Introduction

In the lesson content you will come across some terms that are bolded. You may look them up in the course Glossary.

In ancient times abnormality was thought to be caused by evil spirits or poison in the body. Because the body was considered sacred, performing human autopsies was not permitted, and thus misconceptions continued. Odd behaviour was looked upon with superstition and fear -- fear born of ignorance. Literature regarding the early history of the Chinese, Egyptian, Hebrew, and Greek civilizations indicates that people during this time believed that most abnormal behaviour was caused by demons or gods. If the presenting behaviour (observable behaviour) was unusual but mystical or religious, then a good spirit or god possessed the individual. If the behaviour was unusual and disturbing or negative, then an evil spirit or demon possessed the individual.

Exorcism was used to treat much of the abnormal behaviour or possessions. Exorcisms (techniques used to remove evil spirits) included magic, praying, potions, flogging, and more. Most often this treatment was not humane. In some cases trephining was used to release the evil spirit from the body. Trephining involved chipping away a small area of the skull for the spirit to escape. While some patients survived this treatment, most did not.