Introduction
This book, therefore, tries to separate the religious aspects of healing from the medical means of treating people. The modern culture takes into consideration the differences between the two aspects of healing. The miracles are therefore separated from the medical healings and treatment of the people in the society. The histories of medicine and miracles have a close relation as shown by the author of this book. The saints in the Roman Catholic Church are recognized based on proximity or closeness to God. This was shown by the fact that the miracles recorded in history were closely associated to a combination of some medical assistance or physician testimonies. Most of the miracles were recorded between the periods of 1588 to 1999.These records in the book contained intimate analysis of prayer, illness and treatment in relation to the lives of the peasants and illiterates of all ages in that society. The stories of the miracles includes the healing of the woman from a tumor on her breast. A child also revived from death and a lame girl walked as a result of the prayers in conjunction with medical aspects. The author shows that the doctors found it very difficult to explain such aspects of healing through miracles. These miracles were supported the testimonies of such physicians and doctors making them reliable and valid with respect to faith (Duffin, 2009 p.49).
The aspects of miracles posed a challenge in a methodological arrangement of facts and details. The miracle stories were difficult to quantify or ascertain them. The history of the miracles is a matter of concern to the doctors, historians and the appeal to the feelings of the ordinary people. The issue of miracles is also a matter of concern to the practitioners and medical science.
The relation between medical saints and Christianity is well elaborated in this book. The medical Saints statues were used in the chapel, thereby, facilitating a close relationship of the medical concerns with the miracles which took place in the chapel or Christian places of worship in the society. This was a form of appreciation to the medical contributions to the society. The cultural statues were also found in the Chapels as a form of appreciation to the Italian culture. This, therefore, shows the evolution of religion to accommodate the social and cultural issues in the society. This also shows how the rigidity of the early Christianity faded away as a result of the changes in technology as well as the dynamism of the society ((Duffin, 2009 p.56)). This, therefore, enabled Christianity as a religion to exist concurrently with the aspects of the society like medicine in facilitating the smooth life in the society.
The themes of culture and traditions are elaborated in a manner that brings out the impact on Christianity. The way the Italian culture was viewed by the early Christians changed over time due to changes in technology and dynamism of the society. The magical practices also greatly influenced the nature of early Christianity. The influence of miracles in relation to medical attention greatly affected the way healing is perceived in the society. The nature of parallelism between miracle healing and medical healing was given much emphasis in this book.
In conclusion, the author explored the themes on cultural diversities and Christianity religious views. This, therefore, helped bring out the how the society accepts the change in religious views due to improvements in the medical field. The book also played an important role in showing how the healing activities are facilitated. The book, therefore, tried to clearly separate the aspects of Christianity from the medical views of healing. This also challenged the human reasoning due to the dilemma of the history presented by the victims of the miracles healing in the society. The author of the book presented information in a manner that the reader can easily understand the cultural and religious views in the society. The relation between the Italian culture and Christianity were also given focus and emphasis by the author.
Works Cited
Duffin, Jacalyn. Medical Miracles: Doctors, Saints, and Healing in the Modern World. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009. Print.
