‘The voice of the stomach’: the mind, hypochondriasis and theories of dyspepsia in the nineteenth century

2020 ◽  
pp. 0957154X2097074
Author(s):  
E Allen Driggers
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
Medical Literature ◽  
Physical Symptoms ◽  
The Body ◽  
Physical Problems ◽  
Bowel Diseases ◽  
To Come ◽  
Irritable Bowel ◽  
The Mind ◽  
The Voice

Physicians and surgeons during the nineteenth century were eager to explore the causes of stomach and intestinal illnesses. Theories abounded that there was a sympathy between the mind and the body, especially in the case of the dyspepsia. The body was thought to have physical symptoms from the reactions of the mind, especially in the case of hypochondriasis. Digestive problems had a mental component, but mental anguish could also result from physical problems. Dissertations from aspiring as well as established physicians probed the mental causes of irritable bowel diseases and other diseases in the medical literature. Healing was thought to come from contextualizing the link between the problems of the mind and the resulting physical problems of the body.

HOMERIC CONCERNS: A METAPOETIC READING OF LUCRETIUS, DE RERUM NATURA 2.1–19

2013 ◽  
Vol 63 (2) ◽  
pp. 780-784 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sydnor Roy
Keyword(s):  
The Body ◽  
Great Pleasure ◽  
De Rerum Natura ◽  
Poetic Tradition ◽  
The Troubles ◽  
Roman World ◽  
Programmatic Statement ◽  
To Come ◽  
The Mind ◽  
Line Spread

Suave, mari magno turbantibus aequora ventise terra magnum alterius spectare laborem;non quia vexari quemquamst iucunda voluptas,sed quibus ipse malis careas quia cernere suave est.suave etiam belli certamina magna tueri 5per campos instructa tua sine parte pericli.sed nil dulcius est, bene quam munita tenereedita doctrina sapientum templa serena,despicere unde queas alios passimque videreerrare atque viam palantis quaerere vitae, 10certare ingenio, contendere nobilitate,noctes atque dies niti praestante laboread summas emergere opes rerumque potiri.o miseras hominum mentes, o pectora caeca!qualibus in tenebris vitae quantisque periclis 15degitur hoc aevi quodcumquest! nonne viderenil aliud sibi naturam latrare, nisi utquicorpore seiunctus dolor absit, mensque fruaturiucundo sensu cura semota metuque?(Lucr. 2.1–19)It is pleasant, when the winds stir up the waters on the great sea,to watch the great struggle of another from land;not because it is a great pleasure that anyone be troubled,but because it is pleasant to observe the troubles you yourself lack.It is also pleasant to watch the great contests of war 5spread out over the plains without taking any part in the danger.But nothing is more pleasing than to hold lofty yet calm templesthat are well defended by the teachings of wise men,from which you can look down and see others everywherego astray and wander while seeking the path of their life, 10competing in wits and contending over their nobility;throughout nights and days they strive with outstanding labourto come out at the peak of riches and have power over everything.O wretched minds of men, O blind hearts!In what shadows of life and in how many dangers 15is this bit of life, whatever it may be, being spent by you! Do you not seethat nature barks for nothing other than this – thatgrief be separated from the body and far away, and that the mind enjoypleasant feelings cut off from anxiety and fear? Epicurus' advice to his young friend Pythocles to ‘flee all education, raising up the top sail’ (παιδείαν δὲ πᾶσαν, μακάριε, ϕεῦγε τἀκάτιον ἀράμενος, Diog.Laert. 10.6 = Epicurus fr. 163 Us.) contains an allusion to Circe's advice to Odysseus in Odyssey 12.37–58. For much of the Greek (and Roman) world, education was based on the Homeric epics, and thus Epicurus' statement represents a complicated position towards Homer in particular and poetry in general. Epicurean philosophy rejects poetry because it is misleading about the gods and the nature of the soul, but Epicurus and his followers, most notably Philodemus and Lucretius, engage in poetic allusion and even the composition of poetry. Much work has been done on allusions to poetry in all three writers, but I hope here to bring out a heretofore unnoticed poetic allusion at the start of De rerum natura Book 2, in which Lucretius makes a programmatic statement about not only his philosophy, but also his poetry and its place in the poetic tradition.

scholarly journals Effectiveness of Structured Teaching Programme Regarding Selected Yoga Techniques to Relieve Symptoms of Premenstrual Syndrome Among Adolescent Girls of Selected High School at Bangalore

