Greek Medicine

From the Heroic to the Hellenistic Age A Source Book

James Longrigg

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2013
• ISBN:
  9781136782183
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Historia
• Subtopic: Historia antigua

The Greeks were the first to use rational systems of medicine, based upon belief in natural causation, rather than magical and religious elements, which resulted in a new conception of disease, accounting for causes and symptoms of illness. Greek Medicine places ancient Greek medicine, from Homer to the Alexandrians, within its historical and intellectual context by presenting a selection of source material in translation.
The book provides a chronological account on the most important aspects of ancient medicine, and includes chapters on specific areas of medicine, such as gynecology, dietetics, pharmacology and surgery.

General Index

absinthe, 195

Achilles, 16, 134, 165, 168, 178, 188

Achilles tendon, 158

Acron of Acragas, 62

Aeneas, 10, 15

Aeschines, 13

Aesculapius, 42

Agamemnon, 134, 146, 154

Agave, 29

ague, 22, 109, 191, 199

ailments, caused by dislocated womb, 195

air, vector of epidemic disease, 124–5, 133–4

Ajax, 29

Alcmaeon of Croton: first doctor to reveal influence of Ionian Natural Philosophy, 31; theory of health, 31, 38, 59, 155; empirical approach to medicine, 33, 39, 53; researches into nature of sense organs, 34, 38; locates seat of intellect in head, 70; pioneer of rational medicine, 79; philosophical influence upon, 107; regards disease as due to seasonal and environmental factors, 107–8; disease as part of nature, 117; first to employ human dissection (?), 169, 176; also mentioned, 61, 83

Alexander, i.e. Paris of Troy, 179

Alexandria, human anatomy at, 84, 98–100

Alexandrian technology, 189

Alexandrians: views on nature of semen, 79, 83; employ treatment by contrary remedies, 152, 156; interest in healing properties of drugs, 164, 167; anatomical researches of, 84–100

Alfred of Sareshel, 166

almond oil, 195

Ambrosia of Athens, 12, 181, 188

Ammianus, 19

Amphiaraus, cult of, 11, 16

Amyntas III, King of Macedon, 81

anaglyphê kalamou (calamus scriptorius or calamus Herophili), 86–7

Anatomai, Dissections, 81

anatomy of heart, 94

Anaxagoras: influence on Regimen I, 56, 60

Anaximander, on the cause of thunder, lightning etc., 19; of sun's eclipse, 20; of moon's eclipse, 20; attitude to world around him, 28; conceives universe as balance between opposing forces, 31, 38; declares first principle apeiron, 31; influence on Alcmaeon, 59

Anaximenes: rejects belief that Zeus sends rain, 19; attributes earthquakes to natural causes, 19; attitude to world around him, 28

Andreas of Carystus: preserves evidence of Alexandrian pharmacology, 164, 167; Herophilus's pupil &...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Full Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Dedication
• Preface
• Introduction
• Abbreviations
• I. Pre-rational and irrational medicine in ancient Greece and neighbouring cultures
• II. The rise and development of rational medicine in ancient Greece
• III. Philosophy and medicine in the fifth century I: Alcmaeon and the Presocratic philosophers
• IV. The Hippocratic Corpus and the Hippocratic question
• V. Philosophy and medicine in the fifth century II: Presocratic philosophy and the Hippocratic Corpus
• VI. Philosophy and medicine until the fourth century: ‘Sicilian’ medicine and its influence
• VII. Early Alexandrian medical science
• VIII. Hippocratic deontology
• IX. Disease and human physiology
• X. Epidemic disease
• XI. Prognosis and diagnosis
• XII. Dietetics and regimen
• XIII. Pharmacology
• XIV. Anatomy
• XV. Surgery
• XVI. Gynaecology
• Chronological table
• Glossary of technical terms
• Bibliography
• Concordance of quoted passages
• General index