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| Example of Galen's writing (in Latin) |
Some of the greatest literature from the ancient world comes from research and medicine of the time. Sanitation was not something that was very developed, resulting in diseases that went rampant. Therefore, it was important to incorporate these aspects of life into writing.
One man, Claudius Galen (130 A.D. - 210 A.D.) was a master at this. Born in Pergamum to Greek parents, Galen became a renowned physician, writer, and philosopher. He studied in Greece, Alexandria and Asia Minor. Missing his homeland, he moved back to Greece to become a doctor in gladiator school. There, he gained real life practice in treating wounds. In the 160s A.D. he moved to Rome and was doctor under Marcus Aurelius and other emperors down the line. Why was he so important you may ask? Well, essentially he was the father of the experimental method. He began dissecting animals to better understand how the body works. He fundamentally changed medicine in the Roman Empire. He proved things such as the fact that urine forms in the kidneys and that arteries carry blood through the body. The research that he conducted transcended fifteen centuries after his demise into the Renaissance era. He was perhaps the single most important figure in medicine following Hippocrates (and we all know the Hippocratic oath of doctors, right?) The reason historians today know of this is through his writings. He wrote about his experiments, his medical innovation, and especially about the Antonine Plague. His strengths resided in both informative and philosophical styles of writing.
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| Depiction of the Antonine Plague (165-180 A.D.) |
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As a result of this project, my knowledge about medical advances in the ancient world has developed immensely. I also learned how disease and adversities were portrayed in the culture (literature, etc.) of the people during this time.
Works Cited
"Plague in the Ancient World." Plague in the Ancient World. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Dec. 2014.
Whitney, Elspeth. Medieval Science and Technology. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 2004. Print.
Woods, Michael, and Mary B. Woods. Ancient Medical Technology: From Herbs to Scalpels. Minneapolis: Twenty-First
Century, 2011. Print.
Century, 2011. Print.
Wow, really interesting topic! Most people do not immediately think of medicine when talking about the ancient world. Usually, all ancient medicine practices seem uncivilized, clearly that is not the case. A lot of history and literature skews us to believe that the people of this time were single minded, chalking up a plague to nothing more than the gods way of punishing the world. I wonder why people like Claudius do not get the recognition they deserve.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Dora. Whenever I think of ancient medicine and the wounds suffered by warriors I cringe a little because I can't imagine having to go through the barbaric medical help but apparently that was not always the case. Although not nearly as developed as it is today, medicine was a lot more advanced in the Roman Era than it was in the centuries to come.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Dora as well. Maybe the established medical practices in the past as well as writings about it have helped to influence present day medicine. Did you find any evidence of suggestions of this? We could possibly give more credit to the medics of ancient times rather than focusing on their obvious barbaric ways.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I thought it was cool too! There actually is evidence that ancient writings and medical work (including that of Galen's) have influenced today's medicine. Based on ancient study of the anatomy of the human body we now know about things such as arteries, urine, blood, even muscles tissue, and bones. Some theories relative to disease and the human body are still relevant today and some even lasted for centuries until they were refuted during the Renaissance era.
ReplyDeleteI like the information on Galen. He seems very advanced, when compared with the doctors of the Middle Ages (the ones that used leeches and bloodletting as a way to cure the plague). I thought your poem was an interesting way to go as well, it was a neat way to combine the creative aspects of Roman history and the scientific, medical practices they innovated. Very good product!
ReplyDeleteThank you! I appreciate that :)
ReplyDeleteWhen I think of medicine in the past, my mind usually jumps to the Middle Ages, a time notorious for unreasonable or ineffective treatments. I love seeing how much ancient cultures actually discovered and passed down to us. What seems barbaric in one culture is reasonable and logical in another. The remedies used in the Middle Ages could have been sensible for the time and place, but compared to Claudius Galen? Not a chance. This is a really good post!
ReplyDeleteI really loved your poem! I liked your comparison to Atlas and Galen--> his medical advancements do really make him the Atlas of the medicinal world. I liked that you chose this topic because I'd never heard of this plague before--> I agree with some of the posts above, illness in Rome and Greece is never really talked about anywhere near as much as war or the gods. I think it would be interesting to compare the average life expectancy in ancient greece and the middle ages--> I'm sure the medical differences would cause a drop in avg age. Really great poem!
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