Psyche and Soma is a multi-disciplinary exploration of the history of understanding of the human mind or soul and its relationship to the body, through the course of more than two thousand years. Thirteen specially commissioned chapters, each written by a recognized expert in the field, explore in chronological sequence the views of influential writers on such questions as the soul's immortality, the control it exerts over the body, how mental disturbances can arise out of bodily imbalances, and the roles of the priest and the physician in promoting spiritual welfare. The main figures whose views are treated include the doctors Hippocrates, Galen, H. Boerhaave, and Wm. Cullen, theologians such as the Apostle Paul, Augustine, and Thomas Aquinas, and philosophers from Plato and Aristotle to Descartes and Leibniz. Psyche and Soma will be a key point of reference and a rich source of illumination in this central area of human inquiry.

John P. Wright's profile page

Paul Potter's profile page

John P. Wright is Professor of Philosophy in the Department of Philosophy and Religion, Central Michigan University. Paul Potter is Professor of the History of Medicine at the University of Western Ontario.

'Psyche and Soma is an important resource for scholars in the history of science, medicine and philosophy and will stimulate discussion of these issues for many years to come.' Martin Stone, Religious Studies, Vol.36

'timely and important volume' Martin Stone, Religious Studies, Vol. 36

'This thoughtfully constructed collection of essays is devoted to medical approaches to the mind-body problem over 2500 years ... is well worth reading for its accessible synopsis of a complcated historical narrative. The gradual disentanglement of the above questions is one of its more fascinating themes' Mohan Matthen, The Lancet