Analysis of "Disease & History"
Analysis of "Disease & History"
The authors of Disease & History point out that disease has been a crucial determinant that marks history. Frederick F. Cartwright, Department of the History of Medicine, and Dr. Michael Biddiss, Director of Studies in History at Downing College Cambridge, collaborated together to write this book. With Dr. Biddiss’ extensive knowledge of history as a professional historian and with Cartwright’s studies of the history of medicine they have written a book about the effects diseases have on history. Dr. Biddiss was both a writer and editor of the book. Biddiss and Cartwright discussed each chapter with each other. There have been many well-known victims of terminal illnesses. Some of these include Henry VIII, and Ivan the Terrible, who both suffered from syphilis. Many other rulers and famous people of history have suffered from malaria, smallpox, and an assortment of maladies. England was so terribly weakened by the black plague disease that it had to call in Hengist and Horsa in the fifth century because it could not stand against the Scots and Picts. The Black Death alone in the fourteenth century nearly took away one half of the country’s population within thirty years. The population went from 4.5 million in 1347 to only 2.5 million in 1377. The Black Death destabilized the feudal system of England. It also cut the peasantry’s tie to the land, and it weakened the Church and may have led the way to the reformation.
Disease can be divided into two basic types: organic disease, or somatic or purely psychiatric which is very rare. The depression, which follows the influenza, is a simple example. Usually a psychiatric disease accompanies a physical disorder. Henry VIII, for example, suffered from syphilis and its effects and history are obvious. His arrogance and the power of his position exaggerated the effects of the disease. Henry’s main trouble was somatic. Napoleon suffered from minor illnesses throughout his lifetime. Napoleon thought that he was meant to be the ruler of the world. In his thinking he was psychiatrically abnormal. Joan of Arc at the age of thirteen heard voices and saw visions of saints. In this Joan was abnormal, because normal people do not see visions of saints or hear supernatural voices. However, Joan of Arc was not mad or crazy as a lot of the people in her time thought she was. In fact...