Religion in Medicine Volume Ii: Religion in Practical Medicine Volume Ii

By John B. Dawson

The purpose of this treatise is: 1) to draw attention to the presence of situations arising within medical practice in which religious beliefs play an important role. 2) to emphasize the fact that most students and many doctors are given insufficient training in such matters, which are of considerable import to a fair percentage of the public. 3) to provide a few examples of what is meant by a religio-medical situation, and a bibliography for further exploration by the initiate in such matters.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Dec 22, 2011
• ISBN: 9781465368362

John B. Dawson

John Dawson arrived as a 10 pound baby in his mother's bed on March 7, 1929. His father, a solicitor-coroner, and his mother, a physical education teacher and national athlete, saw to my early education beginning at three years of age. I was away at a British "prep" school when Nazi bombs and bullets started to fall. At this point, father gathered my mother, I, and two sisters and shipped us to USA and Canada. I have been fortunate to have been published in medical journals, and involved in national guidelines, but this is the first book. During this life I met many religions and many doctors and these visits form the basis for this book.

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Copyright © 2011 by John B. Dawson.

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Rev. date: 10/29/2019

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CONTENTS

From the Author . . .

Hinduism

Medicine In Hinduism

During A Hindu’s Life

The Bhagavad Gita

The Mahabharata

The Ramayana

Brief Beliefs Of Hindus

References

Jainism

Medicine And The Jains

Brief Beliefs Of Jains

References

Sikhism

Medicine In Sikhism

Brief Beliefs Of Sikhs

References

Buddhism

Medicine In Buddhism

During A Buddhist’s Life

Brief Beliefs Of Buddhists

References

Islam

United By Islam, Divided In Some Practices

Medicine In Islam

DurinG An Islamic Individual’s Life

Islamic Life Concepts

Foods Approved And Forbidden By The Islamic Faith

Brief Beliefs Of Muslims

References

The Baha’i Faith

The Baha’i Faith

Administration And Visual Emblems Of The Faith

The Medical Point Of View Of The Faith

Summary Of The Faith

Baha’u’llah’s Tablet To A Physician

Brief Beliefs Of The Baha’i Faith

References

Non-Believers

A Statement Of Principles Of Humanism

References

Problem Pharmaceuticals

References

Stem Cells

References

Gratitudes

For Your Own Notes

About The Author

This book

is dedicated

to my

most memorable

parents.

FROM THE AUTHOR . . .

 . . . To the Reader

The purpose of this volume is to encourage you to include the religion of your patients amongst your medical ministrations. Each chapter tries to convey a short history of a religion, followed by instances where religion and medicine can often clash, and a short summary of that particular religion’s beliefs.

The lack of religious know-how in the modern health scene is due, in part, to the curriculum fed to us by our teachers. In addition, the minimal time allotted in modern USA medicine for the taking of the History and Physical at the first patient interview means that religious affiliation is forgotten, but there is a more insidious encroachment upon the scene. Take the latest in modern medical advances, the electronic medical record (EMR), provided by progressive medical administrators and installed by enthusiastic information technology (IT) companies. In my experience of many EMRs, when I challenge a user physician to search among the patient signs, symptoms and systems for a slot for religion, behold they cannot find one!

For the bean counter and the computerized ‘geek’, the absence of a home for ‘religion’ is of no consequence. However, for a caring, practicing physician, the loss of this information can be of great significance; the therapeutic conversation and the detailed medical planning of the patient’s treatment will be compromised. I maintain, that a correct therapeutic solution to any patient’s medical problem, well executed, and in harmony with his personal beliefs, is the ultimate in modern professional care.

However, you will need to remember, that there will be variations in an individual’s religious requirements, which may differ from his/her doctor’s professional religion, which in turn may vary with:

1. The young adult versus an elderly member.

2. Those who are ‘Orthodox’ versus those who support a ‘Reformed’ version.

3. Beliefs, which may become modified in the transition from a homeland to the Diaspora.

4. The passage of time, the beliefs of a population evolve.

5. Those who live in a metropolis in contrast to those who live a rural life.

So always ask and you will receive the information you need to practise to your full professional ability.

You will find that the first sections of this book were written many years ago and that many of the references are also from those times, I apologize. Later, others suggested that my approach had merit and that the concept should be expanded, and now comes the extended section.

There will be aspects of this volume that will appear amateurish, which I cannot avoid. Similarly, at times I express my personal feelings, for which I hope I may be forgiven.

Finally, I request you to notify me of any glaring omissions, or needed corrections, and of suggestions for further desirable input in a later edition; they will be most gratefully received at the publisher’s address.

