A History of Massage

 
The use of massage in the promotion of health has a long tradition in both Eastern and Western cultures.

From earliest days, mankind has used massage - rubbing, pressing and other kinds of touch - as a natural and instinctive way of relieving pain and discomfort.

Even the origin of the word 'massage' reflects its widespread beginnings -


the Greek masso (or massein) means 'to touch' or 'to handle', as well as 'to knead' and 'to squeeze'
 

the Arabic mass'h means to 'press softly'
 

 
and Sanskrit makeh can also be translated as 'to press softly'.

Several historical sources document the tradition of massage -

records in the British Library reveal that the Chinese were actively practising massage as early as 3000BC. An ancient script called 'Cong Fu of Tao-Tse' describes a system of massage and exercise devised to treat illness and disease, and as a way of maintaining good health.


in the 7th century BC, Aesculapius, a Greek physician, is said to have combined massage and exercise to improve the performance of athletes at the Olympic Games of 776BC.

 
in the 9th century BC, the Roman author Homer wrote of war heroes being massaged to aid healing and to promote relaxation.

 
Hippocrates, a descendant of Aesculapius and the 'father of medicine', understood the benefits of massage, and wrote

the physician must be experienced in many things but assuredly in rubbing...for rubbing can bind a joint that is loose and loosen a joint that is too rigid

In the East, massage moved outwards from China and has been practised over the ages. In the west, its use diminished after the fall of the Roman Empire as people placed more emphasis on the pleasures of the flesh rather that on the physical self.

It was not until the Rennaisance that interest was revived when Frenchman Ambroise Pare (1517-1590) used anatomical knowledge to improve the efficacy of massage. At the same time, massage began to be taught in medical schools, based on the burgeoning interest in and understanding of anatomy, physiology and pathology.

In 1813, the system of massage developed by Swedish fencing master, Per Henril Ling, was included in the curriculum of the Royal Gymnastic Central Institute in Stockholm. By 1899 Ling's teachings were adopted by St George's Hospital in London under the patronage of Sir William Bennett and a year later Albert Hoffa, a German physician, published Technik der Massage which contained many of the techniques and procedures used today.