The Intersectionality of Religion and Medicine in the Health Humanities: A Literature Review on Trends and Trajectories of the Two

Authors

  • Aliana Rao Pitt

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5195/pur.2025.109

Keywords:

Medical Humanities, Religious Studies

Abstract

Introduction: This research focuses on determining the intersectionality of religion and medicine/health throughout the years through a literature review completed under the Health Humanities Undergraduate Research Program in the Department of English. The two have impacted each other greatly, contributing to new findings in the field of medicine and the founding of new religious sects. While originally very religious, medicine has become more secular as the years have passed. This research begins with Ancient Medicine and continues through to modern-day practices, tracing the influences of religion on medicine and its applications in the field of health. Literature Review: Ancient Medicine (450 BCE - 1600 CE) focuses on the major influences such as Hippocrates, Galen, and Asclepius. Additionally, various historical events impacted the development of medicine including the emergence of hospitals, the 4th Lateran Council. A focus on gender has also been determined during this period, involving the decreased importance and involvement of women in the process of healing. Development of Modern Medicine (1600-1950) involves topics such as mood disorders, ethnomedicine, and the development of religious sects through the alignment of religion and medicine. The focus of this section is largely based on Burton’s Anatomy of Melancholy, a text referencing mental afflictions we now define as depression and anxiety. Various ethnic practices are also identified and researched, such as the presence of secret doctors in African American communities, rising largely from slavery in the United States. Modern Medicine (1950-Present) focuses on concepts that are prominent in today’s field of healthcare including cultural competency, the treatment of women, the intersection of religion and mental health, and the secular perspective. Topics researched during this section emphasize the focus on mental health through a religious lens and the idea of westernized medicine versus eastern practices potentially causing a rift during patient care. Conclusion: This research reflects an overall change in the practice of medicine from being solely religious to largely secular and is illustrated through the three distinct periods in time. The latter end of the Development of Modern Medicine period reveals the biggest shift. By the time the Modern Medicine era arrives, secular medicine is practiced heavily, especially in Westernized locales. Modern-day concepts such as cultural competency have grown as Westernized medicine has interacted at greater levels with Eastern practices. These results exhibit a definite change in the application and practice of religion in the field of medicine in the modern-day as compared to ancient times.

References

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Published

2025-04-29

How to Cite

Rao, A. (2025). The Intersectionality of Religion and Medicine in the Health Humanities: A Literature Review on Trends and Trajectories of the Two. Pittsburgh Undergraduate Review, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.5195/pur.2025.109

Issue

Vol. 4 No. 1 (2025): Fall/Winter 2024-25

Section

Review

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Copyright (c) 2025 Aliana Rao

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