Thank you for reading my efforts,

John Dawson 2011

HINDUISM

Hinduism is the oldest of current major religions. In its early form it travelled with Eastern Indo-Iranian nomadic tribes, shepherding their sheep and goats 10,000 years before Christ, as they moved eastward from the fertile crescent of Mesopotamia and the Caucasus.

It is unique in having no prophet, no established priestly hierarchy, and no Great Book comparable to the Bible, the Torah or the Quoran. It does however have the Gita, which is falsely denoted by some as the Hindu Bible. The Gita is read by all Hindus as a central guiding philosophical treatise, which was originally propounded by Lord Krishna just before a monstrous battle, the Mahabharata, but it has no developmental religious history, and no history of any people or prophet in its scope.

There were two main routes for the migrants to choose from. Those taking the southern littoral route around the northern Arabian Sea would then have a further choice. Firstly, to stay and to peacefully assimilate with the Indo-Aborigines living in the future Punjab about 4000 B.C., to create the early Dravidian culture of darker peoples. This assimilation went on to produce an advanced Indus culture on the fertile soils supplied by multiple rivers from the Himalayan foothills. Some of these rivers were the Sarasvati, the Jamina, the Krishna, the Kaveri, the Valgai, the Ganga (to become the Ganges), and finally the Sindhu which would later become the Indus to donate the name of Hindus to those living in the region, and to provide the basis for the name of India for the continent.

Five of the rivers would go on to become important to the Sikh culture, while another, fed by multiple tributaries, would become the holy Ganges (Ganga) with its great city of Varanasi (ex Benares) 1500 miles downstream. The Indus culture flourished between 2500 and 1700 B.C. producing two great cities, Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro, which are, at present, the sites of major archaeological digs. These have already uncovered parts of the cities with two-storey houses using central heating and running water, with huge storage facilities to provide supplies for the thriving communities living on their irrigated fertile plain.

The second choice of these peaceful darker colored migrants was to continue down the western coast of India and to settle in the southern plains, where they became the forerunners of the extensive Tamil culture. Hinduism with further migration went on to produce Zoroastrianism (Parsees), Jainism, Sikhism, and Buddhism for reasons which will become clear later, but has maintained its own wonderful core of beliefs until today.

About 1700-1500 B.C., a new invasion occurred via the northern mountainous route. These were militaristic, poorly cultured Aryans, which curiously means the Noble Ones. They had discovered the use of metal, and arrived with horses, chariots, swords and spears. They drove the indigenous settled peoples before them, slaughtering thousands, sacking the cities and forcing the refugees south; with the occupation complete, they settled down.

TIME—Many ancient religions have elaborate timings of the past and the Hindus are no exception. They have a belief in Universal Time which is a never ending cycle of creation and destruction. These cycles are supervised from above by the ultimate Godhead (Narayana, Iswara, Mahashakti) who controls the length of the passive cycle between each active Brahman cycle. Each cycle is 100 years in the life of the god Brahma, the Creator, at the end of which there is a cataclysm and Brahma himself along with the gods, sages, demons, man, animals, plants and all matter are dissolved (the Mahapralaya).

These 100 years are subdivided into the Kalpa which consists of one day in the life of Brahma, equalling 4,320,000 years on earth. The Kalpa is further divided into 1,000 Great Ages (the Mahayugas), each of which contains four ages called Krita, Treta, Dwapara and Kali.

The Kritayuga is a golden age lasting 1,728,000 years in which Dharma, the god of justice and duty, walks on four legs, men are contented, healthy and virtuous, and they worship one God who is white. The Silver age of Tretayuga lasts for 1,296,000 years and is a less happy age in which Dharma falls short and walks on only three legs. Men follow their duty and are sometimes quarrelsome. Brahmins are more numerous and the deity is red. In the bronze Dwaparayuga, virtue is only half present. Dharma stands on two legs, and it lasts for a mere 864,000 years. Discontent, lying, and quarrels abound, most stay within their caste, and the deity is yellow. The iron age of Kaliyuga is the age of degeneration and materialism, and beginning in 3102 B.C. is the current age supervised by Kali, who is the 10th avatar of the god Vishnu (avatar—meaning the descent of) Dharma, is now one legged and helpless, and a quarter of virtue has vanished. In this age lasting a short 432,000 years, during which the deity is black as Durga, and the majority of men are sudras or slaves. They are wicked, quarrelsome and beggar-like, while they live in cities filled with thieves. The men are dominated by their womenfolk, who are shallow, garrulous, lascivious and bear too many children. The races are oppressed by their kings, and by the ravages of nature, famines and wars, leading to the end. Then the avatar Kali of Vishnu absorbs the universe into his godlike cosmos, to await Brahma’s next instructions. The total number of man-years for a Brahman Universal Cycle would be 311,040,000 years and precedes a 100 years or more period of chaos, before another Brahma is born and the cycle can begin anew.

