In ancient times, magicians were treating people in Kyivan Rus, later the role of doctors was taken over by spiritual healers and natural healers. Knowledge based on practical experience and magical rituals was transmitted from generation to generation, recorded in hospitals and herbalists.
The nobility healed people not only with real herbs, but also with magical rituals. Information about how the people fought mental illness was preserved in chronicles, folklore, literary monuments, in herbalists and hospitals – books about diseases and their causes. They contain references to ailments: mental needles, headaches, paralysis, insomnia, epilepsy, fright and many others. Those who suffered from such diseases were most often considered “spoiled.” Spoilage is a wide concept: it was sent not only to people, but also to animals or crops. Since the cause of the disease was seen in witchcraft, only the knowledgers, and not the doctors, could treat the diseases, according to the peasants. According to beliefs, witches, knights, collars and witches spoiled with black magic. They “spoiled” for money at the request of other people, out of hatred or because of resentment. Sorcerers instilled in the body of a man a bad energy or a demon, which is why madness, longing and falling disease arose – this is what epilepsy was called in ancient times. The patient could find out that he was spoiled, from other people or guess about it himself.
Before the start of the rite, the banner determined how a nervous disease arose: from spoilage, an eye, a fright or infused bes. To do this, he asked the patient in detail about his feelings, as well as about suspicions who could send a spell to him. One method of such “diagnostics” is to pour molten wax into water and interpret the outlines. In some areas of Kievskaya Rus, it was believed that mental illness is subject to the devil and coming from his underworld – that is why it is difficult to treat it. Even the name itself – “insanity” – is associated with the word “insane.” Another cause of such diseases was considered bad deeds related to nature or people. For example, ignorance, insults, theft, etc. One of the effective methods of treating various diseases was considered seasonal and candle cleaning, wax cleaning and cleaning with the eggs.