Book Review

摘要

The treatment of mental illness provides an important window into the cultural and social realities of the ancient world. By tracking its development, interaction with other aspects of medical thought and religious and philosophical approaches, it is possible to see wider shifts in society as well as within medical learning and knowledge. One of the key ways of doing this is by looking at medical treaties and writings, how they interact with one another (use of similar sources/academic disagreements, etc.), and also studying the specific terminology used to consider the illness in question. It is here where this volume is particularly strong. Thumiger and Singer have assembled an excellent array of informed papers that reflect the different ways of thinking about and studying mental illness in the ancient world. A number of the chapters here make great effort to engage with the original vocabulary used, and from that trace not just intellectual currents, but also real world applications of medical knowledge. The other great strength to this volume is in how disease is defined and understood; crucially as both a social and cultural construct. This allows for a number of persuasive conclusions to be reached, and some important questions to be asked.