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Saints-protectors from headache – historical hints of suggestive therapy?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 June 2014

Ante Skrobonja ,
Vesna Golubovic ,
Snjezana Golubovic ,
Amir Muzur  and
Ante Skrobonja Jr
Ante Skrobonja
Affiliation:
Department of History of Medicine, School of Medicine
Vesna Golubovic
Affiliation:
Department of Anesthesiology, Reanimatology, and Intensive Care Medicine, School of Medicine
Snjezana Golubovic
Affiliation:
Department of Anesthesiology, Reanimatology, and Intensive Care Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Rijeka, Croatia
Amir Muzur
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts Mental Health Centre, Boston, MA, United States
Ante Skrobonja Jr
Affiliation:
Health Centre Rab, Rab, Croatia
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Abstract

A short overview of several saints, venerated in Christian tradition as protectors from headache, is offered as an introduction to a more substantial debate on the possibility and value of analysing historical literary and iconographic sources and their interpretation. Headache of possible psychosomatic origin allows (auto) suggestive therapy obtained by the invocation of saints to have had considerable success. This possibility favours the opinion that historical material can be useful not only for cultural-anthropological, but also for modern medical considerations as well.

Keywords

History of medicineReligionSuggestive therapyHeadacheSaints-protectors
Type
Historical
Information
Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine , Volume 19 , Issue 4 , December 2002 , pp. 128 - 129
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2002

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