Rasputin The Mad Monk

A detailed Summary of Rasputin The Mad Monk

Throughout Russian history, there were many individuals who captured the interests and curiosity of scholars both domestic and foreign, but one stands out as the most ambiguous. Grigori Yefimovitch Rasputin, the so- called "Mad Monk" or "Siberian Mystic Healer", has gained notoriety throughout the world for his astounding medical feats involving the stopping of the sometimes never ending bleeding of hemophiliacs. In the time of Rasputin, 1864-1916, there were no effective medical means to stop the bleeding that plagued hemophiliacs, yet the mystical powers of one man had the power to do so. Since there were no written records compiled at the time to account for his legacy, the stories of Rasputin have been passed along throughout time by believers and skeptics alike.

It is said that as early as 1900, Rasputin had gained fame in Eastern Russia as a faith healer, or wandering holy mendicant. He was said to have had the powers of precognition, foreseeing the future, clairvoyance, seeing events happening elsewhere, and healing the sick without medication or therapy. Many have attributed Rasputin's powers to the arts of the Orientals, which he had picked up along his travels. Many groups in Russia wished Rasputin dead, because

Kwapien, Robert. "Will the Real Rasputin Please Stand Up." 1996.

http://www.stlawu.edu/rkre:http/indv5/rasp.htm.

"...it is also possible that by hypnotism or a similar method, he was able to produce a contraction of the small arteries [capillaries]. These last were placed under the regulation of the [autonomic] nervous system and although they are not normally controlled by the will, their contraction can be provoked in the body of a hypnotized subject" (Massie 190).

While traveling abroad, Rasputin was introduced to some of the remaining heretical sects of the Old Believers. During this time, thousands of Old Believers were persecuted by the Patriarch Nikon, as he attempted to cleanse Russia of these sects and enforce Orthodox Christianity. Those who escaped fled to Siberia and continued to establish churches and communities. Nikon's rapid persecution of these sects weakened the Orthodox Church and gave rise to groups such as the Khlysty, which Rasputin is said to have taken part in. Their secret rites were extremely sexual and orgiastic in nature, and it was believed that through sexual sin, one could gain repentance. It has been said that Rasputin strengthened his powers through sexual acts performed while taking part in the Khlysty.(Kwapien 1-2).

It has never been conclusively proven as to how Rasputin did in fact heal the afflicted, but the evidence in hand strongly points toward hypnosis. In hematology, the study of bleeding in hemophiliacs, it has been proven that the emotional state of a hemophiliac directly effects the flow of blood through the capillaries. Anger, discomfort, and mental anguish can cause an increase in blood flow, and if these feelings are turned to calm, comfortable, and jubilant, the blood flow will in turn decrease. It is hypothesized that Rasputin hypnotized the Tsarevitch and put his mind at rest, thus slowing the blood flow.(Massie 191). J. B. S. Haldane, a British geneticist said

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Category: History