| Attempts to understand the relationship
between social behavior and health have their origin in history. Dubos(1969)
suggested that primitive humans were closer to the animals in that they, too,
relied upon their instincts to stay healthy. Yet some primitive humans
recognized a cause and effect relationship between doing certain thing and
alleviating (减轻)symptoms of a disease or improving the condition of a wound.
Since there was so much that primitive humans did not understand about the
functioning of the body, magic became an integral component of the beliefs about
the causes arid cutes of health disorders. So it is not surprising that early
humans thought that illness was caused by evil spirits. Primitive medicines made
from vegetables or animals were invariably used in combination with some form of
ritual to expel harmful spirit from a diseased body. One of the earliest attempts in the western world to formulate(系统地阐述)principles of health care based upon rejection of supernatural phenomena is found in the work of the Greek physician Hippocrates. Little is known of Hippocrates who lived around 400 B. C., not even whether he actually authored the collection of books that bears his name. Nevertheless, the writings, attributed to him have provided a number of principles underlying modern practice. One of his most famous contributions, the Hippocratic Oath, is the foundation of contemporary medical ethics(道德). Among other things, it requires the physician to swear that he or she will help the sick, keep oneself from intentional wrong-doing or harm, and keep secret all matters to keep the doctor patient relation-ship. Hippocrates also argued that medical knowledge should be derived from an understanding of the natural sciences and the logic of cause and effect relation-ships. In this classic thesis, On Airs, Waters, and Places, Hippocrates pointed out that human wellbeing is influenced by the totality of environmental factors: living habits or lifestyle, climate, geography of the land, and the quality of air, and food. Interesting enough, concerns about our health and the quality of air, water, and places are still very much written in the twentieth century. |