L1: Classical & Roman Medicine Flashcards
1
Q
Who was Imhotep? How did he add to Western medical traditions?
A
- Ancestor of modern physicians (first known healer whose name we know of) from ~ 2700 BCE, physician to Pharaoh
2
Q
What is the Mycenean Era?
A
- Refers to a Greek period during ~1550-1100 BCE where shamanic folk /priests were healers who believed that illness was caused by anger or whim of gods.
3
Q
What is Hellenistic medicine? What is the role of ancient Alexandria in medical education, research and what were the contributions by Erasistratus and Herophilus?
A
- After death of Alexander, generals known as Hellenes divided world into kingdoms. Alexandria (Egypt) because a center for education, including site of the Alexandria medical school founded by Herophilus/Erasistratus (Greeks) around 330-260 BCE. - Herophilus dissected human cadavers, described and named internal organ, discovered the duodenum and prostate and dissected brain and nerves. - Erisastratus called the body a machine (used by AT Still), dissected cadavers, described valves of hear, differentiated sensory and motor nerves, believed brain to be seat of intelligence, concluded hear was not the center of sensation, but functioned as a pump, denied teleology (purposeful creation of things).
4
Q
How did Galen of Pergamum transform Roman medicine, including anatomy, physiology and therapeutics?
A
- Galen is considered one of the most, arguably perhaps, the most important / influential ancient physician (Roman). - He was educated in an asclepion, later in Alexandria. - Was a physician to gladiators and emperors. - Most Roman medicine prior to him was “magical”, based on spells, incantations, chants etc., did not have standard/regulation, care was done at home. Public health was good though. Most physicians were uneducated. - Galen performed public animal dissections. - During his time, he authored vast volumes of medical texts ~ 8000 pages. Transformed art of medicine with science. - Ultimate authority in anatomy and physiology until mid-16th century. - Advocated instilling trust from pt by appropriate bedside manner, careful explanations, mastery of prognosis. - Upheld regimen before drugs, drugs before surgery - Believed in mind-body link; interest in stress syndromes - Rejected magical / spiritual care - Got many things wrong: anatomy based on animal studies, supported humoral model of medicine (Hippocratic), incorrect physiological beliefs (separate venous/arterial system; innate arterial pulsations; vital spirit formed when air mixed with blood) and advocate of venisection
5
Q
How did Asclepiads/Asclepions contribute to healing during ancient Greek times?
A
- Asclepions were temples of healing during 300 BCE where asclepiads / priest-healers would work. Inside these temples were abatons / private areas for pilgrims to be healed. Pilgrims testified about their healing by inscribing on walls what intervention took place. Epidouros (most celebrated) / Cos (birthplace of Hippocrates) were two important asclepions.
6
Q
What are the basic tenets of Hippocratic Medicine?
A
- Health is equilibrium; empedoclean elements in macrocosm related to humors (yellow bile, blood, phlegm and black bile) – Alcmaeon suggestion - in microcosm - Patient-oriented - Favored “regimen”, not drugs: proper diet, enough sleep, exercise, right living to alter disease process, athletic training - diagnosis (least important): derived from pt’s diet, dwelling, work habit etc. - emphasis placed on prognosis (based on what pt looked like) and expectative therapy (body’s inherent ability to heal) - disapproved of: heroic interventions, risky procedures - Hippocrates believed in professionalism, discipline, rigorous practice, observation / records
7
Q
Who is Alcmaeon of Croton? Why is he important?
A
- He was said to have been a pupil of Pythagoras and first suggested health as an equilibrium between opposing body “humors”. Possibly did the first human dissection and described the optic nerve.
8
Q
Who is Hippocrates?
A
- Hippocrates is a Greek who lives during the period of ~460-390 BCE and is considered the “Father of Medicine” in western tradition. He headed the authorship of the Corpus Hippocraticum, a text that establishes medicine as an art, science and profession. - Hippocrates believed in professionalism, discipline, rigorous practice, observation / records. Practioners of medicine ought to be clean, calm, serious and honest according to him. He was the first to describe many diseases and medical conditions.
9
Q
What are the four humors from Hippocratic medicine and what are they associated with?
A
- Yellow bile (dysentery, vomiting) - Phlegm (winter colds, epilepsy) - Blood (associated with life, plentiful in spring, need to expel if in excess) - Black bile (dried blood, possibly derived from yellow bile?)
10
Q
What is the Athenian plague?
A
- Pandemic that killed thousands of Greeks, possibly arrived from Egypt with exact cause unknown. May have affected birds/animals too. Symptoms: fever, thirst, rash, rapid death. Sounded like smallpox, but unknown.
11
Q
What diseases did the Greeks know about?
A
- Epilepsy (known as the sacred disease) - Amenorrhea, puerperal fever (childbed fever: infection of fem repro tract following childbirth), dysentery, malaria, TB, varicella, diphtheria
12
Q
What is the Corpus Hippocraticum?
A
- Is a text from ~420-350 BCE that establishes medicine as an art, science and profession that has many contributors. It consists of 60-70 essays, which emphasize the patient instead of the illness. Provides a clear foundation of Western medicine, including rejecting idea of diseases borne from gods; respects facts/experience from dogma; asserts physiology, health and disease have rational expectations; stresses observation over theory; calls for “expectative therapy”, not active intervention; based on externals (not internal anatomy); uses deduction of body function by comparing tangible word to body. It includes the primary tenet of Hippocrates which says “first, do no harm” (primum non nocere).
13
Q
Who was Empedocles and what did he contribute to Western medicine?
A
- He was a pre-socratic philosopher who postulated that all matter is composed of the elements: earth, air, fire, water; known as “roots.” These elements are present in the Hippocratic System (as macrocosms) and correspond to the “humors” of the microcosm.
14
Q
Who is Asclepius? Explain the rise of his followers and their contributions to Western medical traditions?
A
- Asclepius (from ~600 BCE) is the son of Apollo and a Greek warrior in the Iliad, known as a blameless physician. He is known as god of healing. His rod, entwined by serpent, symbolizes medicine / health care today. Asclepiads are the cults/families/clans are the healers that claimed ancestry to Asclepius. Hippocrates was born into an asclepiad around 500 BCE. His Oath may actually be a pledge of loyalty to Asclepius/cult.
15
Q
What are the Egyptian papyri? How did they add to Western medical traditions?
A
- Medical papyri are medical texts that discuss diseases, therapeutics. There are about a dozen or more of these, but the most important is the Georg Ebers papyrus from ~ 1550 BCE.
