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Biblical Ills and Remedies 738 Journal ofthe Royal Society ofMedicine Volume 79 December 1986 Biblical ills and remedies J R Gwilt PhD FRSC Vice-President Commercial Development, Sterling Drug Inc.; New York, USA Keywords: Bible, illnesses, remedies, preventive n)edicine Abridged from the In Ecclesiastes, the Preacher said 'there is-nothing There are two references to rat-borne diseases: Winthrop Lecture new under the sun' (Eccles. 1:9). Thus cot death (sud- after the Philistines captured the Ark of the to the Worshipful den infant death syndrome) was reported in the time Covenant, they were struck with bubonic plague Society of of Solomon (1 Kings 3:19), and a clear description (1 Sam. 5:6), while another, probably pneumonic Apothecaries, are Jerusalem 10 December 1985 of epilepsy is given by Mark (9:18-27). So there plague, struck the Assyrians besieging instances in the Bible where a disease is named or in 701 BC (2 Kings 19:35). Finally, there are two we can recognize it. Sometimes we have additional predictions ofplagues. One will strike those warring evidence from contemporaneous writers such as against Jerusalem in the end-times: 'their flesh shall Josephus, but often we can only identify a disease rot while they stand on their feet, their eyes shall from the context, its outcome, and our knowledge of rot in their sockets, and their tongues shall rot in endemic diseases ofthe times. their mouths' (Zech. 14:12), suggesting chemical or Biblical physicians had limited diagnostic powers radiation damage. Revelation predicts 'everyIkind of and few effective means of treatment. Only two are plague' (Rev. 11:7) which we cannot specifically mentioned by name: Asa, King ofJudah (910-870 BC), identify as they have not happened - yet! who died from senile gangrene (2 Chron. 16:12), and Malaria-- was endemic in' Palestine and was Luke who was Paul's 'beloved physician' (Col. 4:14). proybably the ague- threatened upon the Israelites Asa could not heal himself and Luke-was unable to for wrong-doing (Deut. 28:22), and caused Peter's heal his colleagues: Paul (2 Cor. 12:7), Timothy (1 mother-in-law to be bed-ridden (Mark L:31). Recur- Tim. 5:23), Trophimus (2 Tim. 4:20) and Epaphroditus rent or relapsing fever (Deut. 28:22) is transmitted-by (Phil. 2:30). He pronounced Eutychus dead and left the body louse and 'the shepherd scours his clothes to Paul to revive him (Acts 20:10). rid them of lice' (Jerem. 43:12). Then -when Paul 'The woman with menorrhagia had spent all her was shipwrecked on Malta, he treated the chief money on doctors,' but had only got worse (Mark magstrate's father for severe gastroenteritis, which 5:26), and Tobit's eyesight deteriorated further with was causing fever and dysentery (Acts 28:8). the prescribed ointments (Tobit 2:10). So biblical Several biblical figures had cardiovascular prob- references to doctors are generally not complimen- lems. Sarah's sudden death (Gen. 23:1) may have tary and Job summed up his experiences: '... worth- been due to a heart attack when she learned that less physicians are you all' (Job 13:4). Indeed, the Abraham had been about to sacrifice Isaac (Gen. most dramatic OldTestament healings are attributed 22:11). Ananias (Acts 5:5) and Sapphira (Acts 5:10) to major prophets such as Elijah (1 Kings'17:21), certainly died from heart failure when their hypo- Elisha (2 Kings 4:35) and Isaiah (2 Kings 20:7). Then crisy was revealed. Jacob suffered a syncope (Gen. in the New Testament - in addition to healings by 45:26) when told that Joseph was still alive, and Jesus in the Gospels - there are several performed by Nabal had a coronary thrombosis (1 Sam. 25:37) when Peter (Acts 3:7) and by Paul (Acts 20:10). his wife told him she had fed David's guerrillas. Men Nevertheless, Jeremiah (at 8:22) called wistfully suffering strokes include Jeroboam (1 Kings 13:4), for a physician and Jesus emphasized (Matthew 9:12) Alcimus (1 Maccab. 9:56) and HerodAgrippa; all were that the sick need a doctor. stress-related. Ills Hormonal matters The word 'plague' is used in the Bible as a generic It is challenging to interpret some of the biblical term for various epidemics. Among the ten affecting accounts. It seems likely that Esau suffered from con- the Egyptians immediately prior to the Exodus, genital adrenal hyperplasia; this is based on his three were disease-related: anthrax of cattle (Exod. appearance at birth (red, hairy all over [Gen. 25:25]), 9:6), skin-anthrax of man (Exod. 9:9) and the still- his exhaustion due to vigorous exercise with a feeling inexplicable death ofthe first-born (Exod. 12:29). ofimminent death, and his rapid recovery after a high One benefit of the years of isolation in the protein meal (lentil soup and bread) (Gen. 25:34). wilderness was the integration of the Israelites