Secret of Asclepius HWMB 03 024

2023-10-22T00:00:00Z

Secret of Asclepius "When the sun had set and night had come, the patient was brought to the Abaton, the holiest part of the sanctuary, where he was instructed to lie down on a couch. There he waited for the god to come. The hours went by—and suddenly the god appeared looking like his statue in the temple, a bearded god somewhat like Zeus, with a kind face... And when the glow of morning appeared on the hills, the blind would open their eyes and see the world in all its beauty. The deaf would hear the singing of the birds. Those who had been lame would find themselves able to walk without a limp. Old pains had vanished and sores were healed—sometimes, not always, of course; the god could not be forced. His epiphany, in a dream or vision, was a mystery in which not everybody participated. There can be no doubt, however, that patients were actually cured" (pp. 64-65). Sigerist, Henry E. A History of Medicine, Volume II: Early Greek, Hindu, and Persian Medicine . Oxford University Press, 1961. https://archive.org/details/historyofmedicin0000sige See also: https://archive.org/details/conclusive-proof-hwmb-02-038