Spiritual Science and Medicine
GA 312
Taking account of modern medical knowledge and practice, and deeply versed in alchemical, Paracelsian, and naturopathic approaches, as well as homeopathy, aroma therapy, and other 'alternative' therapies, Steiner demonstrates, on the basis of his own researches, how a truly integrated whole-person medicine is possible — one that understands the human as a being of body, soul, and spirit; a microcosm in the macrocosm, a mirror of the earth and of the heavens.
Steiner's enthusiasm and familiarity with his subject are in evidence everywhere in this volume. The wealth of insights and the range of topics are staggering — from the meaning of sickness, polarities in the human organism, and the relation of therapy and pathology, to the nature of plant, mineral and animal in relation to the human being. Specific organs (heart, lungs, bladder, kidney, liver, and nervous system) and specific diseases (including cancer, tuberculosis, diabetes, and meningitis) are brought into extraordinary new relationships and interconnections. The whole question of diagnosis, health, and treatment is repeatedly viewed from various points of view.
These twenty lectures of Dr. Steiner's on Spiritual Science and Medicine were given at the request of a number of practicing Doctors in Medicine. Some thirty doctors and students attended.
| Introduction | ||
| LECTURE I | March 21st, 1920 | |
| Changes in medical outlook in the course of human evolution — Illness and health — The Archaeus of Paracelsus — Stahl's theory of Vitalism — The appearance and significance of pathological anatomy since Morgagni — Humoral pathology — Cellular pathology — Morbid and natural significance of comparative anatomy — Knowledge of extra-terrestrial formative forces — Metamorphosis — Troxler's concept of disease. | ||
| LECTURE II | March 22nd, 1920 | |
| Theories regarding the Heart — The Heart as organ of balance between above and below — Polarity of the human organism — Physiognomy of disease — Hysteria as expression for preponderance of metabolic processes — Neurasthenia for preponderance of sensory processes — Tuberculosis: disposition and infection — Significance of individual symptoms for its course and cure — Nature of Homeopathy. | ||
| LECTURE III | March 23rd, 1920 | |
| Combination of pathology and therapy through diagnosis — The Threefold Man — Motor and sensory nerves — Suggestion and hypnosis — Relation of remedy to patient — Metamorphosis of growth in plant and man — Power of adaptation and regeneration — Formative forces and man's functions of soul and spirit Elements of a psychology based on reality — Ascending and descending evolution — Processes of blood-formation and milk-formation. | ||
| LECTURE IV | March 24th, 1920 | |
| Connection of man with external nature — The Ritter Treatment — Working out of therapy on basis of pathology — External and intestinal flora — Carbon process — Oxygen process — Thoughts and process of ideation — Parallelism of structural development of intestines and brain. Bacillus theory and disposition to disease — Secretion and thinking process — Metamorphosis of light in the organism and Tuberculosis. — Macroscopic study of the world and illusion of the microscope — Salt process and sulphur process — Mineralising process — Homeopathic principle in restorative treatment. | ||
| LECTURE V | March 25th, 1920 | |
| All-round knowledge of man as basis of therapy — Anamnesis as foundation for judgment of super-sensible organism — Man and the nature kingdoms — Homeopathy and Allopathy — Solubility, salt formation — Thinking process in the extra-human — Mineral process, mercurial process, phosphoric process — Relation of plant to man — Tree formation mistletoe — Root formation, formation of leaf, blossom, fruit and their relation to mineral, mercurial, and phosphoric process and to man — Serum therapy. | ||
| LECTURE VI | March 26th, 1920 | |
| Plant-forming Process, spiral tendency — Planetary activity — Relation of plant to man — Polarity of gravity and light — Polarity in human organism and disease — Rickets, Crassiotabes — Salt, phosphorus and mercury process — Metals as planetary processes — Their relation to plants — Combustion and ash-extraction — Potentising of remedies — Physical curative treatment — Animal curative substances. | ||
| LECTURE VII | March 27th, 1920 | |
| Consideration of age-factor in curative treatment — Chorea — Pregnancy — Polyarthritis — Difference of therapy in different epochs of life — Relationship of ages of life to the planets — Pre-conception causes of illness — Ossification — Sclerosis — Carcinoma — Hydrocephaly in childhood and later diseases — Disposition to Syphilis, Pneumonia and Pleurisy — Endocarditis — Problems of curative treatment — Fever as expression of ego-activity — Formative process of man and process of cell-formation — Lead and Sclerosis, Tin and Hydrocephaly, Iron and pulmonary processes — Copper, Mercury, Silver. | ||
| LECTURE VIII | March 28th, 1920 | |
| Process of aromatisation in plant and process of smelling — Salt-forming process in plant and tasting — Metamorphosis of human organism: smelling, tasting, seeing, thinking, association, digestion, excretory processes through intestines and kidneys, ideation — Breathing process, blood and lymph-forming process — Heart as synthesiser. | ||
