anamnesis

Anamnesis is a term used in several disciplines, most commonly medicine, philosophy, and Christian liturgy. It derives from the Greek ana- meaning “up” or “again” and mnesis meaning “memory” or “recollection,” conveying the sense of recalling or bringing a past event into the present.

In medicine, anamnesis refers to the patient’s account of their health history. It is obtained by structured interview and helps establish the chief complaint, history of present illness, past medical and surgical history, medications, allergies, family history, and social or occupational factors. The anamnesis guides differential diagnosis, informs examination and testing, and supports treatment planning. It can be limited by patient recall, communication barriers, and cognitive factors; it is usually documented alongside the physical examination.

In philosophy, particularly in Platonism, anamnesis denotes recollection of knowledge believed to be innate and forgotten at birth. In dialogues such as Meno and Phaedo, the soul is said to remember essential truths from prior existence, and learning consists of recovering that knowledge through questioning and reasoning. The concept has influenced later epistemology and educational theory.

In Christian liturgy, anamnesis refers to the act of remembrance that makes present the saving events of Christ, such as the Passion, Death, and Resurrection, within the Eucharist. It emphasizes memory as a living act that unites worshippers with the events recalled, rather than a mere cognitive memory.

Across domains, anamnesis retains a core sense of recollection that activates remembrance into present experience.