Claudius Galen of Pergamum
Claudius Galen was a second century physiologist, philosopher, and writer who is often considered the most important contributor to medicine following Hippocrates. Even though Galen is fairly well known, his fame does not compare to that of Hippocrates, so Galen's reputation and work are often underscored by Hippocrates' notoriety. While Galen's name is mentioned in most sources about ancient medicine, usually only a small portion of the piece is dedicated to his accomplishments; this coverage often does not do him justice. Of the sources specifically written about Galen, most are fairly old and tend to focus a lot on Galen's philosophies and how his ideas measure up to the different schools of thought that existed in his time rather than on his medical acclaim. Newer and sometimes less complete sources on Galen often neglect to discuss extensively the philosophical aspect of Galen's works. Nevertheless, both medical pursuits and philosophy were major aspects that shaped Galen's life, work, and results. Therefore, this examination of Galen will aim to illustrate how medical, philosophical, and other influences affected Galen's work and shaped his reputation in the history of medicine.
The influence of ancient medicine is still present in modern medicine. Even today, despite technological, methodological, and experimental advances in medicine, many of the basic foundations in medical teachings date back to ancient times. Hippocrates and Galen are two of the earliest and most frequently cited influences on the development of medicine. While Hippocrates is known mostly for his contributions to patients' rights and the moral and professional obligations of physicians, Galen is still resp...
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Beginning around 460 BC, the concept of humoralism emerged throughout the written works of Hippocrates. These early works, some of the only medical works of this detailed nature to survive this period, delineated one of the first ways scholars and physicians viewed the body and more importantly illness. Shaped by the Hippocratics’ version of humoralism and his own interpretations of their written works, Galen resolutely supported the fundamental four-element theory, the notion of the four humors, and the essential practice of healing by applying opposites by physicians. However, Galen’s education in anatomy proved an effective advance in his medical reasoning away from a non-ontological view of illness into a considerably more ontological and
In modern medicine when an ailment arises it can be quickly diagnosed, attributed to a precise bacteria, virus, or body system, and treated with medication, surgery or therapy. During the time before rational medical thought, this streamlined system of treatment was unheard of, and all complaints were attributed to the will of the multitude of commonly worshiped Greek gods (Greek Medicine 1). It was during the period of Greek rationalism that a perceptible change in thought was manifested in the attitudes towards treating disease. Ancient Greece is often associated with its many brilliant philosophers, and these great thinkers were some of the first innovators to make major developments in astrology, physics, math and even medicine. Among these academics was Hippocrates, one of the first e...
Hippocrates (c. 460-377 BC) was born on the Aegean island of Cos, Greece. He learned his medical practices from his father, Heracleides, and Ancient Greek physician Herodicos of Selymbria. Like many big Greek names of the time, Hippocrates was thought to have come from the Gods. He was considered a descendent of Asclepios, the God of Medicine. Two major creations of Hippocrates have upheld the biggest influence on medical history. The peak of his career was during the Peloponnesian War (431-404 B.C), where his healing tactics helped Athenian warriors (“Hippocrates”, 1998).
Twenty four centuries ago, Hippocrates created the profession of medicine, for the first time in human history separating and refining the art of healing from primitive superstitions and religious rituals. His famous Oath forged medicine into what the Greeks called a technik, a craft requiring the entire person of the craftsman, an art that, according to Socrates in his dialogue Gorgias, involved virtue in the soul and spirit as well as the hands and brain. Yet Hippocrates made medicine more than a craft; he infused it with an intrinsic moral quality, creating a “union of medical skill and the integrity of the person [physician]” (Cameron, 2001).
Although he lived four centuries before the birth of Christ, a man named Hippocrates recorded the symptoms of diseases we still see to this day. Known as the “Father of Medicine” (Hippocrates), Hippocrates was an ancient physician who studied and recorded his observances of the body’s infections and physiology. He set forth the foundation for future physicians, and in doing so, is accredited for our knowledge of infectious diseases in earlier centuries. During this time however, many believed the earth and its inhabitants were composed of four general elements: air, water, fire, and dirt. They also believed that any one person who fell ill was being punished by the gods. As a foresighted thinker though, Hippocrates encouraged the idea that humans became ill due to natural causes. In that wisdom, he recorded all his observances of his patients and their illnesses, taking careful note of the bodily symptoms and their progression.
