(Ebook) Mental Illness in Ancient Medicine : From Celsus to Paul of Aegina by Chiara Thumiger, Peter N. Singer ISBN 9789004362727, 900436272X

(Ebook) Mental Illness in Ancient Medicine : From Celsus to Paul of Aegina by Chiara Thumiger, Peter N. Singer ISBN 9789004362727, 900436272X

Mental Illness in Ancient Medicine: From Celsus to Paul of Aegina traces the history of conceptions of mental disorder in Graeco-Roman medical writings, from the 1st century BCE to the 7th CE, with detailed studies of all significant authors."The editors are to be congratulated for compiling such a varied collection and bringing a range of relatively unknown authors and works, particularly those from Late Antiquity, often dismissed as mere copyists and compilers, to prominence, and making it clear how diverse the understanding of mental health, mental illness, and the treatment for mental conditions was. Considering Galen's dominance of ancient medicine it is not surprising to find more space devoted to him than any other ancient medical author. However, many other lesser known authors and works are given sufficient attention to build on pre-existing scholarship and hopefully inspire new conversations about the history of mental health and mental illness." - Jane Draycott, in: Social History of Medicine 31(4) (2018) pp. 877-900"Mental Illness in Ancient Medicine makes an outstanding contribution to the study of mental illness in ancient medicine, especially at its intersection with philosophy. Not only does each individual chapter provide a wealth of information and argumentation, but the whole advances an important argument about the emergence and development of the concept of mental illness that has not yet been so thoroughly examined in published form. This volume deserves to become a touchstone text within the field." - Jessica Wright, in: Plekos 21 (2019)