Throughout centuries, many interpretations of miraculous healings have been offered by philosophers, theologians, physicians and psychologists. Different approaches to miracles originate from the differences in understanding of causative factors, concepts of nature and the relationship between God and nature. Despite many skeptical arguments, a vast majority of people (approximately 70%) in mod...

BACKGROUND Hajj pilgrimage, in Saudi Arabia, is one of the world's largest religious mass gatherings. We have similar mass gathering scenarios in India such as the Amarnath Yatra and Kumbh. A unique combination of physical, physiological, and psychological factors makes this pilgrimage a very stressful milieu. We studied the emergence of psychopathology and its determinants, in this adverse env...

The ‘Journey to the West’, also translated as the’ Pilgrimage is one of masterpieces ancient Chinese literature. Published anonymously by putative author Wu Cheng'en in late 16th century, story traces broad outline journey taken monk Tripitaka year 629 a.D. India acquire Buddhist scriptures, and it result reworking antecedent works, such ‘Poetic notes on pilgrimage Great Tang Sutras’ ‘‹Journey ...

A 59-year-old post-menopausal lady who had returned from a pilgrimage to Mecca about a month earlier presented with a three days' history of profuse vaginal discharge. Neissseria meningitidis was isolated from high vaginal swab specimens taken from her on 2 occasions, five days apart. Her symptoms disappeared without treatment after two weeks. We conclude that although the organism may have bee...

After an outbreak of meningococcal disease caused by Neisseria meningitidis W135, associated with the Hajj pilgrimage in 2001, 15% of returning vaccinated pilgrims carried a single W135 clone, and 55% were still carriers 6 months later. Transmission to 8% of their unvaccinated household contacts occurred within the first few weeks, but no late transmission took place. Public health intervention...

Pilgrimage studies are frequently characterised as involving collective relationships, such as solidarity or contestation regarding discourses and attitudes, rather than travellers encountering "frivolous" things on the road. However, this paper argues that there are some similar performative actions in pilgrims' diverse walking practices on the road to Santiago de Compostela. It traces the man...

BACKGROUND/AIM The annual Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, which attracts more than 3 million Muslim pilgrims from around the world, has played a role in the global spread of meningococcal infection. We aimed to compare pharyngeal carriage of Neisseria meningitidis in Hajj pilgrims before departure and after returning to Iran, Zahedan. MATERIALS AND METHODS This prospective and cross-sectional study...

In a climate of rising religious fundamentalism, it is relevant and pertinent to examine the processes by which a " religious " site is created. My general premise is that historical narratives are negotiations, rather than simple renditions of fact, and thus are always reflective of their authors' contemporary politics. Within this framework, this essay explores the processes through which the...