A medieval text on mental disorder: Constantine the African on melancholy

Constantine the African's (ca. 1080/1536a) Two Books of Melancholy were based on earlier Arabic texts. The work is distinguished, firstly, by being a compact systematic account of a single mental disorder termed melancholy, and, secondly, by appearing in Latin before most other writings about mental disorder. In it, Constantine presents a biological account that attributes the proximate cause of the disorder to unhealthy bodily fluids or humors, and particularly to black bile. However, the humoral disorder may in turn come from unhealthy lifestyles, emotional shock, or disposition from conception. Treatments focus on the patient's diet, bathing, and exercise, with the addition of some pharmaceutical remedies. Many of Constantine's ideas and recommendations are found in later medieval medical and theological writing. Although there are important differences from present-day approaches to mental disorder, there are also many similarities. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).