Miracle cures : saints, pilgrimage, and the healing powers of belief / Robert A. Scott.

  • Scott, Robert A., 1935-
Date:
[2010], ©2010
  • Books

About this work

Description

"Iconic images of medieval pilgrims, such as Chaucer's making their laborious way to Canterbury, conjure a distant time when faith was the only refuge of the ill and infirm, and thousands traveled great distances to pray for healing. Why, then, in an age of advanced biotechnology and medicine, do millions still go on pilgrimages? Why do journeys to important religious shrines, such as Lourdes, Compostela, Fátima, and Medjugorje constitute a major industry? In Miracle Cures, Robert A. Scott explores these provocative questions and finds that pilgrimage continues to offer answers for many. Its benefits can range from a demonstrable improvement in health to complete recovery. Using research in biomedical and behavioral science, Scott examines accounts of miracle cures at medieval, early modern, and contemporary shrines. He inquires into the power of relics, apparitions, and the transformative nature of sacred journeying and shines new light on the roles belief, hope, and emotion can play in healing. The result is a fresh and original approach that bridges the often separate worlds of faith and science." --Cover, p. 2.

Publication/Creation

Berkeley ; London : University of California Press, [2010], ©2010.

Physical description

xxix, 235 pages : illustrations, map, portraits ; 24 cm

Contents

Appealing to saints for miracles. Life in the Middle Ages -- Saints -- Apparitions -- Pilgrimage and shrines -- Saints and healing. Disease -- The role of stress in illness -- Belief, hope, and healing -- Framing, confessing, self-efficacy, and healing -- Coda -- Appendix : Accounts of miracles at medieval shrines.

Bibliographic information

Includes bibliographical references (p. 207-225) and index.

Languages

Where to find it

  • LocationStatus
    History of Medicine
    CWH /SCO
    Open shelves

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Identifiers

ISBN

  • 0520262751
  • 9780520262751