Agoraphobia; Fear Of The Marketplace.

[JediMindTricks]

The word agoraphobia is derived from Greek words literally meaning ''fear of the marketplace."

 

Why marketplace? I did a little research and around the time human's transitioned from hunter/gatherers to farmers, bread (gluten containing products) would have mostly been available from the marketplace. This is quite a coincidence.

 

Has anyone thought of this correlation or read anything thats suggests that the term 'agoraphobia' may be the first definition of celiac disease?

[kenlove]

There were 2000 years between hunter gathers  turning to agriculture and the first flour breads. Prior to that was  occasional flat bread made from  grains that today, do not contain gluten.  The first  breads were made from Eikorn and farro  which have low gluten content when compared to the  modified  wheats we eat today.  I think it would be a stretch to link agoraphobia, which today means fear of being alone or fear of loosing control in public, than it does with a market place. If celiac was present 10,000 years ago Im betting it was not linked to specific foods or market place. 

The word agoraphobia is derived from Greek words literally meaning "fear of the marketplace."

 

Why marketplace? I did a little research and around the time human's transitioned from hunter/gatherers to farmers, bread (gluten containing products) would of mostly been available from the marketplace. This is quite a coincidence.

 

Has anyone thought of this correlation or read anything thats suggests that the term 'agoraphobia' may be the first definition of celiac disease?

[JediMindTricks]

There were 2000 years between hunter gathers  turning to agriculture and the first flour breads. Prior to that was  occasional flat bread made from  grains that today, do not contain gluten.  The first  breads were made from Eikorn and farro  which have low gluten content when compared to the  modified  wheats we eat today.  I think it would be a stretch to link agoraphobia, which today means fear of being alone or fear of loosing control in public, than it does with a market place. If celiac was present 10,000 years ago Im betting it was not linked to specific foods or market place. 

 

While a distinction between gluten (specific foods) intolerance and agoraphobia may have not been made at the time, it doesn't mean that people who suffered from agoraphobia were not celiac (gluten sensitive) and that gluten wasn't the cause. As and when the term 'agoraphobia' was coined we will never know, I just think it is a coincidence that for many people at the time, thier source of gluten would have been the marketplace.

[kenlove]

COUld be, but we'll never know.  Your right  when you  said" it doesn't mean that people who suffered from agoraphobia were not celiac " but it also doesn't mean that they were.  It would be interesting if you could find some correlation but I bet this isn't it. 

I bet the incidence of celiac in the old world was very small too. 

 

While a distinction between gluten (specific foods) intolerance and agoraphobia may have not been made at the time, it doesn't mean that people who suffered from agoraphobia were not celiac (gluten sensitive) and that gluten wasn't the cause. As and when the term 'agoraphobia' was coined we will never know, I just think it is a coincidence that for many people at the time, thier source of gluten would have been the marketplace.

[bartfull]

The reason they named it "fear of the marketplace" is because until there WAS a marketplace most people were never in large crowds. The only "crowds" people were ever in was crowds of people they knew, and those crowds were pretty small by comparison. Also, they were "crowded" in places everyone was familiar with whereas the marketplace was a confusing maze of vendors stalls that was easy to get lost in.

[nvsmom]

i agree with Bartfull, there weren't many public places for the average person except the marketplace.

 

But there could be a coicidental link with gluten induced anxiety...