Biblical descriptions of spinal neurological and neurosurgical pathology

Abstract

The Holy Bible includes descriptions of the spine with both neurosurgical and neurological implications and most spinal disorders presented have been briefly described and display a mystical nature. The Holy Bible is a book full of sacred precepts and not a medical encyclopedia as it was written in the context of that age, and in a language that had to be understood by people of that era. This paper aims to give a short presentation of several diseases of the spine mentioned in the Holy Scripture in order to identify the most common disease among the Jews during biblical times and attempts to provide their diagnosis.

Keywords

• spine diseases
• religion
• history of medicine
• neuroscience