A Psychiatrist Impersonated a Butcher to Treat a Patient

About 1000 years ago, Ibn Sinna was a physician, astronomer, and philosopher. He contributed to the development of psychiatry as part of his career. He knew that certain illnesses were influenced by psychology and treated patients medically. And rather than just dismissing this out of hand, he made an attempt to play along with his patients in an effort to understand their difficulties and meet them where they were at.

In one well-known instance, he was tending to a Persian royal who was allegedly suffering from severe malnourishment. He was convinced he was a cow for this reason. He was convinced he was a cow for this reason. He is said to have bleated like a cow and pleaded to be made into a stew.

Ibn Sina gave the man treatment while posing as a butcher. He brandished a knife as he approached the cow prince before informing him that he was unable to kill him. The cow was unsuited for butchery and excessively thin. He therefore needed to eat and put on weight in order to be ready for slaughter. The prince gave in and started eating. As he did so, he gradually started to feel better and eventually left the illusion behind.