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (8) ◽  
pp. 1688-1698
Author(s):  
Nitu kumari singh (Gautam) ◽  
Laxmi Paudyal
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Adolescent Girls ◽  
Premenstrual Syndrome ◽  
Knowledge Score ◽  
Physical Symptoms ◽  
The Body ◽  
Teaching Programme ◽  
Structured Teaching ◽  
Post Test ◽  
The Mind

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a challenging problem as the psychological changes which occur in adolescent period are much more stressful and complex. Premenstrual syndrome also known as premenstrual tension (PMT) is a collection of emotional symptoms, with or without physical symptoms, related to menstrual cycle of girls. Menstruation is a normal physiological cycle or process in all females of the reproductive age group. However some women, girls feel or affected by menstrual problem. Among those, PMS is one of the disorder and it is mainly due to hormonal imbalance in the body. Yoga which helps to harmonize the mind and breath with the body through various breathing techniques, yoga posture (asanas) and meditation which also helps in relieving pain. Yoga, tailored to chronic low back pain which helps to produce significant reduction in pain and depression. Several yoga poses helps to ease PMS and also help the mind and body to adapt with stress, anxiety and depression making to feel relaxed and calm, as well as enabling us to cope with psychological symptoms of PMS. The study was conducted with the aim to evaluate the effectiveness of structured teaching programme (STP) regarding selected yoga techniques to relieve the symptoms of PMS among adolescent girls. Researcher adopted an evaluatory approach with pre-experimental one group pre-test and post-test design in the study. Self- structured knowledge questionnaire was used to assess the knowledge among adolescent girls regarding selected yoga technique to relieve the symptoms of PMS. Split half method was used to check the Reliability of the Tool and the tool was found reliable ( r= 0.88). probability simple random sampling techniques was used to select 100 adolescent girls from 3 high school. Findings revealed that the post-test knowledge score (26.49±2.48) was higher than pre-test knowledge score (10.25±2.46). The calculated ‘t’value in knowledge (51.34 p<0.05). The study found significant association between knowledge and demographical variables. Study concludes that structured teaching programme was effective in improving the knowledge of adolescent girls regarding Yoga techniques to relieve the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome.

Clinical Neuropsychologist, 20 years’ experience, UK

2020 ◽  
pp. 229-232
Author(s):  
Markus Reuber ◽  
Gregg H. Rawlings ◽  
Steven C. Schachter
Keyword(s):  
Epileptic Seizures ◽  
Body Part ◽  
Body Awareness ◽  
Physical Symptoms ◽  
The Body ◽  
Mind And Body ◽  
Epileptic Attack ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Mind ◽  
Experience Of Illness

This chapter explores how dissociation of awareness of either the mind or the body can be experienced by everyone to some degree. It has been suggested that in Non-Epileptic Attack Disorder (NEAD), a protective mechanism of enabling individuals to detach from the difficult emotions they have not yet been able to make sense of has led to a detachment from the awareness of the body, thus resulting in physical symptoms that resemble epileptic seizures. Treatment therefore lies in improving both mind and body awareness. Working with individuals with NEAD or Dissociative Seizures introduces one to the multifaceted nature of humanity. Although there are common themes that emerge through psychological assessment—such as prior experience of illness, neurological insult or physical injury to a specific body part, difficulty recognizing stress in the body or mind, or a tendency to use unhelpful coping strategies during prolonged periods of stress,—no two persons with NEAD have the same seizures because each individual’s experience is unique, making the nature and clinical presentation of the seizure-like experiences idiosyncratic. Despite this, it is always possible to discover the reason that individuals with NEAD experience the symptoms they do, even if it is sometimes initially hard for the individual to accept or believe this.

