Classical & Roman Medicine

Question 1

Imhotep

Answer 1

• Ancestor of modern physicians

- Deified in later Dynasties

Question 2

Georg Ebers papyrus

Answer 2

• Oldest, most important surviving “medical text”
• Therapeutics demonstrate preeminence of magical healing
• A dozen or more other medical papyri exist

Question 3

Mycenean Era (Greek)

Answer 3

• Greeks traded with Egypt, knew their therapies
• Egypt also traded with and influenced by Indian and Chinese
• Exposed to various systems of medicine

Question 4

Asclepius

Answer 4

• Son of Apollo
• “blameless physician” of The Iliad
• Became god of a healing cult

Question 5

iatroi

Answer 5

• ‘Healers’ were mostly part-time

- No rules for healing practices

Question 6

Asclepiads

Answer 6

• Claimed ancestry to Asclepius
• Educated others in healing
• Hippocrates born into an asclepiad of Cos

Question 7

Asclepions

Answer 7

• sites of priest-healing
• votives (small effigies of affected part)
• abatons (private areas for pilgrims)

Question 8

Epiduouros

Answer 8

• most celebrated asclepion in antiquity

Question 9

Empedocles

Answer 9

• postulated all things composed of water, earth, air, and fire (WEAF)

Question 10

Alcmaeon

Answer 10

• suggested that health was equilibrium between body “humors”
• first human dissection, described optic nerve

Question 11

Hippocrates

Answer 11

• “Father of Medicine” in western tradition
• Corpus Hippocraticum established medicine as art, science, and profession
• Primum non nocere was his primary tenet

Question 12

Corpus Hippocraticum

Answer 12

• 60-70 essays by several authors
• Foundation of Western medicine
• rejects the idea that gods cause disease
• “expectative therapy”
• stresses observation over theory
• externals, not internal anatomy
• compared body (microcosm) to the external world (macrocosm)

Question 13

Hippocratic Medicine

Answer 13

• Equilibrium is health
• Empedoclean elements (macrocosm)
• Four humors (microcosm)
• Regimen
• Diagnosis
• Prognosis
• Expectative therapy

Question 14

Four Humors

Answer 14

• Yellow bile (summer dysentery, vomiting)
• Black bile (autumn, dying)
• Phlegm (winter colds)
• Blood (spring, life, menstruation)

Question 15

Hellenistic Medicine

Answer 15

• Alexandria , founded by Ptolemy

- Library and museum became world centers of learning for a millenium

Question 16

Herophilus

Answer 16

• Greek founder of Alexandrian medical school (along with Erasistratus)
• Quoted by Galen
• Dissected human cadavers (named internal organs, duodenum/prostate, brain/nerves)
• Nerves from brain caused motion
• Arteries contained blood
• First to study pulse systemically

Question 17

Erasistratus

Answer 17

• Co-founder of Alexandria medical school with Herophilus
• Body a machine
• Human cadavers (heart valves, sensory/motor nerves)
• Brain was seat of intelligence, heart was a pump
• Denied teleology

Question 18

Social Aspects

Answer 18

• Wealthy, slaves, and soldiers were most likely to receive care from physicians
• Medici: physician (Latin)
• No hospitals (valetudinaria)

Question 19

Galen of Pergamum

Answer 19

• Most influential of the “ancients”
• Physician to gladiators, emperors
• Public anatomical dissections
• 350 titles on medicine, got much wrong
• Transformed medicine with science

Question 20

Galenism

Answer 20

• Galen had discovered everything in anatomy and physiology
• Made many anatomical mistakes, i.e. 5 lobed liver
• Dissected mammals, not humans

Question 21

Valetudinaria

Answer 21

• Army, wealthy estates had them (clinic/hospital)