The original, philosophical meaning of anamnesis included taking memories from past existences and using them in your current life, through rational thought and true knowledge. The word has come to mean, more generally, "memory." It can also apply to a patient's medical history, though this is uncommon today. Anamnesis is a Greek word that means "a calling to mind," from the roots ana-, "back," and mimneskesthai, "to recall" or "to cause to remember."