The origins of medicine are closely linked to the supernatural. The primitive view of medicine had more to do with magic than with what is considered medicine today. Witchcraft, or the practice of magic, could be used to inflict illness or to take it away. Hippocrates and later physicians tried to separate medicine from magical thinking, but the two remained connected until at least the 17th century. Until this time, physicians themselves might be just as likely to explain illness as due to supernatural influences as the common man. Their use of astrology is a case in point. In some cultures, the link between magic and medicine persists to today, and people throughout the world use divination, astrology, and other practices to diagnose and treat illness.

The practice of witchcraft is tied to the supposed ability of the witch to manipulate nature to his...