Anthroposophical Spiritual Science and Medical Therapy
GA 313
Through spiritual science, Rudolf Steiner was able to extend the scientific knowledge of his day — in which he was well grounded — into new realms. In these advanced lectures, Dr. Steiner gives new insights into the processes of health and illness in the human organism, elaborating on the substances and processes which treat illness.
These lectures are a translation from the German edition Geisteswissenschaftliche Gesichtspunkte zur Therapie, (GA Nr. 313), published by the Rudolf Steiner-Nachlassverwaltung, 3rd edition, Dornach, Switzerland, 1963. They are published as transcripts unrevised by the lecturer.
This English edition was available in typescript, translator unknown, and was revised and edited according to the latest German edition by Gerald F. Karnow, M.D. Illustrations according to blackboard drawings by Rudolf Steiner done by Assja Turgenieff and Manfred Ziegler.
| Lecture I | April 11, 1921 | |
| Higher members of man's being and the effects of substances on the physical body in illness and health. Substances as the result of processes. Interaction of processes inside and outside of man. The four members of being in the head organism, in the rhythmic organism and in the limb-man. Siliceous earth effects. Silica formation and limestone formation processes and their overcoming in the evolution of the human organism. | ||
| Lecture II | April 12, 1921 | |
| Working of the ego in the head (warmth differentiation) and in the metabolic-limb system (statics). The four ethers, their relationship to the human organism and among each other. The nature of illness. Health and illness-provoking processes. The physical process in the head and its significance for the organism. The death process during the whole of life and ego-consciousness. Ego and physical process. Nature of death. Astral body and its relationship to illness, the etheric body to health, the physical body to nutrition, ego and death. Higher members of being and illness. Phosphorus and sulfur, arsenic, antimony. Relationship of chemical bodies to the organic processes of man. | ||
| Lecture III | April 13, 1921 | |
| Astral body and chest organism. Physical body and etheric body. Plant process. Rhythmic balancing process between health-bringing and illness-bringing processes. Breathing. Carbon and oxygen. Falling asleep and waking up. Significance of soul life for rhythmical processes. Events in the chest organism, as results of processes in the upper and lower man and in the outer world. Nature of higher altitude and light cures. About nutrition. Electricity and magnetism in therapy. | ||
| Lecture IV | April 14, 1921 | |
| Falling asleep and awakening. Raw food. Stages in human development. Ego and food uptake. The development of ego-activity in polarity in childhood. Treatment of digestive disturbances brought about by developmental disturbances; difference between girls and boys. The ego in metabolism, relation to tasting process. Treatment of irregularities of ego-development. The ego in the warmth-conditions. Its bipolar manifestation. Ego activity in food uptake, in metabolism, in child development. Ego and warmth. | ||
| Lecture V | April 15, 1921 | |
| The process of “arsenizing.” Nature of diphtheria, infection, therapy. Ego-process and phosphor-processes. Activity of ego in dynamic processes. Pathology of ego-effects and manifestations in epithelial breakdown. Phosphorus poisoning. Excessively strong ego-effect. | ||
| Lecture VI | April 16, 1921 | |
| Physicians' method of gaining insight. Nature of protein, relationship of nourishing and breathing. Etheric body manifesting in the fluid, astral body in breathing, ego in warmth. Nutritional protein and organic protein. Uterus and heart. Relationship of heart activity to fat and carbohydrate metabolism. Pulmonary tuberculosis. Mercury process. Views on preparing remedies. | ||
| Lecture VII | April 17, 1921 | |
| Comprehensive anthroposophical knowledge of the world as basis of therapeutic judgment. Plant and human organism: therapeutic aspects of root forces, gentian, clove, iris. Leaf: Marjoram. Blossom: Elder. Fruit: Caraway. Metamorphosis of sense processes in metabolism and the resulting therapeutic views. Metal therapy. Polarity of silver and lead. | ||
| Lecture VIII | April 18, 1921 | |
| Metal therapy. Concept of poison. Homeopathic principles. Salt process. Metal process. Radiating effects of metals. Lead, magnesium, tin, iron, copper, gold, mercury, silver. Questions and answers: Asthma therapy. Parenteral protein therapy. Colds. Connection of muscles and bones. Sense of taste. Substance and process in the organism. Graves' disease. | ||
| Lecture IX | April 18, 1921 | |
| The connection of eurythmy as a therapeutic element with the human being structured out of the cosmos: Curative eurythmy. | ||