Last year my class was given an assignment to research any topic of our choosing. Earlier in the year I had seen Silence of the Lambs with my family. When I asked my father if we could watch Hannibal his answer was "Give me a reason and make it a good one." So naturally when presented with the opportunity to look into anything at all, I chose cannibalism. My only goal for the project, watch Hannibal. I failed, at the goal not the project. Instead of simply watching the film, I really got into the topic. Not in the eat someone on the streets kind of way, more in a "This topic is super interesting and diverse" kind of way. Some cultures ate the dead as a sign of respect, others as a means of proving dominance. Our culture consumed people in order to heal ourselves by incorporating the vitality of the deceased into our own bodies, we practiced medicinal cannibalism.
This topic is not a particularly ordinary one, but it provides a unique opportunity to look at the history of western medicine and culture. It's fairly messy and combative, like most of western history. Medical practitioners would frequently fight over who was allowed to cut someone open and whether or not people could practice certain medical techniques. In Deborah Harkness' The Jewel House, an entire section is dedicated to the controversy over new Paracelsus techniques and who was allowed to utilize them within London. Medicine was driven by ideals of self-importance and greed. Physicians, surgeons and internal healers, wanted more and more recognition with fewer boundaries placed upon them. They were discontent to be regulated to a single aspect of medicine, limited in what they could do and how they were allowed to treat their patients. It's an issue that is seen in other aspects of society throughout history.
Religion has frequently been a contentious topic because it limited what people could say and do. When Martin Luther introduced his 95 Theses, he opened the floodgates of Christian religion. The rules may have still existed, but they were being broken down and thrown away. With each new sect of Christianity, new philosophies were developed and new ideals emerged. the status quo began to shift and it impacted all of western culture.
At this point, I believe that a significant link exists between religion and medicine. As religion adapted and expanded, so did medical practices. I need to do further research into this potential link, though I believe that it shows great promise as an avenue of research to be explored.
I hope that by following this blog, you may learn more about western culture and its prior practices. Though practicing them is not at all necessary. But I do hope that you consider the true importance that this topic has within our culture. As a part of our history, it is important that we recognize and understand what occurred even if we do not appreciate or approve of it. In 500 years, our current practices may seem barbaric to our descendants, just as this practice may seem barbaric to you. Instead we should keep in mind that the ideals of society are constantly changing and we should not assume that the current ideals have always existed or will always exist. Adaptability is one of the strongest aspects of human culture and civilization. As long as we keep that in mind, we can continue to evolve and thrive.