into Then the relationships of Joseph with his brothers, a homogeneous theocracy. However, towards the first as a boy (Gen. 37:2-24) and later as a man in end ofthe time, certain of the Israelites participated Egypt (Gen. 42:8), suggest delayed sexual develop- in ment to with 0141-0768/86/ Moabite religious rites (Numb. 25:1), and they due gonadal hypoplasia pituitary 012738-04/$02.00/0 were struck with what may have been a particularly insufficiency which - probably some time after his 0 1986 virulent sexually-transmitted disease to which they encounter with Potiphar's wife - righted itself so that The Royal had no immunity. Later, a sudden, virulent and his brothers later did not recognize him. Society of short-lived plague visited them when David took an Zacchaeus was a little man (Luke 19:3) and may Medicine unauthorized census (2 Sam. 24:15). have been an achondroplastic dwarf; as a superin- Journal ofthe Royal Society ofMedicine Volume 79 December 1986 739 Figure 1. Moses and the brazen serpent (Numbers 21:8). (Courtesy Bettman Archives) tendent oftaxes, he certainly had all the characteris- Leprosy tics - ruthless, aggressive. On the other hand, Goliath Because the leper was treated as an outcast from was over nine feet tall (1 Sam. 17:4) and probably suf- society (Numbers 5:2), it was necessary for the fered from acromegaly. This is usually caused by a Israelites to distinguish between leprosy and other tumour of the pituitary, which also compresses the skin diseases. The typical appearance oflepromatous optic nerves, resulting in loss of temporal vision, so leprosy is described (Lev. 13:9) and, ifconfirmed seven David was able to come up on Goliath's blind side. days later, the patient was expelled from the camp Finally menorrhagia is mentioned in both the Old (Lev. 13:46). Burns were also examined, apparently (Lev. 15:25) and New (Luke 8:43) Testaments. to ensure that they had not occurred due to the loss of sensation in leprosy (Lev. 13:25). Other skin conditions differentiated by the priests may have Individual problems included leukodermia (Lev. 13:39), which generally Some psychiatric problems triggered physical ills, is benign and self-limiting; psoriasis (Lev. 13:13); e.g. the paralysed man brought to Jesus on his pallet eczema (Lev. 13:6); scabies (Deut. 28:27); decubitis (Matth. 9:2) and the dumb man (Luke 11:14); we can- ulcer (Lev. 13:15); chancroid, ringworm (Lev. 13:43) not identify the causes. However, Saul suffered from and possibly allergic reactions. It is most unlikely recurrent depression (1 Sam. 16:14), causing paranoia that the Israelites would suffer from scurvy in the and irritability. Nebuchadnezzar developed invol- modern sense (Deut. 28:27) and this was probably utional melancholia, which proved to be self-limiting psoriasis or eczema. (Daniel 4:36), and Elisha showed evidence of per- Leprosy was also used in the divine punishment of secution mania (2 Kings 2:24). David actually saved Miriam (Numbers 12:10), of Gehazi (2 Kings 5:27) and his own life by feigning lunacy (1 Sam. 21:13). We ofUzziah (2 Chron. 26:19). also have instances of paranoia (Luke 4:35) and Blindness still is a scourge of the Middle East, chronic mania with periodic outbursts of violence caused partly by ophthalmia and partly by the glare (Mark 5:2). Finally, Zechariah suffered a nine-month ofthe sun. However, the men pestering Lot's guests in long hysterical dysphonia with deafness (Luke 1:22). Sodom were stricken with amaurosis (Gen. 19:11) and The illnesses ofother characters have caused great Leah suffered from blepharitis ciliaris (Gen. 29:17). speculation. Jacob suffered a ruptured and prolapsed Priests were prohibited from serving if they suffered intervertebral disc when wrestling with the angel, from cataract or keratitis (Lev. 21:20) - or, indeed, resulting in intractable sciatica (Gen. 32:31). Other any physical defect (Lev. 21:17) - and anyone with entities include speech defect (Moses; Exod. 4:10); (ophthalmic) gonorrhoea was ritually unclean (Lev. poliomyelitis (Mephibosheth; 2 Sam. 4:4); palmoplan- 15:3). tar keratoderma (Jezebel; 2 Kings 9:35); ulcerative Zoonoses were rife in biblical times. Antiochus colitis with bowel prolapse (Joram; 2 Chron. 21:19); Epiphanes suffered a painful lingering death from tuberculous osteomyelitis of the spine (Luke 13:11), dracunculiasis (2 Maccab. 9:5-10) and the brazen and so on. serpent set upon a pole in the wilderness (Figure 1; Paul's 'thorn in the flesh' (2 Cor. 12:7) has been Numb. 21:8) may have been a demonstration by interpreted as malaria, epilepsy or migraine, but the Moses of how the worm should be removed, by most likely cause was temporal arteritis; his sight breaking through the skin and winding it onto a was such that he could form only large letters (Galat.
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