Reference: Medicine
Fausets
The physicians in Genesis 1 were Egyptian embalmers. Physic was often associated with superstition; this was Asa's fault, "he sought not unto Jehovah but to the physicians" (2Ch 16:12). Luke "the beloved physician" practiced at Antioch, the center between the schools of Cilicia (Tarsus) and Alexandria. Ecclesiastes (Ec 12:6) uses language which under the Spirit (whatever Solomon knew or did not know) expresses scientific truth: "the silver cord" is the spinal marrow, white and precious as silver, attached to the brain which is "the golden bowl." The "fountain" may mean the right ventricle of the heart, the "cistern" the left, the "pitcher" the veins, the "wheel" the aorta or great artery. The "wheel"' however may mean life in its rapid motion, as Jas 3:6, "the wheel of nature." The circulation of the blood is apparently expressed.
The washing's, the restriction in diet to clean animals and the prohibition of pork, the separation of lepers, the laws of marriage and married intercourse (Leviticus 15), the cleanliness of the camp (De 23:12-14), and the comprehension of all varieties of healthful climate in Palestine, account for Israel's general exemption from epidemics and remarkable healthiness. The healing art in the Old Testament seems mainly to consist in external applications for wounds, etc. balm abounded in Gilead, and therefore many physicians settled there. Jer 8:22, "Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then is not the health (lengthening out) of the daughter of my people gone up (Hebrew)?" i.e., why is not the long bandage applied? or why is not the health come up again, as skin coming up over a wound in healing? (See BALM.)
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And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our several parts, defiling the whole body, inflaming the course of nature, and is set on fire by hell.
Hastings
Palestine was probably a comparatively healthy country in Bible times, as it is now. Its natural features in most localities would protect it from the usual endemic diseases of Oriental lands, and its want of harbours would to a great extent prevent the importation of epidemics (contrast the reputation of Egypt, as attested by De 7:15; 28:50; Am 4:10); moreover, the legislation of the Priestly Code, if it was ever observed, would have operated to prevent the spread of disease, and the existence of far-reaching destitution. These provisions, and the common occurrence of external and internal warfare, must also have tended to eliminate overcrowding as a cause of disease; but the ratio of population to area in ancient times is very difficult to estimate; the figures in 1Ch 21:5 and 2Sa 4:9 are clearly untrustworthy.
1. Jews believed in a definite connexion between health and virtue (cf. Isa 58:8; Jer 8:15,22). Disease was popularly regarded as penal (Joh 9:2), and as sent by God either directly (Ex 4:11; De 32:39) or permissively by means of others (Job 2:7; Mr 9:17,25). It might also be caused by human envy (Job 5:2), or by bodily excess (Sir 37:30-31), but even so its vera causa was God's direct authorization.
Under these circumstances healing was treated as a token of Divine forgiveness (Ex 15:26). And the connexion of priest with physician was correspondingly close. On the whole, the medical knowledge of the Bible peoples was very defective; nor are there any traces of medical education in Palestine. Jacob was embalmed by Egyptian physicians (Ge 50:2), but there must probably have been some Jewish practitioners at the time when Ex 21:19 was compiled. The word in Jer 8:22 means a 'bandager.' The writer of 2Ch 16:12 seems to take the extreme view that it was a sin to consult physicians, but saner ideas are represented in Sir 38:2. Still, it may be doubted whether medical duties were not usually performed by priests (as in early Egypt), at any rate in the earlier OT times; certainly the priests had the supervision in the case of certain diseases, e.g. leprosy; and prophets also were applied to for medical advice (cf. 1Ki 14:2; 17:18; 2Ki 4:22; 20:7). And even in Sir 38:14 the physician is regarded as having certain priestly duties, and the connexion between religion and medicine is seen in the counsel, given in that same chapter, that repentance and an offering shall precede the visit of the physician. In the NT we have St. Luke described as a physician (Col 4:14), and a somewhat depreciatory remark on physicians in Mt 5:26, which, however, is much toned down in Lu 8:43.