The Roman medical system was also adopted from the Greeks. The concept of roman medicine focused on the teaching of Hippocrates. Hippocrates was known as the father of medicine. He and his followers who were called empiricist believed that disease should be looked at from a natural perspective. He replaced the concept of empedoclean elements with ...
...rstition, tradition, plant-lore, and knowledge passed down form the ancient Greeks and Romans.” (Rachel Bellerby) After the middle ages, science and medicine took large steps forward and began to bring us to our very advanced medicine we now use to our advantage.
The Romans used both scientific and mythological methods in their medicine. By adopting the methods of Greek medicine; the Romans obtained a solid foundation. They copied Hippocrates, who separated the study of medicine from philosophy and had an overall approach to the health of humans. Hippocrates also observed the habits and environment of humans to accurately determine illnesses and discover treatments. The Romans adapted the Hippocratic method and combined it with mythical and religious views. The Romans used Greek methods, and also included prayers and offerings to the gods. Although all gods had healing powers, Aesculapius, the god of healing, was the most important.
The next man to alter western medicine was a Greek physician born around 130 C.E. and his name was Galen. Galen developed a theory that involved four humors. These four humors consisted of blood, phlegm, yellow bile and black bile. He thought that good health resulted from balancing the humors, and sickness only came when the four humors were out of balance. Galen would describe this as being out of proportion. Interestingly, this concept of balance is shared with eastern medicine. When illness struck; Galen recommended a treatment involving a focus on the opposite humor. Different bodily fluids are associated with different humors, and each patient has a dominant humor. This theory of medicine, which prevailed for over a thousand years, created
Wrong theories of the anatomy have been assumed to be correct for thousands of years. Theories of using a scientific base were not used by the Europeans until the Renaissance period (“Medicine”). These theories, made by a Greek Physician named Galen, were supported by the Catholic Church. The Middle Ages were a difficult time to achieve medical advances because Galen’s theories were not to be questioned or tested(“The Impact of the Renaissance on Medicine”).Even after these theories appeared to be inaccurate, the support from such a high authority made it extremely difficult to change the medical practices and training(“Rennaissance medicine”).
Although church Dogma still dictated over society, scientist began to turn for supernatural causes such as possession and evil spirits to more scientific causes. Hippocrates, who as known as the father of modern medicine, recognize that the brain was the organ that interpreted sensory information from the world and that disease was not only in the body but also in the mind. He also believed that illnesses including mental illnesses were caused by imbalance within the body. In order to treat these illnesses balanced must be restored. One form of treatment thought to restore balance was bloodletting. Bloodletting was assumed to help, in patients that did not die because of the procedure and these practices continued for many years (Breitendfeld, Jurasic, Breitenfeld, 2014).
Galen of Pergamum was a Roman philosopher and practising physician who was prominent around the time of his lifespan. (129 – 217 AD) His most well-known discovery is the ‘Theory of Opposites’ concept, which was conceived around Hippocrates ‘Four Humours’ idea. This soon turned out to be wrong, but this was proved well after his death. Galen’s authority was so high that no doctor dared challenge him on any of his theories, up until Andreas Vesalius did at around 1534 AD. It was found out by Vesulius that his theories were cemented by his dissection of Barbary Apes, as dissection on humans was illegal at that period of time.
Claudius Galenus was a Greek physician who lived from 129-216 AD. Although his main research was in the field of physiology, he became famous for his work in anatomy. His teachings were essentially used at all universities when it came to anatomy and medical education during Vesalius’s time. “Even 1000 years after Galen’s death almost no original anatomical inquiries were performed.” (www.bl.uk /learning/artimages/bodies/vesalius /renaissance Accessed on 4/26/14) Galen’s theories were presumed correct, and hardly any new advances were made in anatomy for hundreds of years. Therefore, Galen remained the dominant source for information on the human body.
As the centuries unrolled and new civilizations appeared, cultural, artistic, and medical developments shifted toward the new centers of power. A reversal of the traditional search for botanical drugs occurred in Greece in the fourth century BC, when Hippocrates (estimated dates, 460-377 BC), the "Father of Medicine," became interested in inorganic salts as medications.
Hippocrates, often called the “father of medicine” was one of the earliest contributors to modern science. He was called the father of medicine because through his medical school, he separated medical knowledge and practice from myth and superstition basing them instead of fact, observation, and clinical ...