The Anatomy of Melancholy

Member 6 Subsection 1 Disturbances of the mind corrected Through the sufferer’s own efforts in resisting as strongly as possible and confiding his grief to a friend and so forth

Anyone who hopes to cure this illness in himself or another must first correct these passions and disturbances of the mind: the principal cure lies in dealing with them. A quiet mind is the “pleasure,” or “highest good,” of Epicurus: “to be free from pain, free from cares, tranquil in mind.” Not to grieve, but to have no cares and a peaceful soul, is the world’s only pleasure, as Seneca accurately reports his opinion. It is not the pleasure of eating and drinking, which unjust Aristotle maliciously attributes to him, and for which he is still misunderstood: “ill spoken of and beaten,” slandered without cause and scourged by all posterity.

Fear and sorrow, therefore, must especially be avoided, and the mind soothed with cheerfulness, steadfastness, and good hope. Groundless terrors and distressing sights must be removed, as must anyone whose company displeases them. Walter Bruele, Fernel in consultation 43, Mercurialis in consultation 6, Piso, Iacchinus in chapter 15 on book 9 of Rhazes, Capivaccius, Hildesheim, and others all insist on this as a principal means of cure: their minds must be gently calmed and, if possible, diverted from empty fancies, terrors, cares, obsessive studies and thoughts, and whatever else may distress or trouble the soul. Otherwise nothing can be done.

The body’s troubles, as Plato demonstrates, proceed from the soul; and unless the mind is first set at ease, the body can never be cured. Alcibiades raves, says Maximus of Tyre, and is sick: his furious desires carry him from the Lyceum to the place of public debate, then to sea, on to Sicily, then to Sparta, Persia, Samos, and back to Athens. Critias tyrannizes over the whole city; Sardanapalus is lovesick. All these men are in a disordered state and can never be cured until their minds are differently disposed.

Crato, therefore, in that often-cited consultation for his noble patient, after sufficiently instructing him about diet, air, exercise, sexual activity, and sleep, concludes with these matters as the most important: “For the rest, let the affections of the soul be corrected.” From these alone melancholy proceeds; they are its source, its underlying matter, the hinges on which it turns, and must necessarily be put right.

For anger stirs up bile and heats the blood and vital spirits. Sorrow, on the other hand, cools the body, extinguishes its natural heat, destroys appetite, hinders digestion, dries out the bodily constitution, and distorts the understanding. Fear disperses the spirits, taints the heart, and weakens the soul. For these reasons we must make every serious effort within our power to remove all such passions and disturbances.