Science with a Soul

2017 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 246-262
Author(s):  
Deborah K. Manson
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
The Body ◽  
Human Being ◽  
Experimental Science ◽  
Historical Society ◽  
Active Participant ◽  
Religious Ideology ◽  
Individual Character ◽  
Divinity School ◽  
The Mind

From the 1840s through to the end of his life in 1888, James Freeman Clarke’s influence permeated newspapers, churches, and lecture halls in Boston. A graduate of Harvard Divinity School, Clarke was an educated and active participant in his community and a respected voice amongst Boston intellectuals. At a time when sciences of the mind were rapidly expanding, Clarke neither ceded authority nor turned a blind eye. Instead, he studied emerging psychologies himself, approaching them as ways to enhance his understanding of the human being—body, soul, and spirit. In his private writings, including journals and letters, Clarke discusses his applications of experimental science, and he appears especially enthusiastic about mesmerism. However, from the pulpit and the lectern, Clarke was almost silent on the topic. This article examines Clarke’s private letters, journals, and sermon notes, accessed in the archives at the Massachusetts Historical Society, for evidence of the role mesmerism played in Clarke’s religious ideology, specifically his concept of man’s physical and spiritual constitution. For Clarke, mesmerism allowed an intimate incorporation of the body with theology, for through it the body became a conduit to the soul and to individual character. Clarke’s interest in and practice of mesmerism reveals it as an underground force that not only shaped his thoughts and theology, but also influenced a number of fellow theologians and intellectuals during the mid-nineteenth century.

The Lament and the Rhetoric of the Sublime

1998 ◽  
Vol 53 (3) ◽  
pp. 279-306 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda M. Austin
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
Medical Literature ◽  
Lyric Poetry ◽  
The Body ◽  
The Sublime

The appearance of melodramatic language and gesture in nineteenth-century lyric poetry was underwritten by two theories of ecstasis, the sense of losing oneself or going beyond the limits of comprehension. The first kind of ecstasis belonged to the sublime reaction, as Kant and Burke had imagined it. The second sort belonged to the picture of the disordered mind in the medical literature. A rhetoric of shock and loss in the melodramatic lyric bears the remains of the inchoate language and wild gestures in ancient lamentation but also refers to more recent performances of overpowering emotion on stage. Conventional reactions to sublime landscapes in painting, for example, employ expressions and gestures inventoried both in Longinus's treatise on the sublime and in acting manuals for tragedians. Percy Bysshe Shelley's "A Lament" (1821) and Richard Harris Barham's "Epigram" (1847) are performances of the sublime confrontation with the idea of death. Both poems were attempts to record ecstasis and to transcribe melodramatic acting. "Epigram," moreover, alludes to another interpretation of ecstasis in the lately popular Romantic ballet. This revolutionary technique created an illusion of bodilessness-a vision of the body losing itself and fading into nothing. The reformulations of the sublime in philosophy and medicine thus enabled a set of signifying practices that appear in transcriptions of lamentation and in dance. Both are efforts to perform the sublime moment.

scholarly journals Chewing Demosthenes’ Pebbles: Embodied Experience Making the Scientist’s Persona, ca.1830-1910

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-17
Author(s):  
Josephine Hoegaerts
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
Focal Point ◽  
Visual Observation ◽  
The Body ◽  
Scientific Practices ◽  
Embodied Experience ◽  
Diverse Field ◽  
Embodied Experiences ◽  
Unique Source ◽  
The Voice

This paper argues for an embodied approach to the scientist’s persona, using ‘experience’ as its focal point. Rather than noting that embodied experiences influenced scientists’ practices and identities amidst (or despite) ideals of objectivity, I want to draw attention to the ways in which personal, embodied experiences were celebrated in nineteenth century science, and presented as primordial for the practice of competent research.I am focusing on those scientists involved in the study of the voice in order to do so. Because the physical workings of the voice are largely hidden inside the body, fields such as laryngology and phoniatry developed a number of touch-based, experiential scientific practices before and alongside tools of visual observation. These non-visual practices were very closely connected to researchers’ sensations of their own bodies, and connected to their identity (as a middle-class amateur singer, a hoarse professor, a stammerer, etc.). As scientific disciplines studying the voice developed over the century, personal ‘experience’ (understood both as particular practices and notions of personal background and identity) was increasingly brought forward as a unique source of understanding and expertise. This resulted in a highly diverse field of experts on the voice, in which otherwise non-elite researchers could participate and even rise to fame. They did so because, and not despite, their physical and social impediments. Studying the experiential practices and memories brought forward by this network of experts allows me to look at the construction of their scientific personae from an intersectional perspective. A focus on the nineteenth century notion of ‘experience’ and its inclusion in scientific discourse allows us an insight into the various constituent elements of a ‘persona’ built within the context of a particular field, and drawing liberally on aspects of identification that do not always fit the classic categories of gender, class, age, health, etc.

scholarly journals Curating the Fieldwork Playlist

2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 58-66
Author(s):  
Kieran Fenby-Hulse
Keyword(s):  
Digital Technologies ◽  
The Body ◽  
Research Practice ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Mind ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The Voice

In this essay, I consider the music that has been chosen as part of the previous essays in this collection. I attempt to understand what this assemblage of musical tracks, this anthropology playlist, might tell us about fieldwork as a research practice. The chapter examines this history of the digital playlist before going on to analyse the varied musical contributions from curatorial, musicological, and anthropological perspetives. I argue that the playlist asks us to reflect on the field of anthropology and to consider the role of the voice, the body, the mind with anthropology, as well as the role digital technologies, ethics, and the relationship between indviduals and the community.

