One of the most fascinating men of his generation, W.H.R. Rivers was a British doctor and psychiatrist as well as a leading ethnologist. Immortalized as the hero of Pat Barker's award-winning Regeneration trilogy, Rivers was the clinician who, in the First World War, cared for the poet Siegfried Sassoon and other infantry officers injured on the western front. His researches into the borders of psychiatry, medicine and religion made him a prominent member of the British intelligentsia of the time, a friend of H.G. Wells, George Bernard Shaw and Bertrand Russell. Part of his appeal lay in an extraordinary intellect, mixed with a very real interest in his fellow man. Medicine, Magic and Religion is a prime example of this. A social institution, it is one of Rivers' finest works. In it, Rivers introduced the then revolutionary idea that indigenous practices are indeed rational, when viewed in terms of religious beliefs.
Medicine, Magic and Religion (Routledge Classics)
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'Despite the distinction and variety of his scientific achievements, only those personally acquainted with him can fully appreciate the causes of that profound respect with which he was regarded. Medicine, Magic and Religion is a document of first-rate importance ... and it will thus remain as a worthy monument to its distinguished author.' - Times Literary Supplement
'I should like to meet Rivers in "the next world". It is difficult to believe that such a man as he could be extinguished. - Siegfried Sassoon
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'I should like to meet Rivers in "the next world". It is difficult to believe that such a man as he could be extinguished.' - Siegfried Sassoon
One of the most fascinating men of his generation, W.H.R. Rivers was a British doctor and psychiatrist as well as a leading ethnologist. Immortalized as the hero of Pat Barker's award-winning 'Regeneration' trilogy, Rivers was the clinician who, in the First World War, cared for the poet Siegfried Sassoon and other infantry officers injured on the western front. His researches into the borders of psychiatry, medicine and religion made him a prominent member of the British intelligentsia of the time, a friend of H.G. Wells, George Bernard Shaw and Bertrand Russell. Part of his appeal lay in an extraordinary intellect, mixed with a very real interest in his fellow man. 'Medicine, Magic and Religion' is a prime example of this. A social institution, it is one of Rivers' finest works. In it, Rivers introduced the then revolutionary idea that indigenous practices are indeed rational, when viewed in terms of religious beliefs.
W.H.R. Rivers (1864-1922). A pioneer in the fields of neurology, psychology and anthropology. During the First World War he worked as a psychiatrist at Maghull and Craiglockhart military hospitals.
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Medicine, magic, and religion are abstract-terms, each of which connotes a large group of social processes, processes by means of which mankind has come to regulate his behaviour towards the world around him. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Index
Medicine, magic, and religion are abstract-terms, each of which connotes a large group of social processes, processes by means of which mankind has come to regulate his behaviour towards the world around him. Read the first page
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By Aj West
Format:Paperback
This is not one of Rivers' most important works - it seems that the Routledge classics series, whilst informative and useful, quite often comes out with reasonably obscure but still worthwhile bits and pieces. However, this is quite an informative text, produced from a series of lectures, and in a short work covers a lot of ground. Some of his insights are not what would be considered correct exactly nowadays, but that is not a problem, and we must be aware that Rivers was a shining light of British anthropology a century ago. His language is in some places a lot more modern than his contemporaries (he does not, for instance, use the word "savage"), and his conclusions are useful. Or perhaps his argumentation is more useful than his conclusions; this is certainly a work to get the reader thinking.
The final sections on the applications of psycho-analysis are perhaps too long, but nonetheless interesting and eloquent.
This is a nice read, and I can't not recommend it.
The final sections on the applications of psycho-analysis are perhaps too long, but nonetheless interesting and eloquent.
This is a nice read, and I can't not recommend it.
By Lark
TOP 1000 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback
This is a very readable short book from a British pioneer of anthropology and early psychology, there are short comings, it is a book of its era and has the limitations of such but in many ways Rivers was ahead of his time and any contemporary reader shouldnt be too perturbed by his writing style.
There is no contents, which is a shame, although there is a preface (a little academic), really great index and each chapter is divided into subheadings. As a result its accessible, you can speed read or find just what exactly you're looking for quickly.
I liked the final chapter on mind and medicine the most, although it is the longest and is not subdivided with headings like the others it is still short enough to read in a single sitting (the book itself is pretty succinct and to the point without leaving you feeling "yeah, wish you'd expanded on that point" too often, infact not at all).
Rivers insights into conceptualisation in different cultures, whether its "savage" and "civilised man" or in various countries (he considers Australia, Polynesia, Indonesia, India, China and Japan, Africa and America), strike me as being ahead of his time. When comparisons are made there is no hint of prejudice, suppositions of superiority, worthiness or evaluation, like some recent "integrative" theorists or therapists. As a result its a fine, fine example of research and observation, an example to followed by others.
As a book its relatively jargon free and I did not find the language too difficult, it will interest anyone who is interested in Rivers himself (he was featured as a character in the "Ghost Road" novels, doing therapeutic interventions with "shell shocked" survivors of war), anthropology or social theory/concepts.
However I think it may appeal to other readers also, for instance anyone who's read a fictional or fantasy account of shamanism or magic and thrilled at explanatory notes or a fictional book of magic within the storyline. Fans of cross over novels where medicine, magic and religion are interwoven, like Tales Of The Dying Earth (Fantasy Masterworks) may be interested in making a comparison between the footnotes and Rivers book. It would also be a good short book for any writer doing research on magic for a novel.
There is no contents, which is a shame, although there is a preface (a little academic), really great index and each chapter is divided into subheadings. As a result its accessible, you can speed read or find just what exactly you're looking for quickly.
I liked the final chapter on mind and medicine the most, although it is the longest and is not subdivided with headings like the others it is still short enough to read in a single sitting (the book itself is pretty succinct and to the point without leaving you feeling "yeah, wish you'd expanded on that point" too often, infact not at all).
Rivers insights into conceptualisation in different cultures, whether its "savage" and "civilised man" or in various countries (he considers Australia, Polynesia, Indonesia, India, China and Japan, Africa and America), strike me as being ahead of his time. When comparisons are made there is no hint of prejudice, suppositions of superiority, worthiness or evaluation, like some recent "integrative" theorists or therapists. As a result its a fine, fine example of research and observation, an example to followed by others.
As a book its relatively jargon free and I did not find the language too difficult, it will interest anyone who is interested in Rivers himself (he was featured as a character in the "Ghost Road" novels, doing therapeutic interventions with "shell shocked" survivors of war), anthropology or social theory/concepts.
However I think it may appeal to other readers also, for instance anyone who's read a fictional or fantasy account of shamanism or magic and thrilled at explanatory notes or a fictional book of magic within the storyline. Fans of cross over novels where medicine, magic and religion are interwoven, like Tales Of The Dying Earth (Fantasy Masterworks) may be interested in making a comparison between the footnotes and Rivers book. It would also be a good short book for any writer doing research on magic for a novel.
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