Читать книгу Health Psychology - Michael Murray - Страница 87

The classical view of health and illness in the West is derived from the Graeco-Arabic medical system known as Galenic medicine. This provided an expert system developed from the Greeks, in particular the work of Hippocrates and his colleagues. We discussed the central concepts in Galen’s formulation in Chapter 1.

Besides focusing on understanding natural processes, the Galenic tradition placed responsibility on individuals to look after themselves. Ill health was viewed as one consequence of natural processes, not a result of divine intervention. In many ways Galen’s ideas not only prefigured but also continue to influence much of contemporary health beliefs in industrialised societies.