Author Description

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1921 edition. Excerpt:... CHAPTER I Hellenic Beliefs Regarding The Gods And Demons As Senders Of Disease 1. Brief Survey of Greek Kakodaimonia The supreme interest in most conditions lies in the knowledge of their causes. The human mind is so fashioned that it can never rest until a thing can be traced back to its original source. This is especially true of pathological conditions. When modern man, for instance, catches a cold his thought reverts to a draft, damp feet, a careless exposure, upon which to lay the blame. His trained intelligence leads him to find a physical basis for his ailments. Not so primitive man. Like the savage of to-day, he ascribed his troubles to two possible causes: he considered them either a visitation from the gods as a punishment for his misdeeds and laxity in religious duties, or an interference of maleficent spirits. The latter belief was more common. In his anxiety, it seems, to find the source of his illness and apply suitable remedies, the man of the past sought to discover the spirit who was the cause of his sickness; and if he had been in any manner " remiss in the performance of wonted duties, he naturally interpreted his headache, colic, fever, or any other disorder, as a reminder of his negligence.1 i The Greeks proved to be no exception to this general ex _j_ 'In general this is the view taken by modern anthropologists. See par i ticularly Jevons, F. B., An Introduction to the Study of Religion (London, i S 1896), p. 190; Tyler, E. B., Anthropology (New York, 1899), p. 3421. The Hebrews refined this doctrine, and, later, the Christians gave it a new empha.. sis. In the Old Testament resistance to the messengers of Yahweh was pun v ished with blindness (Gen. xix, 11); for desecrating the ark the Philistines were visited with...