Ancient greece Flashcards
The theory of the four humours
Aristotle suggested that the body was made up of four humours, yellow bile, black bile, phlegm and blood. These four humours were said to be linked to the seasons and the four elements. They needed to be in balance for good health.
Treatments for the four humours
treatments developed from the theory were aimed at bringing the humours back into balance , you could do thus by vomiting, blood letting and/or purging.
Hippocrates
Hippocrates believed in the natural causes of disease and encouraged doctors to treat illness with natural methods . He also developed the Hippocratic oath which is a promise made by doctors to obey the professional rules of behaviour whilst working. This is still used by doctors today. Doctors also still use Hippocrates Clinical methods of Observation which involves studying a persons symptoms in order to diagnose them.
Public Health
The Ancient Greeks believed that to be healthy they needed to exercise.
Hygiene was important, with emphasis placed on washing.
Diet was also thought to be important. Many Ancient Greeks followed a diet that changed with the
seasons – eating lots in winter, but drinking little – while in the summer drinking more and eating less.
Asclepios
Temples were called Asclepions and people went there to stay when they became ill.
Visitors bathed and relaxed, prayed to Asclepios and sleep in a building called an abaton. An abaton was a
building with a roof but no walls. Whilst sleeping a god came come to them in a dream and cured them.
Priests also did “ward rounds”, performing rituals which involved placing snakes on the patients.
Success stories were recorded in inscriptions on the walls of the Asclepions.
Asclepios’ daughters, Hygeia and Panacea, were also involved in healing
Alexandria and dissection
The library of Alexandria attempted to collect all the knowledge of the world.
Unlike in the rest of Ancient Greece human dissection was allowed in Alexandria.
Alexandria became famous for training medics and surgeons. Accurate observation was the key to much of
the advancement made there. Doctors from Alexandria went to practise all over the world.
Erasistratus identified the differences between arteries, veins and nerves and saw that nerves were not
hollow and so couldn’t be vessels for fluid.
Surgery
The mechanics of surgery advanced slightly in Ancient Greece. Although it was still a risky procedure.
Ancient Greeks used surgery as a last resort – most treatments were performed outside the body.
Surgeons developed good techniques for setting broken bones and in extreme cases would amputate.
A range of surgical instruments were developed, made from iron, steel and brass.
