Mod. 1 Flashcards
History of the use of Greek and Latin in the Medical and Biological contexts
Mycenaen civilization
- When did they exist?
- what was their language
- what do we know about them?
- when did they die out?
- 1400-1100 BC
- Linear B was the language
- Only have commercial records
- Died out in the 1100’s
Dark age?
- What is it?
- What is important about this time period?
1100-800 BC
Had no idea what happened (no surviving text) and thus this was a “dark age”
800 BC
-What happened?
- Rise of Greek City states, sharing language, culture, and religion (but not laws, calendars, coinage, or government)
- Greek script appears around this time
800-500 BC
-What happened?
Colonization period
- many settlements, as far as North Africa, around the Black sea, Italy, Sicily, Iberian peninsula
- we know that they were Greek colonies because they all shared Greek script
Classical Period
- Time period?
- What happened?
5th to 4th century BC
>Persians got hella pissed and wanted to conquer Athens
>think of 300
>Basically Greeks, who were originally separated and quarreling, said “Oh crap, we better do something” and managed to win
>People go crazy after and start developing art and tragedies and comedies
>biggest thing is ppl start thinking
Socrates & Plato
- Who were they
- what did they do
- when did they live
Socrates is master, Plato is follower
Both were philosophers, focusing on the mind
5th century BC
Late 5th century
-What happened?
Peloponnesian war
>basically like Avengers, civil war, with athens and sparta going head to head
>Macedonians, another Greek city state that isn’t affected by the conflict, looks down and says “hey, they’re fighting for years and weak AF, let’s go take over”
>Phillip does, Macedanians in control of everything - actual “empire” of sorts”
>His son is Alex the Great
>Alex says hey why don’t we beat the persians then?
>He does
>Alex spreads Greek wherever he goes
Hellenistic Kingdoms
- WHy do they exist?
- How long did the last for?
- origin of the name?
> Alex died young. Land split among his generals, making the hellenistic kingdoms.
Lasted late 4th century BC to 5th century AD
Hellas - Greek word for themselves (the Greeks)
Euclid
Mathematician living during the Hellenistic kingdoms
Aristotle
- When did he live
- Why is he important
- What makes him different that Socrates and Plato
> 4th century BC
Did “philosophy”, but more of the natural world, or “natural history”
Natural history includes the natural world & early science
In other words, focus on medical and biological studies, i.e. Anatomy
so Socrates and Plato did behaviour unlike Aristotle.
Latin Language
- Where is it today?
- Where did it come from?
We use it in English - literally our alphabet
Language of the Roma city state -> spread as they conquered other city states
Roman republic
- how long did it exist for?
- Ruling system?
- Height of expansion?
- Language?
Lasted from 5th to 1st century BC
>Gradual build of the roman empire during this time
>Democracy at the time, so called a republic
Expands during 3rd & 2nd centuries BCE, till max growth in mid 2 century AD
>contains Hellenistic Greek world as well
>Ruling changes in late 1st century BC, because of civil war. Winner is Caesar Augustus, leading to a line of ~100 emperors and the start of the Roman empire
Linguistic Divide?
- What was it?
- What was the division?
- How did it influence the use of Greek and Latin then, and today?
> Latin “west” and Greek “East”
Greek used for philosophy (includes proto-science) & Medicine
Latin used for Law, and public administration (since Romans were in charge
People would learn each language to study each subject (ex. learning Greek to study philosophy)
System is still somewhat seen today; law in NA uses Latin terms
What happened to Latin after the collapse?
-When was the collapse as well?
Collapse of empire around 500BC >Latin became the "romance" languages; languages derived from Latin. This includes: -French -Spanish -Italian -Portuguese
Latin used for
>Academic writing
>scientific nomenclature (naming of things)
Roman catholic Church
What happened to Greek after the collapse?
What was Greek still used for?
Alphabet was “borrowed” by the cryllic language (Slavic language alphabet based of the ancient Greek alphabet)
Greek transformed into modern Greek.
Greek was used for
- The Christian New Testament (because it was written in Greek)
- Scientific terminology (medicine and biology), but it was transliterated in to Latin
What are historical reasons for using Greek and Latin today?
1) Greek was the 1st language of medicine and biology in Western tradition
2) Many Greek medical & scientific texts were transliterated into Latin at a very early period (so it is accessible to more people)
What are the linguistic reasons for using Greek and Latin Today?
