The History of Massage

Pages xiv & xv
Massage was not advocated nor practiced as a singular therapeutic tool until modern times. The shaman rubbing evil spirits out of the body, the deaconess laying on her hands to inspire the healing power of the Holy Spirit, the midwife soothing a mother from the pains of childbirth, the trainer preparing for and administering after athletic pursuits, the nurse administering a healing balm in battle or the bath, the doctor treating an injury with a liniment or mechanical treatment, the woman applying healing and soothing creams to her skin for beauty and health, a couple rubbing as a part of the rituals of sexual behavior, and any person touching another simply for feeling good and getting relaxed?massage was a part of the repertoire of each of these activities before it broke free in the nineteenth century. It remains a complement to them all even though it is now recognized as a stand-alone therapeutic tool.
     The commingling of massage with a broad range of human activities makes writing about its history challenging and sometimes a bit confusing. But this is its past, a legacy primarily based on association with better known aspects of human life. In each of these massage has found a place?sometimes thriving, sometimes faltering, but always surviving. Massage has survived because it is the most fundamental means of giving care, affection, and aid between human beings. Its healing qualities differ from those of other healing modalities because massage confers its benefits through the character and healing intention of those who give and receive it. The true value of massage comes from the inherent need of humans to have contact with one another. 

Pages 40 & 41
Numerous authors claim that ancient Indian writings found in the medicine of India, called ayurveda, used the word shampooing (from the Sanskrit tshampua) to denote massage. Greek historians who visited India three hundred years before the birth of Christ brought back glowing accounts of the art of shampooing. Among the Brahmins there is an order of physicians who rely chiefly upon diet and regimen . . . [and] hygenic shampooing."37 Shampooing was a part of India's indigenous medicine when Alexander the Great passed through India in 327 B.C.E. His soldiers have been given credit for bringing the techniques to the Mediterranean region, where later it would become a part of Greek, Roman, and Turkish practices. Shampooing as practiced by the people of India can still be found today in Turkish bath houses around the world. That shampooing has a lineage over two thousand years old is confirmed by the similarity of the descriptions of shampooing found in ancient writings of the Arabs and Romans and that given by George H. Taylor, M.D., a late nineteenth century physician who advocated exercise for health. In his book, Health by Exercise, he describes the practice as experienced by English residents living in India during his time:

"The English who reside in India frequently give accounts of the shampooing and friction, which they find a great source of delight as well as of health. The person receiving the operation is extended on a seat, while the operator manipulates his members, as he would knead dough for bread. He then strikes him lightly with the side of the hand, applies perfume and friction, and terminates by cracking the joints of the fingers, toes, and neck. After this operation, the subject experiences a sensation of ineffable happiness and energy. It is said that the Indian ladies seldom pass a day without being thus shampooed by their slaves."38 

     Although in more modern times shampooing implies a full-body cleaning usually done with a brush and the hands, this account leaves little doubt about the claim that Indian shampooing is massage. French scholars and historians used the term barber-masseur to describe the manual practices of India they discovered during their travels there in the late 1700s and early 1800s.
     Wrestling was and is popular in India. Massage has been a traditional healing modality used in wrestling since ancient times, in conjunction with exercise and breath work. Harish Johari, in his book Ayurvedic Massage (1996), asserts that "In ancient times Ayurvedic clinics did not regularly offer massage, as everybody gave and received massage." When people did need massage they would be referred to a specialist in the tactile arts, who used oils and techniques passed down through the centuries. "Often these massage practitioners were wrestlers," says Harish Johari. He continues: "Today in India massage practitioners with this training roam public places in great numbers and give head and body massages for a few rupees."39 Many of these practitioners work in the city parks, and some are Ayurvedic doctors as well.
     Minnie Goodnow provides the following quote regarding a medical school that was also a public hospital operating in India about 225 B.C.E.: "The nurse must be clever, devoted to the patient, and pure in body and mind; must know how to compound drugs, be competent to cook food, skilled in bathing the patients, conversant with rubbing the limbs and massage, with lifting the patient, well skilled in making and cleaning of beds, ready, patient and skilful."40

As we browse through the Asian continent for evidence of massage it becomes evident how the movement of manual therapies moved across the continent like a camel caravan spreading commerce with its heavy load of goods. Even without conscious effort to record the massage practices of countries, its practice is visible to us through the stories of travelers, scholars, and historians. From inferences drawn by the examination of the most ancient records made on bone, shell, and stone, kept alive through verbal traditions and finally to the venerable writings of Sanskrit scholars and historians, the evidence for massage in world cultures unfolds before us in wonderful form.

