Medicine and culture : proceedings of a historical symposium organized jointly by the Wellcome Institute of the History of Medicine, London, and the Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research, New York / edited by F.N.L. Poynter.

Date:
1969
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Licence: Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

Credit: Medicine and culture : proceedings of a historical symposium organized jointly by the Wellcome Institute of the History of Medicine, London, and the Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research, New York / edited by F.N.L. Poynter. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    not normally open to examination by the physiologist and psychologist' (J. Filliozat). conclusions 'Anything which liberates the spirit without producing a correspond ing growth in interior discipline constitutes a danger' (Goethe). 'Mechanical progress requires at least a corresponding degree of mental progress; if the spirit is absent or asleep, it will be crushed by the very forces which it has itself set in motion. It will be buried by what it pleases to term its victory over Nature' (E. Quinet 1840). Since the end of the seventeenth century, the West has created for itself a mechanical image of the world and this has played a considerable part in promoting the development of techniques generally and all the sciences (with the sole exception of the humanities which lag well behind). One might even say that a certain level of material comfort and civilisation did not prove equally beneficial to all aspects of culture, some of which were, in effect, trampled underfoot. This was not, of course, the case as regards scientific medicine, which secured pride of place in the system just described. Its great strides forward very quickly severed it from its connections with its despised Eurasian and Amerindian counter parts. It is true that such ancient medicines are now outmoded and that you have to shake a great many trees before you are likely to bring to light the occasional rare bluebird. Nevertheless, they and their practices are of by no means negligible interest. In all the developing countries, there exists what amounts to a two-tier economy, one of which is as yet well-nigh intact and autochthonous while the other has already turned Western in style and outlook. Western medical practice is held in very high esteem in some of the more fortunate built-up areas. Elsewhere, in the absence of the necessary groundwork, it has failed as yet to dislodge popular medicine which, by definition, is admirably suited to the economic and psychological condition of the present masses who make use of it. Being cheap and given a little good fortune, it fulfills a basic social function which could be met in no other way. This traditional medicine (which also has its 'officials' and its healers) is of interest not only to doctors on account of the widely differing therapies employed but also to linguists, ethnologists, sociologists, psychologists and all those other specialists and experts who realise that a fruitful approach to other civilisations can be made through the medium of medicine and, indeed, that riches can thus be culled by modern science which has already destroyed those traditions which formerly constituted the only wisdom possessed by the