It is therefore probable that up till late times medicine was in the charge of the priests, whose knowledge must have been largely traditional and empirical. The sacrificial ritual would give them some knowledge of animal morphology, but human anatomy can scarcely have existed as a science at all, since up to about a.d. 100 the ceremonial objections to touching or dissecting the dead prevailed. Thus Bible references to facts of anatomy and physiology are very few in number. Blood was tabooed as food (Ge 9:4; Le 17:11)
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But when he saw many of the pharisees and sadducees coming to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
And his fame spread abroad into all Syria; and they brought unto Him all their sick, that laboured under various diseases and torments; even those who were possessed with devils, and lunatics, and paralytics; and he healed them:
And his fame spread abroad into all Syria; and they brought unto Him all their sick, that laboured under various diseases and torments; even those who were possessed with devils, and lunatics, and paralytics; and he healed them:
verily, I say unto thee, thou shalt not come out from thence, till thou hast paid the very last farthing.
my servant lieth in my house ill of the palsy, grievously afflicted:
and behold a great tempest rose on the sea, so that the vessel was even covered by the waves; but He was asleep.
But Jesus hearing them, said unto them, They that are in health need not a physician, but they that are ill: go therefore and learn what that means,
(And lo, a woman who had had a flux of blood for twelve years, came close behind Him, and touched the hem of his garment:
And as they were going out, there was brought to Him a dumb man, a demoniac:
they asked Him, if it were lawful to heal on the sabbath-days? that they might accuse Him.
Then was brought to Him a demoniac, who was blind and dumb; and he healed Him, so that the blind and dumb man both spake and saw:
O race of vipers, how can ye speak good things, who are yourselves so wicked? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
Lord, have compassion upon my son, for he is lunatic and grievously afflicted; for he often falleth into the fire, and often into the water.
for there are some eunuchs, who were born so from their mother's womb; and there be some, who were made eunuchs by men; and there are eunuchs, who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. He that can receive this saying, let him receive it.
And there came to Him in the temple both blind and lame, and He healed them:
how can ye escape the damnation of hell?
I was naked, and ye clothed me; I was sick, and ye took care of me; I was in prison, and ye visited me.
the place of a skull, they gave Him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: but when He had tasted it, He would not drink.
and immediately one of them ran, and took a spunge, and having filled it with vinegar put it upon a reed, and offered it Him to drink;
And He went another time into a synagogue, where there was a man that had a withered hand:
and had suffered a great deal from many physicians, and spent all that she had, and received no benefit, but rather grew worse,
And they brought to Him a deaf man, who had likewise an impediment in his speech, and pray Him to put his hand upon him.
Then He cometh to Bethsaida, where they brought to Him a blind man, and begged of Him that He would touch him.
And one of the multitude answered, and said, Master I have brought unto thee my son, who is possessed by a dumb spirit: and wherever it seizeth him, it convulseth him; and he fometh, and gnasheth his teeth, and thus he pineth away: and I desired thy disciples to cast him out, and they could not.
when Jesus saw the people flock together, He rebuked the impure spirit, and said to him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I command thee, Come out of him, and enter no more into him.
when Jesus saw the people flock together, He rebuked the impure spirit, and said to him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I command thee, Come out of him, and enter no more into him.
And they offered Him wine mingled with myrrh to drink, but He would not take it.
And there ran one, and filled a spunge with vinegar, and putting it on a reed offered it Him to drink, saying, Let Him alone, let us see whether Elias will come to take Him down.
they shall take up serpents, and if they should drink any thing poisonous, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall be well.
but when he came out he could not speak to them, and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple; and he made signs to them, and continued speechless:
And his father Zacharias was filled with the holy Spirit,
Therefore said he to the multitudes that came to be baptised by him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
"The spirit of the Lord is upon me to the end, for which He hath anointed me: He hath sent me to publish good tidings to the poor, to heal the broken-hearted, to proclaim deliverance to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to release them that are bruised,
And He said unto them, No doubt ye will apply to me this proverb, "Physician, cure thyself, and do here in thy own country what we have heard were done at Capernaum."
And He rose up and went out of the synagogue, and came into the house of Simon: now Simon's wife's mother had a violent fever, and they intreated Him on her behalf.
