ABSTRACT
Brett in his ‘History of Psychology’ says, ‘The first object of interest to man is not the soul but the person.’ The ancients were quick to realize the differences between men and between races. ‘The strong will, the fiery spirit, the crafty mind, all appear as types of men.’ 1 ‘The first step in the evolution of theories, was the discovery that man is subject to laws, not of his own making. Man discovers that he is part of a universe, that his very motives and dispositions are subject to laws and can be treated as universals, that training, dietary and habituation make him master of himself. To the student of human nature apparently so spontaneous and original in its manifestations it must have been a great revelation to realize that behind this complex being there was a world of elements and that the very nature of man, his temperament, passions and thoughts could be controlled by those who knew the secrets of climate and food. Climate and disposition, food and morals, the humours of the blood and errors of thought, these are the terms in which the relation between macrocosm and microcosm are continually stated and re-stated.’ 1
