Medicine: One Man’s Madness

“Is this man mad?” asked State of Mind (a new publication by the Ciba pharmaceutical company) in connection with this case history:

“All through childhood, K. was extremely meditative, usually preferred to be alone. He often had mysterious dreams and fits, during which he sometimes fainted. In late puberty, K. experienced elaborate auditory and visual hallucinations, uttered incoherent words, and had recurrent spells of sudden coma. He was frequently found running wildly through the countryside eating the bark of trees, and was known to throw himself into fire and water. K. believed he could ‘talk to spirits’ and ‘chase ghosts.’ “

Contrary to the judgment that would be given by most U.S. physicians, K. was not “mad” in the opinion of his fellows. He became one of the most respected members of his community—a leader in the practice of medicine. For K. is a shaman among the Yakut, a primitive tribe of fishermen and reindeer hunters in the arctic wastes of eastern Siberia. Moral drawn by State of Mind: one man’s madness in one society is another’s greatness in a different culture.