Miracle Cures - 9780520262751

In this fascinating study, Stanford sociologist Scott examines reports of miracle cures at Christian pilgrimage shrines through the lens of current mind/body studies. In the first chapters, he establishes the view that mortality rates and health problems in medieval Europe compelled people to turn to pilgrimage in search of a cure. From these antecedents, the account moves to discussion of the value of pilgrimage, the meaning of shrines, and the power of belief, using a wealth of examples from late antiquity and the Middle Ages through the modern day. He concludes that reported cures might have occurred because the journey itself produced changes that facilitated healing, that the illness was social rather than physical or that the belief of the pilgrim in the cure helped the body to heal itself. The final section discusses the popularity of "virtual pilgrimages" on the Internet, noting that the lack of claims of healing would indicate that physical travel is necessary for even psychological cures. Annotation ©2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)