from purely historical research to the philosophy of history, religion and philosophy. During the Second World War his two sons were killed by the Nazis, and part of his house was occupied by German co-tenants. His pioneering works dealing with the history of Russia. As well as his theory the evolution of civilizations are among his greatest achievements. Foreign researchers and scholars, among them Anton Hilckman, Arnold Toynbee and Samuel Huntington widely draw upon Feliks Koneczny's works and achievements. In 1948, after sixty years of research work Koneczny calculated that his written scholarly output encompassed 26 volumes, each of them being 300 to 400 pages long, not to mention more than 300 articles, brochures and reprints. Although a lot of Polish scholars can boast of having completed more works than he had not many Polish historians can prode themselves on such an enormous scape of research, which included anthropology, sociology, philosophy, theology, ethnology, psychology, economics, history and law. This list, impressive as it may be, fails to do justice to the moral and personal dimension of his work. This loner by choice was the creator of Polish philosophy of history, a major Catholic thinker, a university professor and humanist in the most significant sense of the word.

History↗
PubMed1999

Self-reported health, and illness and the use of conventional and unconventional medicine and mind/body healing by Christian Scientists and others.

A cross-sectional national telephone survey was used to determine whether Christian Scientists (N = 230), a religious group that uses mind/body (including spiritual) healing, self-report more or less illness than non-Christian Scientists (N = 589). The primary outcome measure was the proportion of Christian Scientists and non-Christian Scientists that, during the previous 12 months: a) experienced any of 13 common medical conditions or symptoms; and b) used conventional medicine, unconventional medicine, and mind/body (including spiritual) healing. Fewer Christian Scientists experienced an illness or symptom than non-Christian Scientists (73% vs. 80%, respectively, p = .05). A multivariate analysis showed that Christian Scientists were less likely to have experienced illness than non-Christian Scientists (odds ratio [OR] .66, 95% confidence interval [CI] .44 to .99, p = .04). Similar proportions of Christian Scientists and non-Christian Scientists used some type of conventional medicine (74% vs. 78%, respectively), although Christian Scientists were less likely to take prescription medications than non-Christian Scientists (p = .034). Although use of unconventional medicine was similar in both groups (52% vs. 45%), more Christian Scientists than non-Christian Scientists used at least one type of mind/body medicine (67% vs. 42% p < .00001), notably special religious services and spiritual healing. Additional studies are needed to determine whether there are health benefits associated with the use of conventional and unconventional medicine in combination with mind/body (including spiritual) healing.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1982

Diet restriction by pregnant women in Nigeria.

The reasons for food aversions given by selected low income, illiterate women during pregnancy fell into four categories: health, tradition, economy and religion. More than two thirds of these mothers strongly avoided milk, cowpea seeds and bournvita for fear of having big babies which they thought would lead to difficult labor and cesarean section. Only one of the respondents associated infantile rickets with nutrition. Nutritional counseling, coupled with a fear-mechanism technique for a minimum of four months, served to correct these erroneous assumptions. The effects of the counseling sessions were evaluated by monitoring patterns of maternal weight gain and the baby's weight. The experimental group had a significant pattern of monthly weight gain (P less than 0.02) and heavier babies (P less than 0.01) than the control group. The authors conclude that diet restrictions of this nature can be modified positively through regular nutritional counseling and, in extreme cases, by the use of a fear-mechanism technique.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Physical puritanism and religious dissent: the case of John Young (1820-1904), Sunderland chemist and druggist and Methodist lay preacher.

"Physical puritanism", the name given to the popular medical reform movements of early Victorian Britain by the Edinburgh academic Samuel Brown, nicely evokes their links with religious dissent. While historians have examined the formal organization, leadership, and membership of several of these movements, we know very little about the ways of thinking of their ordinary adherents. The diary of John Young (1820-1904), a Sunderland chemist and druggist and local preacher of the Wesleyan Methodist Association, affords unrivalled insights into the mind of one "physical puritan". In particular, Young's reading of the Edinburgh physician and phrenologist Andrew Combe's influential work Principles of Physiology (1834) can be examined in detail. Virginia Smith has argued that such advice books are valuable in providing access to lay ideas about health. Their readership, however, has not been studied. This article offers a case study which calls into question Smith's assertion that the new utilitarian popular physiology of the 1830s and 1840s was valued principally for the physical benefits offered by its therapies, so distinguishing it from its more spiritually-oriented eighteenth-century antecedents. I argue that the natural theology which marks Combe's work was important in helping dissenters like Young to appropriate new ideas (in particular ideas derived from the popular science of phrenology) not only to promote physical health, but also to assist in attaining spiritual goals. For some of their readers, Combe and Wesley were not so far apart.

Christianity↗
PubMed2004

The person, the soul, and genetic engineering.

Argument about the ethical possibility of the therapeutic use of embryonic stem cells depends critically on the evaluation of the moral status of the very early embryo. Some assert that at the blastocyst stage it is only potentially human, not yet possessing the full ethical status of personhood, while others assert that from its formation the embryo possesses all the moral rights of a human person. It is shown that a decision on this issue is closely related to how human nature is to be understood. The idea of a person as a dual combination of body and spirit correlates naturally with the assertion of absolute personhood from conception, while an idea of human psychosomatic unity encourages a development picture in which the embryo only grows gradually into personhood. The latter view is seen to be encouraged by new advances in science which emphasise the importance of the concept of information in the discussion of complex systems. Other ethical issues related to human genetics are also briefly reviewed.

Cloning, Organism↗
PubMed2006

Research ethics: challenges in the Eastern Mediterranean Region.

The foundations of ethical principles in the Eastern Mediterranean Region can be found within the 3 major religions of the Region; Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Today, there are numerous ethical issues that have emerged as result of the technological advances of the 20th century and this paper addresses some of those related to biomedical research. The Islamic principles in relation to medicine and biomedical research are described, and in particular research involving human subjects. The paper also outlines the endeavours being made by the Islamic Organization for Medical Sciences to address such issues and draw up recommendations and rulings.

Abortion, Legal↗