Extending Practical Medicine

Written in 1925 (CW 27) In this classic introductory work on spiritual medicine, Rudolf Steiner worked in a unique literary collaboration with the physician Ita Wegman. Their aim was to revitalize the art of healing through spiritual knowledge--yet in so doing they did not underrate or dismiss modern allopathic medicine; rather, they illumined ordinary medicine beyond its materialistic outlook to a fuller realization of the human condition. As Ita Wegman wrote in her preface: "The aim was not to underestimate scientific medicine in an amateurish way; it was given full recognition. But it was important to add to existing knowledge the insights that can come from true perception of the spirit, enabling us to understand the processes of illness and healing." Today this new extension of practical medicine--generally called "anthroposophical medicine"--is used and valued by many physicians in numerous clinics around the world. Contents: Foreword by Dr. Michael Evans 1. Understanding the True Nature of Man as a Basis of Medical Practice 2. Why Do People Fall Ill? 3. The Phenomena of Life 4. On the Nature of the Sentient Organism 5. Plant, Animal, Man 6. Blood and Nerve 7. The Nature of Medicinal Actions 8. Activities in the Human Organism--Diabetes Mellitus 9. The Role of Protein in the Human Body and Proteinuria 10. The Role of Fat in the Human Organism and Deceptive Local Symptom Complexes 11. The Configuration of the Human Body and Gout 12. Development and Separating-off Processes of the Human Organism 13. On the Nature of Illness and Healing 14. The Therapeutic Way of Thinking 15. The Method of Treatment 16. Perceiving Medicinal Qualities 17. Perceiving the Nature of Substances as a Basis of Pharmacognosy 18. Eurythmy Therapy 19. Characteristic Illnesses 20. Typical Medicines This volume is a translation from the German of Grundlegendes fur eine Erweiterung der Heilkunst nach geisteswissenschaflichen Erkenntnissen (GA 27).