Social and Religious Inculturation of Health Care in the Roman Catholic Mission in Georgia

Abstract

This article examines the social and religious aspects of medical activities conducted by Roman Catholic missionaries in Georgia from the seventeenth century. The writings of Cristoforo di Castelli, Giudice di Milano, and Arcangelo Lamberti and a Georgian-Italian bilingual manuscript “Glossary of Medicinal Plants” have been analyzed to determine the theoretical and practical issues related to missionary activities. This article shows to what extent the missionaries acquired and applied Georgian traditional medical knowledge and which processes of inculturation they triggered. Research has shown that the development of Georgian medicine was influenced by a synthesis of indigenous and Western medical practices.