CREATION—There are many and varied forms for a Hindu Creation. Many start with the primeval waters covering all, after the preceding cataclysm, upon which appears a golden egg, which bursts to reveal the Lord of the Universe, who takes the form of Purusha, the first eternal man. Soon Purusha objects to being alone, divides himself into male and female who mate, and his wife Viraq bears offspring to create mankind. The two of them then assume pairs for all of the natural kingdom, who mate to produce cattle, horses, goats, down to the busy ant and each pair in turn produce offspring to perpetuate their species.

The gods then performed a sacrifice with Purusha which produced the four seasons. Then from his head rose the sky, from his navel the air, and from his feet the earth. This process continued, so that his mind produced the moon, his eye the sun, his ears the four quarters of the compass, his mouth the gods, Indra (the chief), Agni (fire), and from his breath Vayu (wind). Similarly the four castes arose from his remains to produce—Brahmins (priests) from his mouth, Kshatriyas (warriors and leaders) from his arms, Vaisyas (merchants) from his thighs, and Sudras (who support the other three castes) from his feet. As Hindu time passed Purusha evolved into Brahma, who figures in all subsequent creative myths.

The Hindus also have their tradition of a flood, which begins with a learned sage ‘Manu’ who survived the Mahayuga and helped to create various waters. One day, while near a river, a fish spoke to him, and asked to be put in a jar to escape a following predator. Over time the fish grew and Manu finally put him in the Ganges, and from there to the ocean. The fish then told Manu that he was, in fact, Vishnu, and warned Manu of an oncoming flood. He told him to build an Ark, to put in seven rishis (holy men) to help him, and to place onboard the seeds of everything that Brahmins recognize. The rains came and the fish towed the ark with his horns until it rested on the highest peak in the Himalayas, were Manu secured it to a tree and waited. As the waters receded, Manu descended to the Valley where he sacrificed with offerings for his survival, and in the process a beautiful woman appeared and between them they formed mankind.

The Creation that I enjoy is one that is portrayed in classical painting. It consists of Vishnu, a minor god at first, who becomes very major, resting on the belly of Ananta his seven headed serpent with his beautiful wife Lakshmi at his feet, Shiva and other gods and goddesses are in the vicinity, and all are surrounded by the primeval sea of Nara. Suddenly, from his navel a large beautiful lotus springs and as the flower unfolds there lies Brahma holding the golden egg in his lap, from which a universe will spring at his command.

Now, if you the reader, can accept and enjoy this latter creation you can congratulate yourself as a proto-Hindu.

MYTHOLOGY—The Hindu mythology is vast complicated and fascinating, and only the bare outlines can be given here. The main subject is the steady flow of gods, but into the pictures come all kinds of people and fabulous animals, which fill out the canvas of this foundation for the religion. The early gods related to the travels from Iran to the Punjab and the early rough and ready, Aryan culture. The gods who control matters came in Triads (Trimurti) and head up the Aryan, the Vedic, and finally the Brahmanic ages.

The first triad of this Pantheon of 31 gods worshipping the creator god Brahma consists of Varuna, the guardian of the cosmos, the universal monarch, and the emperor of order; Mitra the keeper of the moral law, and Aryana. These early deities were related to a sun cult with its warmth, it’s preserving light and the potential for destruction in its rays, originally stemming from an Iranian base. All three of this triad were the progeny of Aditi and known as Adityas along with nine others among whom will be later actors—Indra, Savitri, Bhaga, Ansa, and the young Vishnu.

Varuna is one of the many creators of the universe in Hindu mythology, forming the heavens, the earth and the air between, which he continues to maintain with his breath as the wind, and the rains that fall along with his solar eye. He himself props up the heavens, in which lies his thousand-domed, thousand-columned gold palace. He not only creates the physical dimensions of the universe but is the main policer of the moral laws of truth, justice and order and personally punishes those who transgress.

The early Aryans, because of their travel from the west were more concerned with the sun, the moon, the day of the year, the seasons and especially through Mitra with fertility. However, Varuna’s reign in mythic terms was relatively short and the Adityas following a huge battle between gods and demons became assigned to lower duties representing the 12 solar months, and Varuna himself was assigned to the southern region of terrestial oceans in which he travelled on a monster fish with the head of a deer and the legs of an antelope.

Other Aryan gods of a more truly Indian origin now provided the new triad of Agni (fire) Vayu (the wind) and Surya (the sun). Agni was the powerhouse of this triad and was depicted as a red man with three flaming heads, seven tongues, three legs and seven arms. These various appendages allow the gods to be recognized in the vast amount