Medical and popular traditions of nerves
We question the assumption that the common complaint of nerves in small Newfoundland fishing villages is a legacy of the late 19th century syndrome called weak nerves or neurasthenia, and instead trace the development of a Western medical science of nerves from the early 1700s to the present. Native...
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ftrepec:oai:RePEc:eee:socmed:v:26:y:1988:i:12:p:1209-1221 2024-04-14T08:15:01+00:00 Medical and popular traditions of nerves Davis, Dona Lee Whitten, Richard G. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0277-9536(88)90153-0 unknown http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0277-9536(88)90153-0 article ftrepec 2024-03-19T10:28:41Z We question the assumption that the common complaint of nerves in small Newfoundland fishing villages is a legacy of the late 19th century syndrome called weak nerves or neurasthenia, and instead trace the development of a Western medical science of nerves from the early 1700s to the present. Native descriptions of the physical, especially tonic, nature of nerves and of the moral strength needed to fight nerves are correlated with 18th century medical notions. Less resemblance exists between Newfoundland nerves and concepts of neurasthenia in the late 19th century. Moreover, the contemporary descriptions of nerves as a generalized response to stress and anxiety do not account for the culture-specific aspects of nerves which shape Newfoundland regional identity and shed light on their present day sociocultural adaptations. nerves neurasthenias Newfoundland moral character Article in Journal/Newspaper Newfoundland RePEc (Research Papers in Economics) |
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RePEc (Research Papers in Economics) |
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We question the assumption that the common complaint of nerves in small Newfoundland fishing villages is a legacy of the late 19th century syndrome called weak nerves or neurasthenia, and instead trace the development of a Western medical science of nerves from the early 1700s to the present. Native descriptions of the physical, especially tonic, nature of nerves and of the moral strength needed to fight nerves are correlated with 18th century medical notions. Less resemblance exists between Newfoundland nerves and concepts of neurasthenia in the late 19th century. Moreover, the contemporary descriptions of nerves as a generalized response to stress and anxiety do not account for the culture-specific aspects of nerves which shape Newfoundland regional identity and shed light on their present day sociocultural adaptations. nerves neurasthenias Newfoundland moral character |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Davis, Dona Lee Whitten, Richard G. |
spellingShingle |
Davis, Dona Lee Whitten, Richard G. Medical and popular traditions of nerves |
author_facet |
Davis, Dona Lee Whitten, Richard G. |
author_sort |
Davis, Dona Lee |
title |
Medical and popular traditions of nerves |
title_short |
Medical and popular traditions of nerves |
title_full |
Medical and popular traditions of nerves |
title_fullStr |
Medical and popular traditions of nerves |
title_full_unstemmed |
Medical and popular traditions of nerves |
title_sort |
medical and popular traditions of nerves |
url |
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0277-9536(88)90153-0 |
genre |
Newfoundland |
genre_facet |
Newfoundland |
op_relation |
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0277-9536(88)90153-0 |
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1796313280120094720 |