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VOL. 10, ISSUE 4 (2025)
The soul oriented conception of holistic health in late medieval Europe
Authors
Dr. Lung-Tan Lu
Abstract
This paper explores the soul-oriented holistic
health conception in late medieval Europe
(14th–15th centuries), revealing the in-depth interweaving of religious
theology and classical medical knowledge in the interpretation of diseases and
health practices. The concept of health during this period was not based on a
biomedical framework; instead, it centered on Christian theology, regarding
diseases as the consequence of sin and punishment, and health as the external
manifestation of spiritual purity and divine grace. The monastic medical system
served as a concrete practice site for the integration of religion and
medicine, where medical practices were not only concerned with physical healing
but also functioned as rituals for spiritual restoration. Employing historical
document analysis and intellectual history methods, this paper reinterprets how
spiritual integration constituted the prototype of holistic health in the
Middle Ages and examines the impact of this concept on the definition of health
and the development of integrative medicine since the early modern period. The
study points out that although the medieval conception of health originated
from the dominance of the theocratic system, it unexpectedly foreshadowed the
ideological germination of body–mind–spirit integration in modern medicine.
This demonstrates that religious medicine is not the opposite of scientific
rationality but an important prehistory of holistic health thought.
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Pages:27-32
How to cite this article:
Dr. Lung-Tan Lu "The soul oriented conception of holistic health in late medieval Europe". International Journal of Advanced Research and Development, Vol 10, Issue 4, 2025, Pages 27-32
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