| LECTURE IX | March 29th, 1920 | |
| Meteorological processes and their relation to the human organs — Significance of air, water, soil, for sickness and health of certain organs — Polarity of silicon-process and carbon-dioxide process in human organism — Differentiation of excretory action and its relation to the two processes — Relation of the two processes to the metals — Smell and taste. | ||
| LECTURE X | March 30th, 1920 | |
| Effect produced by Anisum vulgare, Cichorium intybus, Equisetum arvense, Wild strawberry, Lavender, Melissa — Relation of human organism to plant kingdom and mineral kingdom — Healing properties of plant-mineral and mineral. Nutrition — Uncooked diet — Cooking as remedial process — Peripheral and central man — Digestion, secretion, formation of urine and sweat — Syphilis — Formation of female organism — Significance of the female and the male for ontogenesis. | ||
| LECTURE XI | March 31st, 1920 | |
| Carbo vegetabilis — Chemistry and physiology — Nature of Homeopathy — Carbon formation and oxygen process — Creation of primary light in upper man — Pathology of kidneys — Air-sphere, warmth and light zone, fluid zone and human pathology — Kalium carbonicum — Formative process of oyster shell — Earth formation — Pulmonary process — Breathing — Hunger, thirst and their organic connections. | ||
| LECTURE XII | April 1st, 1920 | |
| Roncegno Water, Levico Water — Oxygen and nitrogen and relationship of ego — astral body, etheric body and physical body Albumen and organic system — Vegetable albumen — Relation of elements oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, hydrogen to kidneys, liver, lungs, heart — Practice of meditation — Iron radiation, counteraction of albumen — Vegetable and animal carbon — Fluorine, magnesium — Decay of teeth and chlorosis — Silicium — Bases and acids — Digestion and salt-formation — External therapy. | ||
| LECTURE XIII | April 2nd, 1920 | |
| Activity of etheric body — Tumours, inflammations as consequence of irregular activity of etheric body — Viscum and viscum treatment — Carbo vegetabilis — So-called “mental diseases” as consequence of disturbed organic processes — Effects of coffee and tea — Sugar consumption. | ||
| LECTURE XIV | April 3rd, 1920 | |
| Power of judgment and clairvoyance — Work of ego on the human vehicles — Etheric body and fantasy — The ego-scaffolding in the physical body — Inflammatory process — Study of eye-organisation as path to perception of Etheric body — Therapeutics of inflammatory tendency — Obesity — Leanness — Hypochondria — The Eye as process of inflammation — The Ear as process of tumour formation — Study of ear structure as path to perception of astral body — Rosemary and stimulation of ego-forces — Arnica and stimulation of astral forces. | ||
| LECTURE XV | April 4th, 1920 | |
| Birds and the planetary forces — Intellectuality, formation and loss of instinct — Diabetes mellitus — Ego weakness — Plant forming process as growth towards animal forming process — The animal forming process in man — Process of de-salification — Plant remedies — Silicon force of disruption in mathematicians and non-mathematicians — Silver Birch — Capsella bursæ pastoris (Shepherd's Purse) — Cochlearea officinalis — Scurvy — Function of Spleen. | ||
| LECTURE XVI | April 5th, 1920 | |
| Massage of Spleen region and strengthening of instinctive activity — Effect of conceptual activity in the organism — Rhythm of eating — Massage as regulator of rhythmic activity — Massage of different limbs and its significance for the organism — Migraine — Colour therapy — Imitation — Authority — Dementia Præcox — Psychoanalysis — Materialism — Significance of the teeth — Fluorine and its effects. | ||
| LECTURE XVII | April 6th, 1920 | |
| Dental development — Dental decay — Hæmorrhoids — Fluorine action Pedagogy and process of teeth formation — Dental decay and pregnancy — Æsculin — Chlorophyll — Overcoming of anti-appetites and organic formation — High and low potencies — Hypochondria — Materialism as consequence of Catholic asceticism — Spiritual attributes of matter — Temperaments — Relation of nutritive processes to senility — Suggestion. | ||
| LECTURE XVIII | April 7th, 1920 | |
| Causes of illness — Bacilli-theory — Tendency of plants to animalisation — Mineralisation of Plants — The Lungs as Earth-Waking and sleeping — Typhus — Catarrh — Abdominal diseases — Walking and growth — Disposition to Influenza — Diphtheria — Meningitis — Alveolar Pyorrhœa — Salt, mercury and sulphur process in different ages of life. | ||
| LECTURE XIX | April 8th, 1920 | |
| Heredity — Role of male and female — Diabetes and mental illness — Hæmophilia — Antimony — Antimony as planetary working — Blood coagulation and formation of albumen — Working of antimony — Coffee drinking — Oyster-shell — Oyster as food — Typhus — Deadly Nightshade. | ||
| LECTURE XX | April 9th, 1920 | |
| Sense activity and external world — Salts of Ammonia — Excretion and secretion — Pulmonary activity — Process of dental formation and Fluorine — Polarity of mineralisation of dental formation and sexualisation — Peristalsis — Eurhythmy, dancing, knitting, crocheting — Process of dental formation and digestion — Nux vomica — Man as seven-membered metal — Mental disease — Acute and Chronic Illness — Nature of depression — Allopathy and Homeopathy — Nature Therapy. | ||