Moon-madness *
نویسنده
چکیده
Mother Nature is an exceedingly exacting old lady. She guards her treasures well and does not yield them on casual inquiry. To be sure, she has spread the stuff and substance of the Universe before everyone so that it might be described and classified. For generations men have eagerly approached this monumental job until at last there is available a fairly satisfactory account of the structure of material things. This natural history approach to the Universe is fundamental and extremely important for, without adequate description of the elements of the problem posed by the Universe, solution is impossible. Important as this procedure is, nevertheless consideration of the relationships which exist between the elementary particles is just as significant. Once the cataloging is well underway, interest naturally turns to the patterning of the units. This leads to the inevitable questions, "What is the order of the Universe?" and, "Whence comes this order?" In a time of world-wide disruption, the existence of the order is questioned and man fumbles for some stability. While it is true that everyone sooner or later must determine his relationship to the Universe, the need for this is accelerated during times of stress and strain. It becomes especially important, therefore, in times like these to re-emphasize not so much the describable order of the Universe but the fact that it has order and that this order can be understood by the mind of man. Furthermore, it is equally necessary to emphasize the ways and means by which knowledge and understanding of that order can be obtained. This is debatable ground. The artist is sure that he approaches ultimate reality when, obeying the creative urge, he re-creates by some intuitive and imaginative approach the truth as he sees it. To the religious, the same intuitive approach operates through the forms and rituals and creeds of theology. It is quite clear that nearly everyone develops a personal procedure by means of which he approaches or reaches what he believes to be the truth. The scientist is one of these. His first approach to the world about
منابع مشابه
Doc’s Life THE ASSOCIATION OF LUNAR PHASES AND MENTAL ILLNESS: FACT OR MYTH?
Since ancient times, human has been fascinated by the changing lunar phases – a monthly cycle that takes 29.53 days to complete (Figure 1). Many cultures in the world hold the beliefs that the changing lunar phases affect human behaviour; in particular, full moon has been associated with madness. The word “lunatic” (previously used to mean mentally ill) came from Latin lunaticus which in turn w...
متن کاملMadness and the Moon: The Lunar Cycle and Psychopathology
Historically, there has been a perceived association between the moon and human biology and behaviour that can be traced back to at least Roman times. The idea that the moon can in some way influence human biology or behaviour is a phenomena that has now come to known as the “Transylvanian effect” in the academic literature. Many mental health professionals continue to hold the belief that luna...
متن کاملJanus-Faced Madness in Bessie Head’s A Question of Power
This paper is an attempt to discuss the concept of madness and its differentcauses and functions in Bessie Head’s semiautobiographical novel A Question ofPower. It aims to explore the multifaceted insanity of Elizabeth the exiled coloredprotagonist in terms of different theories. We will see how once a devastatingtrauma turns out to be a habilitating schizophrenia. Head challenges the readers’n...
متن کاملExpanding Examples of Madness According to the Concept and Criterion of Madness Perspective of Jurisprudence, Law and Psychology
Background and aim: Madness is a subject that has long been the subject of legal attention. Today, Industrial societies are confronted with a phenomenon called mental disorders and those with such disease which unfortunately is increasing day by day. Obviously, laws over time for scientific advances need to be reformed. This article explores the legal status and the way in which mental patients...
متن کاملBad Moon Rising: the persistent belief in lunar connections to madness.
S ix patients walk into the emergency department asking for opiates while 3 code blues are announced on the PA. Someone mutters , " Damn! It must be a full moon! " The belief that the moon exerts an influence on human affairs has survived rather obstinately through history. Hippocrates wrote that " no physician should be entrusted with the treatment of disease who was ignorant of the science of...
متن کاملذخیره در منابع من
با ذخیره ی این منبع در منابع من، دسترسی به آن را برای استفاده های بعدی آسان تر کنید
برای دانلود متن کامل این مقاله و بیش از 32 میلیون مقاله دیگر ابتدا ثبت نام کنید
ثبت ناماگر عضو سایت هستید لطفا وارد حساب کاربری خود شوید
ورودعنوان ژورنال:
- The Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine
دوره 16 شماره
صفحات -
تاریخ انتشار 1944