But He knew their thoughts, and said to the man that had the withered hand, Rise, and stand in the midst: and he rose up and stood forth.
and a woman who had been in a flux twelve years, and had spent her whole livelyhood upon physicians,
and a woman who had been in a flux twelve years, and had spent her whole livelyhood upon physicians,
And her spirit returned, and immediately she stood up: and He ordered something to be given her to eat.
and one of the people cried out, saying, Master, I beseech thee look upon my son, for he is my only child;
Behold I give you power to trample upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the might of the enemy; and nothing shall at all hurt you.
he was moved with compassion, and went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine; and setting him upon his own beast, brought him to an inn and took care of him.
And He was casting out a demon, and it was dumb: and when the demon was gone out, the dumb man spake; and the people wondered.
there was a woman that had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and utterly unable to lift herself upright.
And He laid his hands upon her; and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.
behold, there was a certain man before Him that had a dropsy.
And there was a poor man named Lazarus,
And being in agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was like clotted blood falling down upon the ground.
And Pilate asked Him, saying, Art thou the king of the Jews? And He answered him and said, I am as thou sayest.
Jesus saith unto her, I, who am talking to thee, am He.
In these lay a great number of people that were infirm, blind, lame, withered, waiting for the moving of the water.
The infirm man answered Him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is moved, to put me into the pool; but while I am coming, another goes down before me.
And as Jesus was passing along, He saw a man, who had been blind from his birth. And his disciples asked Him, saying, Master, who sinned? this man or his parents? that he was born blind.
And when He had said these things, He spit on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay,
Now there was a certain person sick, to wit, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and Martha her sister.
Now there was set a vessel there full of vinegar: so they filled a spunge with the vinegar, and putting it upon hyssop, held it up to his mouth.
And a certain man who had been lame from his birth was carried along; whom they laid every day at the gate of the temple, which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of those that were going into the temple:
And some of the young men arose, and wrapped him up; and they carried him out, and buried him. And about the space of three hours after, his wife also came in, not knowing what had happened. read more. And Peter said to her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much. And she said, Yes, for so much. Then Peter said unto her, Wherefore have ye agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold the feet of those, who have been burying thy husband, now at the door, and they shall carry thee out. And immediately she fell down at his feet and expired: and the young men coming in found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her by her husband.
And he arose and went; and behold a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, and her high-treasurer, who had come to Jerusalem to worship,
And the men that went along with him, stood astonished, hearing the voice, but seeing no one. And Saul rose from the earth, but when he opened his eyes he could not see: so they led him by the hand, and brought him to Damascus.
And immediately there fell from his eyes as it were scales; and he instantly recovered his sight, and arose and was baptized.
And there he found a man named Eneas, who had kept his bed eight years, with the palsy.
And it happened, about the same time, that she fell sick and died: and when they had washed her they laid her out in an upper chamber.
but immediately an angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and being devoured by worms he died.
And now behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing even the sun for a time. And immediately there fell upon him a mist and darkness; and groping about he sought for somebody to lead him by the hand.
And a young man named Eutychus, who sat in a window, falling into a deep sleep, as Paul was discoursing for a long time, sunk down and fell from the third story, and was taken up dead.
And Paul having gathered together a bundle of sticks, and laid them on the fire, there came out a viper from the heat, and fastened on his hand.
And it happened that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and dysentery: to whom Paul went in, and prayed, and laid his hands on him, and healed him.
Now we that are strong, ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves:
For this many among you are weak and infirm, and several are fallen asleep.
What then was your blessedness? for I bear you witness that, if it had been possible, ye would have plucked out your own eyes, and have given them to me.
For indeed he was sick and nigh unto death: but God had mercy on him, and not on him only, but on me also, that I might not have sorrow upon sorrow.
Luke the beloved physician, and Demas, greeteth you.
Till I come attend to reading, to exhortation, and teaching. Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. read more. Meditate on these things, be wholly in them, that thy proficiency may be manifest in all. Take heed to thyself, and to thy doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this, thou wilt both save thyself and those that hear thee.
Drink no longer water only, but use a little wine with it, for the sake of thy stomach and thy frequent infirmities.
Erastus staid at Corinth, and I left Trophimus sick at Miletus.
Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:
I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayst be rich; and white raiment that thou mayst be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness may not appear: and anoint thine eyes with eye-salve, that thou mayst see.
