Anglican scholarly encyclopedic occult medicine

The Anatomy of Melancholy

A massive, labyrinthine, and deeply scholarly treatise on 'melancholy' (what we might now call depression), written in 1621. Burton explores the causes, symptoms, and cures of melancholy from every conceivable angle: medical, psychological, theological, and astrological. He cites thousands of classical and medieval authorities, creating one of the most dense and digressive works in English literature. It is included here for its extensive discussion of the occult causes of melancholy, including demons, witches, and planetary influences.