Bible and medicine
From Foreword
Contemporary humans have deciphered code of human genome, they reach further and further into the World. In parallel, increasing numbers of individuals are interested in genealogy of their closes family, but also of ruling lines and reaches for various written documents and even for legends.
It also seems purposeful to get interested in genealogy of HUMANS, taking advantage of such a source as the Bible. This is a specific genealogy since it encompasses the problem in the context of „Bible and Medicine”, describing ailments and diseases in Founders of three monotheistic religions, their relatives, compatriots, with whom they lived and also in their subsequent generations.
A disease does not select the patient by his/her religion while the Moria mountain and events related to it are common to all of us.
In our opinion it is also good to learn from the genealogy that Jacob, son of Isaac and grandson of Abraham and, at the same time, a half-nephew of Ismael, who struggling with God`s angel or with the God himself over the Yabboc stream developed luxation in the hip joint and also why, in connection with the event, followers of the Jewish faith remove ischial nerve while consuming meat of rear parts of an animal. The genealogy of diseases ends up with events from the times of Jesus, with miracles of Jesus and his Apostles.
Preparing the review of medical problems we have followed the medical rule that medical diagnosis consists of three elements, including:
– anamnesis, i.e. interview, a subjective examination of the patient;
– physical examination, the objective examination;
– additional, laboratory tests.
(...) Preparing this book, we have accepted the principle of not disputing the other views on the diseases and their causes, which have been and still are presented in the Polish and world literature. In our opinion, the character of this book does not allow for such divagations since in such a case the book would become narrowly specialistic, which – according to the authors – is not indicated. Present book has been supplemented in the text by figures related to the discussed medical topics prepared by contemporary artist Krzysztof Łabędź M. Sci., who had enriched the book with his works. In our work we have taken advantage of remarks given by numerous scientists representing various branches of medicine, who consulted individual chapters of the book.
In bibliology we have taken advantage of the experience of Rev. Professor Bogdan Poniży, Ph.D. and Rev. Professor Jan Kanty Pytel, Ph.D.
Bogusław Pawlaczyk