Morish
On the banks of the future river that will flow from the sanctuary, trees will grow, of which it is said, "The fruit thereof shall be for meat, and the leaf thereof for medicine." Eze 47:12. This agrees with Re 22:2. The prophet Jeremiah twice observes that when God brings His judgements upon a people, no medicine will cure them. Jer 30:13; 46:11. Pr 17:22 says, "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine," or 'promoteth healing.'
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And in the midst of the street, and of the river, which ran on each side, was the tree of life, producing fruits twelve times in the year, yielding its different fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.
Smith
Medicine.
Egypt was the earliest home of medical and other skill for the region of the Mediterranean basin, and every Egyptian mummy of the more expensive and elaborate sort involved a process of anatomy. Still we have no trace of any philosophical or rational system of Egyptian origin; still medicine in Egypt was a mere art or profession. Compared with the wild countries around them, however, the Egyptians must have seemed incalculably advanced. Representations of early Egyptian surgery apparently occur on some of the monuments of Beni-Hassan. Those who have assisted at the opening of a mummy have noticed that the teeth exhibited a dentistry not inferior in execution to the work of the best modern experts. This confirms the statement of Herodotus that every part of the body was studied by a distinct practitioner. The reputation of Egypt's practitioners in historical times was such that both Cyrus and Darius sent to that country for physicians or surgeons. Of midwifery we have a distinct notice,
and of women as its Practitioners, which fact may also be verified from the scriptures. The scrupulous attention paid to the dead was favorable to the health of the living. The practice of physic was not among the Jews a privilege of the priesthood. Any one might practice it, and this publicity must have kept it pure. Rank and honor are said to be the portion of the physician, and his office to be from the Lord. Ecclus. 38:1,3,12. To bring down the subject to the period of the New Testament, St. Luke, "the beloved physician," who practiced at Antioch whilst the body was his care, could hardly have failed to be convenient with all the leading opinions current down to his own time. Among special diseases named in the Old Testament is ophthalmia,
which is perhaps more common in Syria and Egypt than anywhere else in the world; especially in the fig season, the juice of the newly-ripe fruit having the power of giving it. It may occasion partial or total blindness.
The "burning boil,"
is merely marked by the notion of an effect resembling that of fire, like our "carbuncle." The diseases rendered "scab" and "scurvy" in
may be almost any skin disease. Some of these may be said to approach the type of leprosy. The "botch (shechin) of Egypt,"
De 28:27
is so vague a term as to yield a most uncertain sense. In
De 28:35
is mentioned a disease attacking the "knees and legs," consisting in a "sore botch which cannot be healed," but extended, in the sequel of the verse, from the "sole of the foot to the top of the head." The Elephantiasis gracorum is what now passes under the name of "leprosy;" the lepers, e.g., of the: huts near the Zion gate of modern Jerusalem are elephantissiacs. [LEPROSY] The disease of King Antiochus, 2 Macc. 9:5-10, etc., was that of a boil breeding worms. The case of the widow's son restored by Elisha,
See Leper, Leprosy
was probably one of sunstroke. The palsy meets us in the New Testament only, and in features too familiar to need special remark. palsy, gangrene and cancer were common in all the countries familiar to the scriptural writers, and neither differs from the modern disease of the same name. Mention is also made of the bites and stings of poisonous reptiles.
Among surgical instruments or pieces of apparatus the following only are alluded to in Scripture: A cutting instrument, supposed a "sharp stone,"
the "knife" of
The "awl" of
was probably a surgical instrument. The "roller to bind" of
was for a broken limb, and is still used. A scraper, for which the "potsherd" of Job was a substitute.
is a prescription in form. An occasional trace occurs of some chemical knowledge, e.g. the calcination of the gold by Moses,
the effect of "vinegar upon natron,"
; comp. Jere 2:22 The mention of "the apothecary,"
and of the merchant in "powders,"
shows that a distinct and important branch of trade was set up in these wares, in which, as at a modern druggist's, articles of luxury, etc., are combined with the remedies of sickness. Among the most favorite of external remedies has always been the bath. There were special occasions on which the bath was ceremonially enjoined. The Pharisees and Essenes aimed at scrupulous strictness in all such rules.
River-bathing was common but houses soon began to include a bathroom.
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Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat.
Then the pharisees and the scribes ask Him, Why do not thy disciples walk according to the tradition of the ancients, but eat without washing their hands?
And when the pharisee saw it he wondered that He did not wash first, before dinner.