Mental disorder among the Incas in ancient Peru
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19445706 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Jan G R Elferink (Department of Molecular Cell Biology, University of Leiden, POB 9503, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands, corresponding author) |
| Year | 1999 |
| Volume | 10 |
| Issue | 39 |
| Pages | 303-318 |
| Publication date | 1999-08-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | History of Psychiatry (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0957-154X • E-ISSN: 1740-2360 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/0957154x9901003902 |
| PMID | 11624006 |
| OpenAlex | W1992109293 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
The work of the chroniclers served as a source of information about the occurrence of mental diseases among the Incas. From this source it appears that melancholy was by far the most important disease among mental disorders. The disease did not only affect the common Incas: melancholy was rather frequent among the family of the Inca emperor. Like other diseases, mental diseases were treated by the Incas with a mixture of magic and empirical medicinal products. The latter were mainly of botanical nature, but also some minerals were applied to treat depressive disorders. Some typical syndromes of contemporary folk medicine, such as susto and related ailments, were not mentioned by the chroniclers
Ancient history · Emperor · Mental disease · Psychiatry · Traditional medicine · History · Medicine · Psychedelics and Drug Studies · Psychology
| Unique citing works | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0.1 |
| Citation span | 2006 - 2025 (20) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 2 |