Introduction

1. What Is Massage?
2. Shamanic and Priestly Origins of Massage
3. Massage in the Ancient World: Babylonia, Egypt, China and India
4. Massage in the Ancient World: Greece and Rome
5. Keeping the Faith: Massage from the Fall of the Roman Empire to the 19th Century
6. Nineteenth Century Massage in Gymnastics and Movement Therapy
7. First Steps to Credibility: Massage in Nineteenth-century Medicine
8. Massage in Nineteenth-century Alternative Therapeutic and Restorative Cultures
9. Massage Tools and Mediums
10. The Evolution of Massage Techniques
11. The Golden Age of Massage

Epilogue

Endnotes

Acknowledgments

Robert Calvert, founder and president of Massage Magazine, has been a leader in the field of massage for more than twenty years. Author of the International Massage and Bodywork Resource Guide, his work has appeared in numerous publications including Body, Mind, & Spirit magazine and the Journal of Higher Education.

"Robert Calvert's History of Massage is a groundbreaking and innovative contribution to bodywork culture. I enthusiastically recommend it to all practitioners."
Robert K. King, Founder and president, Chicago School of Massage Therapy

"Robert Calvert provides a unique, exhaustive, and invaluable study of massage. The History of Massage should be required reading for every student of massage therapy."

D. Van D'Elia, Director, Onondaga School of Therapeutic Massage

"A pioneering contribution from one of the pivotal figures in the contemporary massage movement. This volume stands as the foundation upon which the past chronology of massage will be interpreted and its future identity as a profession will be built. The History of Massage is required reading for every serious practitioner and student."
David Palmer, President, TouchPro Institute of Chair Massage

"Robert Calvert tracks down important sources and fascinating facts. The History of Massage examines the bigger picture, connecting massage with subjects as diverse as medical history, religion, advertising, exercise, and healing traditions around the world. While detailing massage's past, this book also advances the debate about where the profession might go from here."
Jadi Campbell, L.M.P.

"The History of Massage is an example of outstanding research and scholarship. Massage is often referred to as a trade and an industry; it will not be a profession until massage therapists learn the history of what they do. Robert Calvert has made it possible for massage to be a profession in the full sense of the word.
Albert Schatz, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, Temple University, Editor, Journal of Spiritual Bodywork

"Intended for the serious student of massage, Calvert's book will also appeal to those interested in the history of alternative medicine in general."
John Anderson, Alternative Medicine, August, 2002

"A fascinating coverage of the evolution of massage techniques."
The Midwest Book Review, November 2002

"Every massage therapist should read this book. . . .I suspect this book will remain the classic source in the area for years to come."
Grant Jewell Rich, Ph.D., L.M.T., Massage, November/December 2002

. . . a historical treatise for the general public and for health care practitioners who are interested in the historical development."
Elizabeth Marazita, Bastyr University Library

HEALTH / MASSAGE

Robert Calvert’s History of Massage is a groundbreaking and innovative contribution to bodywork culture. I enthusiastically recommend it to all practitioners.
--Robert K. King, Founder and president, Chicago School of Massage Therapy

Robert Calvert provides a unique, exhaustive, and invaluable study of massage. The History of Massage should be required reading for every student of massage therapy.
--D. Van D’Elia, Director, Onondaga School of Therapeutic Massage

A pioneering contribution from one of the pivotal figures in the contemporary massage movement. This volume stands as the foundation upon which the past chronology of massage will be interpreted and its future identity as a profession will be built.
--David Palmer, President, TouchPro Institute of Chair Massage

The History of Massage is an example of outstanding research and scholarship. Massage is often referred to as a trade and an industry; it will not be a profession until massage therapists learn the history of what they do. Robert Calvert has made it possible for massage to be a profession in the full sense of the word.
--Albert Schatz, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, Temple University Editor, Journal of Spiritual Bodywork

From the people of ancient Greece to the tribes of the Pacific Ocean and the Americas, massage has been a significant element in medicine, midwifery, folk healing, and athletics. Yet the rich presence of healing touch is rarely present in the telling of human history. Now Robert Noah Calvert, founder and president of Massage Magazine, offers the first comprehensive history of massage, one that spans the globe in its exhaustive exploration of the important role of touch therapy in the life of the world’s people.

With rich use of anecdote, historical reference, and illustration the author details the cross-cultural applications of massage, the development of anatomical knowledge and attendant massage technologies, the origin of movement cure systems and their relationship to massage, and the emerging trends of massage in the twenty-first century. Teachers will find The History of Massage an important educational resource for perspective on the massage profession’s development and critical background for discussion of current issues in the field. For practitioners of touch therapies, The History of Massage provides the first comprehensive analysis of the cultural practices and historical currents that coalesced into contemporary massage and the trends that continue to influence its direction into the future. Massage therapists, educators, and somatic practitioners of all kinds will want to have this important reference book in their libraries.

ROBERT NOAH CALVERT, founder and president of Massage Magazine, has been a leader in the field of massage for more than twenty years. Author of the International Massage and Bodywork Resource Guide, his work has appeared in numerous publications including Body, Mind, & Spirit magazine and the Journal of Higher Education.