1) Ancient Greek and Latin are static languages, i.e. they don’t change in meaning over time (at least now, so they mean what they meant a 100 years ago, for example)
2) Greek and Latin forms fit easily in to modern European languages, and many other modern languages
3) Greek lends itself to the formation of long but very precise terms (not many other languages can do that; German is another example)
Hippocrates
- When did he live?
- What made him important?
Lived 5th century BC
“Father of Medicine”, first one to write things down
60+ medical texts in his name
Plato
- When did he live?
- What made him important?
Lived 5th century BC, contemporary of Hippocrates
Studied soul & bodies’ relationship
Has influential work on the human soul and body, the “Timaeus”
Note that it was all theoretical, he just thought (and never really tested)
Aristotle
- When did he live?
- What made him important?
4th century BC philosopher-scientist
Did comparative anatomy (couldn’t dissect humans; it was a taboo)
Did empirical investigations & systematic classifications of natural world
Herophilus & Erasistratus
- When did they live?
- What made them important?
3rd Century BC Greek physicians
Anatomists
Did the first systematic human dissections
Worked in Alexandria (in Egypt) were dissection were OK (because Egyptians)
Contributed much to anatomy
Dioscorides
- When did he live?
- What made him important?
1st century AD
Physician & pharmacologist
Wrote a book called “De materia medica”, which was “On Medical Matters”
*Note that the above is the Latin name, translated from the original Greek
Galen
- When did he live?
- What made him important?
2nd century AD >Greek physician >Wrote hundreds of medical texts >important dissection work >built on Hippocrates >Immensely influential in the development of Western Medicine
Soranus
- When did he live?
- What made him important?
2nd century AD Greek physician
Many medical works
Most important was the Gynaecia, the “Medical Care of Women”
Why were all the Doctors Greek and not Roman?
Roman society considered Doctors as a low-end job, “slave tier” profession”
Romans used slaves as Doctors, which was the opposite in Greek society, where Doctors are high up in society
Celsus
- When did he live?
- What made him important?
1st century AD, was a ROMAN
worte a book called “De medicina”, “On Medicine”
Don’t know much about him, just know he was a Roman who dabbled with medicine (not actually a doctor)
Pneumatic theory
-What was it?
Theory that there was “Pneuma” in the body, an “animating spirit”
This made the body “alive”
Corpuscular theory
theory that “corpuscles” or “Little bodies” flowed through pores in the body
based of the atomic theory of Democritus (5th/4th century BC, Greek)
Idea was that flow of corpuscles related to health; either too constricted or overly relaxed pores
Humoral Theory
Humor = liquid
Galen belived in this, so many people did in the western world
Idea that there are 4 “humors” in the body that need to be balanced
Obviously false today
What were the 4 humours ?
- include the properties (wet, cold, etc.)
- include the associated life stages and seasons
In a circle, in clockwise order; Bile (choler) Black Bile (invented to get a 4th) Phlegm Blood
Dogmatism and Dogmatists
- Who were they?
- what did they believe?
One of the three medical sects
Theorized disease aetiology (or cause)
Had a focus on anatomy
Focused on Patients as individuals, with consideration of their physical state, their symptoms, and environment
Proponents: Hippocrates, Galen
Empiricism
- Who were they?
- what did they believe?
One of the 3 medical sects
Did not focus on disease aetiology
Didn’t consider anatomy (because they thought applying the the knowledge of a dead body to a living person doesn’t work)
Physicians rely on EXPERIENCE when treating patients
Methodism
- Who were they?
- what did they believe?
One of 3 Medical sects
No focus on anatomy
Only used corpuscular theory
Very popular, as they promised SWIFT and GENTLE treatments
Treatment options, in order of increasing “strength”
- Diet (change it)
- Rest and Exercise (change how much rest/exercise)
- Bathing (hot baths in bath houses)
- Pharmaceuticals (herbs & minerals, more of a “take this “ and hope it works)
- Purging, vomiting, enemas (attempting to fix humors)
- Surgery (no anesthetics, and tied down people)
- Cautery (literally burning skin)
Note that the approach was conservative; if the patient died under the care of the doctor, it would be considered murder if u say gave them medicine and they die (even if they died to disease and not the “medicine”)
Apollo
god of Medicine
Asclepius
another god of medicine & healing
Known for his staff with SINGLE snake around it (common symbol of medicine)
Represented by snakes
Romans “borrowed” Asclepius as a god, turning his name into Aesculapius
What is the difference between 2 snakes on a staff versus 1 snake?
