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Demon Possession and Exorcism: Medical Explanations

Presented by College of Physicians of Philadelphia at College of Physicians of Philadelphia

April 29, 2010

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Although modern people often dismiss demon possession and exorcism as fantasy or superstition, these two phenomena actually exist. They transcend time and culture, with documented cases appearing in virtually every part of the world, in every religion, and in every century of recorded history. Explanations for their occurrence are offered by theologians and anthropologists, but what about physicians? What medical explanations exist to account for the suffering of people who think they are possessed by demons and the success of exorcism in relieving these same sufferers? Join Kathleen Sands, PhD for an illustrated lecture exploring the medical history of demon possession and exorcism. Speaker: Kathleen Sands, PhD, is a humanities professor at the University of Maryland and Thomas Edison State College. She is also the author of Demon Possession in Elizabethan England and An Elizabethan Lawyer’s Possession by the Devil: The Story of Robert Brigges. Her work has been anthologized in a popular university textbook, The Witchcraft Reader (second edition), edited by Darren Oldridge. Sponsored by the F.C. Wood Institute for the History of Medicine.