Essay about Claudius Galen of Pergamum

We find that the “oldest written sources of western medicine are The Hippocratic writings from the 5th and 4th centuries BC; which covers all aspects of medicine at that time and contain numerous medical terms.”(Wulff) This was the beginning of the Greek era of the language of medicine, which lasted even after the Roman

Another similarity between Hippocrates and Galen was, they both shared preventative health advice on how to maintain wellness with the public. Hippocrates provided recommendations on how a person should sleep and the amount and varieties of food they should consume (Aphorisms, p. 113, 210, 212, Lecture, 9/13/17). Galen worked with gladiators and believed a healthy diet is important to the well-being of his patients under his care (Lecture, 9/27/17). The four humors were practiced by both healers (AWP, p. 96, The Affected Parts, p. 24-25).

While Greek Medicine particularly from the 5th century B.C onwards, increasingly used scientific method to develop cures, there still however remained people that considered medicine to be a religion. The ancient Greeks (Hellenic) made important discoveries about the human body and health, so by the sixth century BC, medicinal practices focused largely on a more clinical approach involving observation. Their discoveries were made by firstly studying the human anatomy using dissection and vivisection, finding ways to heal using things such as plants and herbs, then finally practising surgery on the human body using different instruments.

Hippocrates known as the Greek physician of the age of pericles. He was referred as the father of western medicine and consider one of the most outstanding figures of the history of medicine and also founder of hippocrates school of medicine. Hippocrates establish the discipline distinct of other fields and also established the medicine as a profession. He was born C.460 BC , island of cos. Greece and died C. 375

The Importance of Hippocrates in Medicine Hippocrates was a Greek doctor. Born in Cos around 460BC, Hippocrates was the most famous of Greek doctors. He wrote medical books which have helped improve medical information and remedies. Hippocrates created the Hippocratic Oath, where doctors promised to treat patients with respect and would always try to cure them of their problems. All of Hippocrates work has helped to forward medical knowledge.

Prior to the Scientific Revolution, doctors relied mainly on the work of the ancient physician Galen. Galen’s work was not a good source of information for medieval physicians because he had very limited knowledge of human anatomy, which led to his work containing many errors. During the Renaissance, more physicians made an effort to study human anatomy in order to correct previous mistakes. This rapid increase in the study of human anatomy continued and grew during the Scientific Revolution. In 1543, the first precise study of anatomy, entitled On the Structure of the Human Body, was written by Andreas Vesalius.

It was Hippocrates’ teachings and revolutionary techniques that were the driving force behind the shift from irrational to rational medicine in ancient Greece.

Galen’s influences shows up again during the middle ages. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire Galen’s work was translated to Latin and taught in medical schools. All of this was because of Constantinus. Galen’s work was the basis of the Latin canon. Galen’s formulas for medicine were called Galenicals and were used by physicians during the middle ages to cure

He grew up in a family of physicians and pharmacists. He attended the Catholic University of Leuven, and studied medicine at the University of Paris, where he learned to dissect animals. He studied at more universities and received his M.D. degree. While later studying in the University of Padua he was appointed a lecturer in surgery, with that he had the responsibility of giving anatomical demonstrations. He taught the same material he was taught which was based on the research of Galen, who was a physician whose study of the anatomy was almost all of the understanding of the anatomy we had at the time. Galen based most of his ideas of the human anatomy on that of the anatomy of animals which he had dissected. He believed that they were relatively the same, which could not be more incorrect. Vesalius discovered one mistake while working on a human body, and quickly became interested and realized that there could be many more

Most people based their medical care off of what Galen had discovered in his studies, using the four humours and four elements (Early Medieval Medicine in Europe, Neil Schlager and Josh Lauer). The four humours- blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile- were examined to diagnose what could be going on with the individual. The four elements were used to describe as to why it was happening. Galen believed that illnesses were an imbalance between the elements and humours, causing one to fall ill when they were thrown out of balance (Early Medieval Medicine in Europe, Neil Schlager and Josh Lauer). For simple remedies, the people referenced the Lorch Book of Medicine and the Leech Book of Bald. Midwives were probably the most educated when it came to being a basic person in the population. They were used to assist with childbirth, infant death, and any topic related to a woman’s health. This gave them more knowledge as to what to do, some even came up with their own remedies out of

Considered one of the greatest minds in Medicine, and the Philosophy of Medicine since history was recorded, Galen of Pergamon remains to this day one of the most profound physicians, and medical researchers that lived. We know this, because of his massive account of everything, he at times had anywhere from 10-20 scribes writing down all of his ideas and theories as well as his thoughts and findings during the many surgical procedures he undertook. “His surviving writings make up about half of all ancient writings on medicine today”(Agita) Although Galen philosophised frequently he never viewed himself as a Philosopher, in fact he held hostility towards some of the Philosophers of

Greek Antiquity was a time of some of the greatest minds of all time, such as Plato and Aristotle, leading to many inventions and ideas that are still relevant today, from hydraulics to astronomy. One of the most influential realizations, however, came from the mind of a man named Hippocrates, as he began the real start of the practice of medicine.

Hippocrates is most commonly known as “the father of western medicine.” Because he lived so long ago, it is not exactly clear when he was born and when he died. The best estimates are that he was born around 460 BCE and died around 370 BCE. He lived during the Greek Golden Age, which had influence on his prosperity in medicine. It is believed that he was born on the Island of Cos, where he later taught medicine. During Hippocrates’ life, Cos was particularly famous for its medical school. He studied under his father, Heraclides, who was also a physician. It is believed that his Grandfather was a physician as well. Giving that both his father and grandfather were

However, they did not indiscriminately follow Hippocrates and Galen, adapting instead the analytical approach of the classical writers to produce their own rational, structured and logical accounts of medical practice. Ibn Sina’s Canon of Medicine, for example, whilst following in the Hippocratic tradition, offers a far more meticulous and systematic account of humoral theory (Ibn Sina in Brunton (2008), p186). Ibn Sina’s Canon of Medicine is possibly the most famous example of a systemised medical compendia, that, according to Brunton, sets ‘practice firmly on a theoretical basis, which allowed practitioners to approach the process of diagnosing and treating patients on a logical footing’ (Brunton (2008),

As The Greek empire declined, Rome inherited its medical traditions and knowledge. During the 1st and 2nd centuries A.D health standards dropped considerably and outbreaks occurred of life threatening diseases. Galen of Pergamon, a follower of Hippocrates, gathered much of the medical knowledge of the time and added to it his studies of anatomy and physiology (mostly of animals). In Spite of his errors in describing certain anatomical and physiology phenomena, his writing created the foundation for medicine over 1500 years later in Europe. Though Galen created a historical event, he indeed followed and admired one of the