PSYCH 2AP3 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Demonic Possession, Moral Treatment, Mental Health
15 Jun 2013
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Chapter 2: historical and contemporary views of abnormal behaviour. Historical views of abnormal behaviour trephining: operation in which a hole was cut through the skull, 6500 b. c. e. Edwin smith papyrus: brain recognized as the site of mental functions. Ebers papyrus: relies on incantations and magic for explaining or curing diseases that had unknown causes. Chinese, egyptians, hebrews, and greeks often attributed such behaviour to a demon or god who had taken possession of a person depending on the symptoms. Exorcism: magic, prayer, incantation, noisemaking and use of concoctions. Greeks considered the human body sacred, little could be learned of human anatomy or physiology. Denied that deities and demons intervened in development of illness. Mental disorders had natural causes and appropriate treatments. Brain is central organ of intellectual activity and mental disorders were due to brain pathology. Heredity and predisposition, injuries to the head cause sensory and motor disorders.
