hot Rachna Shah

Health Theories and Their Practical Application

Beliefs about the foundations of good health are inseparable from theories of disease. Primitive beliefs about good and evil spirits; the benevolent or malevolent intervention of fate, gods, or ancestors; disease as a punishment for sin (Murdock, 1980); theories such as those of Aristotle and Galen about the balance of bodily fluids (humors) and about the effects of miasmas or "bad air" survive in the names by which we know some common diseases, including influenza, malaria, cholera, and rheumatism. A preference for holiday resorts and convalescent hospitals at the seaside or in the mountains reflects a belief in the notion that some environments are inherently healthier than others—as, indeed, abundant evidence demonstrates.