Illustrations of the Influence of the Mind upon the Body in Health and Disease, with especial reference to the Imagination

1870 ◽  
Vol 16 (75) ◽  
pp. 351-379
Author(s):  
Daniel H. Tuke
Keyword(s):  
Medulla Oblongata ◽  
Muscular Contraction ◽  
The Body ◽  
Emotional States ◽  
Especial Reference ◽  
Spasmodic Contraction ◽  
Health And Disease ◽  
The Mind ◽  
The Voice ◽  
Present Section

To some extent we have anticipated the consideration of the influence of emotion on spasmodic action of the muscles, in describing the effects produced by powerful emotional states, as terror, which often causes excessive or spasmodic contraction, sometimes amounting to tetanic rigidity. The sobbing of grief, the laughter of joy, afford daily examples of spasmodic muscular contraction from emotional stimulus. The spasm which chokes the voice and converts the fibres of the platysma myoides into rigid cords in terror, the convulsion and tremors of the facial muscles in despair, the clenched hands, the convulsive opening of the mouth and spasm of the diaphragm and muscles of the chest in fear, the spasm of the jaws in rage, the spasmodic rigidity of the muscles in a maniacal paroxysm, are they not written in the graphic pages of Bell ? With the exception of mania, these spasmodic contractions are consistent with health. We shall include under the present section all convulsive attacks, whether epileptic or not, whether infantile, puerperal, or hysterical, trembling palsy, chorea, spasms of the larynx and pharynx, nervous hydrophobia, and tetanus. Physiologically, when of emotional origin, they may all be referred to disturbance, more or less serious, of the functions of the sensori-motor apparatus, including the medulla oblongata.

Edward W. Blyden, W. E. B. Du Bois, and the ‘Color Complex’

1992 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 669-684 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J. C. Echeruo
Keyword(s):  
Black People ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Body ◽  
African Experience ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Color Complex ◽  
Long Time ◽  
History Of ◽  
To Come ◽  
The Mind

This article is an attempt to present (and thereby to come to terms with) an important aspect of the meaning of race as it relates to the experience of black people, especially in America. It commences with Edward W. Blyden because his ‘color complex’ is of a kind that brings us back, not without much embarrassment, to the realisation that while colour may be a state of the mind, it is also and even primarily a matter of the body. Blyden is particularly appropriate as a starting point, for he is an epitome, in many ways, of the African experience in the later nineteenth century, linking (as he does) the multiple experiences of the Caribbean, the United States, and mainland Africa. He wrote at a time when the intellectual and other currents in ‘Negro’ America flowed easily to the new centres of influence in Liberia and colonial West Africa. He was thus the product of the history of Africanity in his period, and for a long time after.

AN ELECTRICAL INFANT AS REPORTED IN 1870

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1982 ◽  
Vol 70 (4) ◽  
pp. 596-596
Author(s):  
T. E. C.
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
Medical Literature ◽  
Case Reports ◽  
The Body ◽  
Medical Evidence ◽  
Pediatric Case ◽  
Electric Shocks ◽  
The World ◽  
Boston Medical ◽  
Surgical Journal

Nineteenth century medical literature abounds with strange pediatric case reports; none is more bizarre than the following, published in 1870 in the Boston Medical and Surgical Journal. AN ELECTRICAL INFANT—There is a wonderful account in all the French papers of an outstanding baby just dead, at the age of ten months, at St Urbain, near Lyons. The strongest medical evidence is said to be given that the child was so highly endowed with electricity that all the persons in the same room with him received constant electric shocks. Its end was apparently painless, but accompanied by still more astounding manifestations. At the instant of death luminous effluvia proceeded, it is affirmed by the doctors, from the body of the child, which continued for several minutes after its decease. The case is supposed to be quite unprecedented in the world of science.

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