A while back I read this bit of medical history and decided to make it the blog entry for Valentines Day - so I hope it makes you smile.
During the middle ages in some Arabic countries 'love' was known as a disease. The symptoms were noted as - loss of appetite, lack of sleep, loss of interest in life and difficulty concentrating on anything. The physicians back then established the final diagnosis by listing the names of all the eligible members of the opposite sex who lived in the same village, whilst simultaneously taking the patient's pulse. At the sound of the name where the patient's pulse quickened, the illness was confirmed, and the treatment was marriage.
During the middle ages in some Arabic countries 'love' was known as a disease. The symptoms were noted as - loss of appetite, lack of sleep, loss of interest in life and difficulty concentrating on anything. The physicians back then established the final diagnosis by listing the names of all the eligible members of the opposite sex who lived in the same village, whilst simultaneously taking the patient's pulse. At the sound of the name where the patient's pulse quickened, the illness was confirmed, and the treatment was marriage.
21 comments:
It's true that love is like a sickness, I love the song The Closest Thing To Crazy by Katie Melua, that really somes it up. Life is certainly very strange, as I'm sure you know.
I meant sums it up...
I think that love is simply a certain conformation of hormones, enzymes and physiological responses programmed by our DNA to replicate itself. It soon passes.
Valentine's Day? Bah! Humbug!
Are the lovely Katie Melua - well her father is a heart surgeon - so I guess she should know! Or perhaps that fits in more Maalie's physiology comment. Michelle
But the big question is; did marriage successfully cure the disease, or were there traces of it left?
Maalie - how soon is soon? My parents have been together my entire life, and I know they still love each other.
Thanks ju's little sister. I don't suppose in those days they did follow up studies on their treatments - but we do know that divorce rate was much much lower than today. As for your parents - a love story indeed. Wishing you and your parents a happy valentines day. Michelle
Didn't know that one.
Hi Michelle, there is definitely a great cure for love 'sickness' -
in the meantime we shall strive to treat the condition with chocolate & pink champagne.
So how was your valentine's day?
Let's hope love, with its associated sickness, continues to thrive.
I have experienced love sickness however when I actually finally married (late in life) I did not have that sickness but I did have love. :)
hahahaha!
Thanks Quasar9 for the comment. Valentines day does seem to become more commercial each year. I hope you also had a good valentines day.
Simon - thanks for the post.
All the very best
Michelle
In Turkish there is a special noun for a person who is in love (it does not exist in English). “Ashk” is love, and “ashik” is the person to whom this unfortunate event occurred; literal translation is “inlove” (but I am scared of neologism and in English it sounds so weird to say – will you call that absent minded “inlove”?). The word also means “mad” as well as “poet”, who often improvise their poems with their Saz, a string instrument. So it depends in which context one asks “are you in love?”; it might mean the literal meaning or “are you mad?”. Possibly when used in the literal meaning it has a surprised reference to the other simultaneously… saving one from the energy of adding the second question which often follows the first. Well, the good thing is the disease is not that contagious and does not infect others as often to lead to an epidemic and catastrophe. I love the treatment… Hoping that it is not a reference to a school of thinking “marriage kills love”. If it is a disease you get rid of it with treatment so it sounds here that the marriage is the medicine… Oh Dear… But I know quite a few people who are terrified of any treatment offered… Ummm, abnormal illness behaviour I guess… One sees these cases often in Liaison … I guess it is the fear of killing the love…rather stay ill… I also know quite a few people in that village who has suffered from arrhythmias and after a random tachycardia due to Wolf Parkinson White Syndrome (a heart condition on occasions leading to increased heart rate amongst other symptoms)occurring while the names read getting them into deeper trouble…
I supposedly have lovesick giving me poisonous reflux all my life, marriage is not my mission- whats a cure?
I thinkit's adrenaline if not poisoning! ow.
Forget it actually I don't believe you people treat people properly afterall, excuse me.
Yes, love just has to be the greatest thing that life has to offer. But because we live in a insecure world; sometimes pain, is the price we have to pay. For love can not be erased. Love is Inspiration. After 20 years, I still cry with this sickness. So I must accept. True Love is Forever.
I am an arabian and I now the rest of the story. If cannot be married They will then start to draw the lovers attention to another women who has great beauty and character. when he actually pays attention they interrupt it before he dwells on it. May be it works However I think the first love is the true love and there is only one love. Impossible to think of someone else. For me it has been 25 years and it is just the same and still very sick with it I need psychiatric help not to let go but to decrease the pain.
Anonymous said..
That's so strange i cry too this love was over 20years ago and although im married to someone else and have 3 kids i still feel the same emotions...the only difference is he didnt feel the same way which made it worse.. anyway i decided a long time ago i would never feel that way again..
Hello, I think That love sickness really exists, and is inexplicable, I had never feel it until now , I have been practicing fidelity for my husband, and I don't know why I start feeling that way with that love sickness for another man . have all the signs, everytime I see him my hands began to sweat an my heart beating increase, and not only when I see him , when I recall him too, I really feel sick and can't do anything just think about him, I have tried to distract my mind , but I can't I still can think that my brain stop working properly I can just think with my heart , that is full of him I can't thing in anything else.
We are just friends I can relize that he feels the same way but I know that is not correct and try to escape from this feelings and at the same time I feel the desire to stay with him. I really hope this sickness can get cure , before my heart take control of my brain cmpletely.:&
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