In this classic introductory work on spiritual medicine, Rudolf Steiner worked in a unique literary collaboration with the physician Ita Wegman. Their aim was to revitalize the art of healing through spiritual knowledge—yet in so doing they did not underrate or dismiss modern allopathic medicine; rather, they illumined ordinary medicine beyond its materialistic outlook to a fuller realization of the human condition. As Ita Wegman wrote in her preface: "The aim was not to underestimate scientific medicine in an amateurish way; it was given full recognition. But it was important to add to existing knowledge the insights that can come from true perception of the spirit, enabling us to understand the processes of illness and healing."   Today this new extension of practical medicine—generally called “anthroposophical medicine"—is used and valued by many physicians in numerous clinics around the world.  Contents:
 Foreword by Dr. Michael Evans
 Understanding the True Nature of Man as a Basis of Medical Practice
 Why Do People Fall Ill?
 The Phenomena of Life
 On the Nature of the Sentient Organism
 Plant, Animal, Man
 Blood and Nerve
 The Nature of Medicinal Actions
 Activities in the Human Organism – Diabetes Mellitus
 The Role of Protein in the Human Body and Proteinuria
 The Role of Fat in the Human Organism and Deceptive Local Symptom Complexes
 The Configuration of the Human Body and Gout
 On the Nature of Illness and Healing
 The Therapeutic Way of Thinking
 The Method of Treatment
 Perceiving Medicinal Qualities
 Perceiving the Nature of Substances as a Basis of Pharmacognosy
 Eurythmy Therapy
 Characteristic Illnesses
 Typical Medicines
 This volume is a translation from the German of Grundlegendes für eine Erweiterung der Heilkunst nach geisteswissenschaflichen Erkenntnissen (GA 27).