Classification of Madness in medieval period.pptx

Perception of Madness in medieval period and renaissance

1. Classification of Madness Madness in Medieval It was often associated with religious beliefs and was viewed as a punishment from God for sin or as a sign of demonic possession. Role of Leprosy L eprosy can cause physical disfigurement, particularly in the face, hands, and feet, which can lead to negative attitudes and discrimination from others. Therefore, p eople with leprosy were often segregated from the rest of society and confined to leper colonies or asylums. This isolation and mistreatment could have contributed to psychological problems such as depression, anxiety, and even psychotic disorders.

2. Treatments of Madness T he treatment of madness in medieval times was often cruel and ineffective, reflecting the limited understanding of mental illness at the time. E xorcism, which involved attempting to drive out the supposed demons or evil spirits that were thought to be causing the madness. B loodletting, which involved drawing blood from the patient in the belief that it would help to restore balance to the body's humors P urging (inducing vomiting or diarrhea), B listering (applying hot substances to the skin to create blisters), T repanning (drilling a hole in the skull to release pressure or evil spirits) “Madhouses" or "asylums" were also build where people with mental illness were often confined.

3. 2. Madness in Renaissance Madness in the Renaissance was a complex and multifaceted phenomenon, shaped by both medical and cultural factors Despite the negative attitudes towards mental illness, some Renaissance thinkers also saw madness as a source of creativity and genius. The Italian philosopher Giordano Bruno, for example, believed that madness was necessary for the pursuit of knowledge and the expansion of human consciousness. Madness was viewed as a form of wisdom or divine inspiration rather than a pathological condition. He suggests that during this period, the mad were seen as having access to a different kind of knowledge or insight that was not available to those deemed "sane.“

4. Hopital General in Paris Foucault explores the ways in which the Hopital General, and similar institutions, functioned as a form of social control over those deemed "abnormal" or "deviant.“ He argues that these institutions were the cause of social exclusion and marginalization, in which those who did not conform to societal norms were forcibly removed from society and placed in institutions where they were subject to surveillance and discipline Furthermore, argues that the shift towards harsher forms of treatment was because of seeing them as threat to social order, rather than a genuine concern for their well-being. Therefore, he rejects the idea that human beings can be fully understood and analyzed as objects of knowledge in the same way as other objects in the natural world.

5. Rene Descartes about Madness Descartes believed that the mind and body were separate entities, with the mind being the source of rational thought and consciousness. He argued that the mind could be understood through the use of reason. Foucault disagreed with this hypothesis saying that Descartes' emphasis on reason and autonomy helped to reinforce existing power structures, with those who were deemed "mad" being excluded from society and denied the ability to participate in political and social life. He further states that human beings are shaped and constituted by a complex relationship to both nature and culture, including religion, law, and language. Therefore, human beings cannot be reduced to mere objects of knowledge but are instead shaped by a complex interplay of natural and cultural factors, including power relations, language, history, tradition, and religion.