is an old
aphorism
An aphorism (from Greek ἀφορισμός: ''aphorismos'', denoting 'delimitation', 'distinction', and 'definition') is a concise, terse, laconic, or memorable expression of a general truth or principle. Aphorisms are often handed down by tra ...
in
Latin
Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
which means that the
physician
A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...
treats while
nature
Nature is an inherent character or constitution, particularly of the Ecosphere (planetary), ecosphere or the universe as a whole. In this general sense nature refers to the Scientific law, laws, elements and phenomenon, phenomena of the physic ...
heals.
Variations in Latin include ''natura sanat, medicus curat morbus'' and there are equivalents in other languages such as
Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin (April 17, 1790) was an American polymath: a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher and Political philosophy, political philosopher.#britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the m ...
's sarcastic "God heals, and the Doctor takes the Fees" and
Ambroise Paré
Ambroise Paré (; – 20 December 1590) was a French barber surgeon who served in that role for kings Henry II, Francis II, Charles IX and Henry III. He is considered one of the fathers of surgery and modern forensic pathology and a pione ...
's "''Je le pansai, Dieu le guérit.''"
[ The phrase was used in medieval times and the idea has been traced back to classical authors such as ]Galen
Aelius Galenus or Claudius Galenus (; September 129 – AD), often Anglicization, anglicized as Galen () or Galen of Pergamon, was a Ancient Rome, Roman and Greeks, Greek physician, surgeon, and Philosophy, philosopher. Considered to be one o ...
and Aristotle
Aristotle (; 384–322 BC) was an Ancient Greek philosophy, Ancient Greek philosopher and polymath. His writings cover a broad range of subjects spanning the natural sciences, philosophy, linguistics, economics, politics, psychology, a ...
.[
]Georg Groddeck
Georg Walther Groddeck (; 13 October 1866 – 10 June 1934) was a German physician and writer regarded as a pioneer of psychosomatic medicine.
Early life
Groddeck was born in Bad Kösen, Saxony, to a Lutheran family. His works before World War ...
made an acronym
An acronym is a type of abbreviation consisting of a phrase whose only pronounced elements are the initial letters or initial sounds of words inside that phrase. Acronyms are often spelled with the initial Letter (alphabet), letter of each wor ...
of the phrase which he used as the title of his 1913 book, ''Nasamecu''.[
]
See also
* Nature cure (disambiguation)
*Nature therapy
Nature therapy, sometimes referred to as ecotherapy, forest therapy, forest bathing, grounding, earthing, Shinrin-Yoku or Sami Lok, is a practice that describes a broad group of techniques or treatments using nature to improve mental or physical ...
*Naturopathy
Naturopathy, or naturopathic medicine, is a form of alternative medicine. A wide array of practices branded as "natural", "non-invasive", or promoting "self-healing" are employed by its practitioners, who are known as naturopaths. Difficult ...
*''Vis medicatrix naturae
''Vis medicatrix naturae'' (literally "the healing power of nature", and also known as ''natura medica'') is the Latin rendering of the Greek ''Νόσων φύσεις ἰητροί'' ("Nature is the physician(s) of diseases"), a phrase attributed ...
''
References
Aphorisms
Latin words and phrases
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