Overcoming Superstitious Notions:
Early Times to the 1400s

John Climacus provided early descriptions

Os and Cs have probably been around since time immemorial. They were described by John Climacus (6th century).¹ Until the Renaissance, however, not much can easily be found on the subject of Os and Cs.

The European Renaissance (roughly 14th to 16th centuries) was a time for re-examining past beliefs. One belief that began to be abandoned was the superstitious notion that mental illnesses (of all kinds) were caused by the devil, demons or supernatural forces. It was gradually replaced by more naturalistic explanations.

John Gerson (1363-1429) helped popularize the term "scrupulosity"

Around this time, a new word was coined: "scrupulosity."² The new label helped to emphasize the role of fear (anxiety) in creating Os and Cs. The term scrupulosity was popularized by two leading 15th-century scholars, John Gerson, chancellor of the University of Paris, and John Nider, dean of the University of Vienna, and also by Archbishop Antoninus of Florence.³

Superstitious ideas about Os and Cs faded away earlier in some places than in others. Continental Europe seems to have led the way.

¹John Climacus (6th century). See also Plutarch (1st century).

²More on the origin of the term "scrupulosity."

³Antoninus (15th century). See also Collins, 1961, p.58.