Ancient Greek Medicine Flashcards
How did Greeks believe disease was cured?
Supernatural & natural remedies
How did Greeks believe disease was caused?
Gods
What was an Asclepius
A Greek healthcare centre
How did the Asclepius heal people?
Natural & supernatural remedies
Positive thinking- many people got better because they thought they would
Was the Asclepius free?
No- you had to pay
If you were cured at the Asclepius, what gift would you leave?
A votive stone- a statue of the cured body part
What was the symbol of Asclepius?
A snake around a staff
Did Hippocrates believe in natural or supernatural medicine?
Natural
One of the first doctors to believe this
How did Hippocrates spread his ideas
He wrote down everything he did and observed- clinical observation
How did Hippocrates think disease was caused
Imbalance of the 4 humours
What was Hippocrates’ theory of the 4 humours
That you had 4 humours within your body: black bile, phlegm, yellow bile, and blood
If one of the humours was in excess or low supply, you would get ill
Each humour was linked to an element, a season and certain characteristics (eg. Cold & wet)
Did Greeks listen to Hippocrates?
Despite Hippocrates insistence on natural remedies, people still used supernatural remedies as a back up if they were not recovering
Did Hippocrates write any books
He wrote many books- together, they are called the ‘Hippocratic Corpus’
