Ascetic
Historical document, translated for reference. It reflects medical knowledge of the 1920s–30s and is not medical advice.
Summary
This article defines an ascetic as an individual who denies themselves pleasures and sometimes even the satisfaction of normal bodily needs for the purpose of spiritual purification. It notes that asceticism was historically widespread in religious and monastic communities.
Encyclopedia entry (1928–1936)
ASCETIC, a person who denies themselves pleasures, and sometimes even the satisfaction of the normal needs of the organism, for the purpose of "spiritual" self-purification and, in particular, for inducing ecstatic states. Asceticism was widespread in religious, especially monastic, communities.
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Cite this page
“Ascetic.” Soviet Medical Encyclopedia. English translation of Bolshaya Meditsinskaya Entsiklopediya, 1st ed. (Moscow, 1928–1936), ed. N. A. Semashko. https://sovietmedicalencyclopedia.pages.dev/article/ascetic/