2 snakes is the staff of Hermes
Not good, because Hermes is the “Psychopomp”, or the one who leads the dead to the underworld. Clearly, not that great
Asclepion
Temples to Asclepius
They are big, because they are used as places of healing
Snakes everywhere
Healing Process in an Asclepion?
1) Ritually fast & purify (such that mind and soul are “clean)
2) sleep overnight in the temple (with snakes)
3) Dream visit by Asclepius, where he a) fixes you right then and there or b) tells you what to do to get better (a prescription)
4) Testimonial offering of thanks when healed (healed meaning “feeling better”)
- we have lots of the testimonial offerings of thanks today
- process can be done with a proxy if patient is too sick to go
Relationship between Asclpeius & doctors
Doctors were seen as “working” with Asclepius
>doctors would prescribe visits to Asclepions
Doctors were called “Asclepiades”, or “son of Asclepius” which is an honorary term for “physician”
Galen and Asclepius relationship
Asclepius “told” Galen’s father to advise his son to be a doctor
Cognition and the argument between Plato and Aristotle
-What did each believe?
Plato believed that the “set of cognition” was in the brain (for all the wrong reasons - see notes)
Aristotle thought it was in the heart (because we feel emotion there)
Hera, Zeus and Herakles/Hercules
-Details of the myth
For more detail, see notes
Basically there are 2 versions; one, the one Disney made a movie of where Hera hated this demigod and wanted to kill him, made him do the Herculian tasks, etc.
Other, stranger version is the part where Hera nursing Hercules after the mom died - leads the the origin of the “milky way”
What percentage of all terminology in medicine & biology is from Greek and Latin?
94%
Function of the heart? (ancient theories)
Aristotle thought it was a “hot, dry organ, sorce of cognition, sensation)
Galem -> “heart is a hearthstone and source of innate heat by which the animal is governed”
Sphinx myth?
So basically, it’s a mythical creature, half lion. Greek Myth.
-Oedipus and the sphinx
>son of King of Thebes
>mom and dad told of prophecy that son will kill dad and marry mom
>”fuck that” said the parents
>asked servant to get kid, put into wilderness and kill him to prevent it
>servent doesn’t know prophecy, thinks that’s hella messed up, ends up saving kid
>gives kid to another family
>kid (Oedipus) grows up, randomly meets dad on road
>square.up.exe
>Oedipus kills dad
>Oedipus continues down road to Thebes
>Thebes blocked by Sphinx, who’s trapping citizens
>Thebes answers Sphinx’s riddle (4-2-3 legs riddle)
>Sphinx commits die by squeezing her neck really hard, just because she was really pissed she got played
>Oedipus enters Thebes
>Ppl are like “oh hey so our king went missing he went out to go get help to save us from the Sphinx but you killed her so here now you’re the new king and you can marry his wife (which was his mom”
>Has kids with “wife”
>events lead up to Oedipus Rex, the play
What are the 4 adjectives that come from the humoral theory?
phlegmatic
choleric
sanguin
melancholic
Phlegmatic
calm, unexcitable
when phlegm in “excess”
sanguin
Cheerful, optimistic
Full of “blood” and “energy”
Choleric
Energetic, but easily angered
Full of “bile” - note that definition is opposite to that of phlegmatic
melancholic
Sad, depressed
think: melan- = black, chol- = bile, so melancholic is “having black bile” in a sense
comes from an excess of “black bile”
Gaea myth?:
Basically, Uranus & Gaea were together (sky god and earth goddess, resepectively)
>Uranus is bad dad
>Hates kids
>Burries kids inside Gaea (instead of kill) (literally buried in the earth)
>Gaea convinces on of their sons, Cronos, to castrate Uranus with a sickle
>implies loss of masculinity = loss of “power”
>Cronos also turns out to be bad dad, but this time eats the kids
>His own wife unhappy
>Wife tricks him into eating stone “baby”
>Surviving son is actually Zeus, which leads to war and yadda yadda
What is Cronos associated with?
Sickle
What is the difference between Cronos and Chronos?
Cronos was the titan. CHronos was the Greek god of time
What’s wrong with modern representations with Chronos?
Someone got them mixed up such that Chronos is always shown with Cronos’ sickle, which is misattributed to Chronos due to the name similiarities.
