Ancient Greek Medicine Exam #1 – Flashcards

First hand account, letters, documents, literary sources, artifacts, secondary sources, military accounts, skeletal evidence, material culture (Weaknesses: bias, errors, assumptions/speculations often prevalent)

Small villages and cities, predominantly rural

Minimal movement (exception: armies and traders). Thus, slow spread of disease, endemic (not pandemic) diseases.

Limited types of food (based on terrain, climate, etc.). Populations often malnourished.

Terrible. No concept of infectious disease, so sick and healthy populations often co-mingled.

Low life expectancy (between 20-30 years, but there is dispute amongst scholars). Infants at high risk of death.

Study of causation and distribution of disease

localized diseases with effects on one another, an economy or household of diseases. Diseases interact with one another (malaria hinders syphilis, etc.) Hard to discern when discussing antiquity.

Uses skeletal remains and material culture to discern patterns of disease, etc. Discrepancies prevalent, results/findings may not be indicative of entire population. (Cribra orbitalia: indicates anemia of the eye; linear enamel hypoplasia: lines in the teeth indicate evidence of malnutrition and stress)

Diseases were generally endemic because populations did not often move. When diseases did spread, it was through armies and trading. Malnourishment and diseases stemming from it were prevalent, as was infectious disease due to poor sanitation.

There is often a language barrier. Similarly, there may be errors in the transcription/translation process of primary sources, or the manuscripts themselves may be damaged or fragmentary. Within the sources themselves, information may be biased or focus on only one group of people (frequently, focus was placed primarily on the elite).

Ancient physicians saw old age as an eminent phase of life, didn't draw attention to specific diseases of the old. Instead, made note of exceptions to the rule (those who lived to an old age and remained hearty).

Endemic disease common. "Plagues" often were local, for the most part. (Exception: Antonian plague spread by Roman army from Persia to Rome). No concept of infectious disease, communicable diseases caused by miasma ("bad air").

Most evidence of occupational diseases is found through anecdotal accounts. Interest in occupational diseases was minimal because focus was primarily placed on the elite.

Puretoi/Febres=fever. Malaria.

Fever, different types of fever judged by patterns (length of fever, dissipation and return, etc). These patterns are akin to that of malaria.

7796-479 BC (Polis, Colonization, Greek Alphabet)

Sons of Asclepius, described by Homer. Knowledge of drugs descends from Chiron the Centaur (as did Asclepius'). Podalirius treats diseases, Machaon treats wounds.

Belief that there are two types of affection, congenital (innate) and acquired (result of residues and body heat). This theory found in other Egyptian medical papyri, but not much is known about Ninyas himself. Ninyas is one of many whom believe that diseases arise from the residues of nutriment (as opposed to some change in the body's elements).

Thought of the world as built up from four stable elements (earth, air, fire, water) whose potentially unstable combinations/proportions produced everything that could be perceived. Closely intertwined philosophy and medicine, practiced medicine both practically and theoretically. Beliefs: -Digestion was mechanical -Thought maternal milk was putrefied superfluous blood -Heat was used to account for differences between sexes (males warmer than females), and explain sleep (a cooling process)

Counterpart to Empedocles. Beliefs: Health depends on balanced mixture; not harmony based on specific proportion but on a complete blending together. Did not focus on elements, but qualities or powers (dry, cold, hot, bitter, sweet, etc). His theory allows for greater flexibility: While Emp. needed fragile proportions in elements, but Alcmaeon's parameters are not as strictly defined. May have dissected an eyeball. -Isonomia: perfect harmony of all substances -Crasis/Eucrasis

Wrote on similar topics to Alcmaeon. Regarded by Galen as doctor and philosopher. Believed everything was in some way derived from air, including thought and sensation. Aristotle preserves his descriptions of blood vessels (two large parallel ducts each serving one side of the body). -Innate heat -Knowledge of Anatomy

More considerable and longer-lasting influence than Diogenes. Discussed prognosis and dietetics, wrote "Medical Opinions" (though we aren't sure whose opinions these are). Wrote "Prognostics of Democritus," listing rules for foretelling impending death, giving him authority as a seer in the Early Middle Ages. Reputation for anatomical studies based on rumor that Hippocrates was summoned to cure him of madness after dissecting many animals to discover nature of bile. Attached great value to pneuma (seed). -Atomist Doctrine

"student of nature" and "medical prophet"

the attempt to explain (and simplify) objects or events in one domain by using terminology, concepts, laws, or principles from another domain.

TRUE

E: All of the above

FALSE

A. Hesiod

E. All of the Above

c. Greek medical literature differs considerably from Babylonian and Egyptian medical writings, particularly its employment of sophisticated reasoning and open competitiveness

True

b. Empedocles

c. Democritus of Abdera

True

-Machaon did not consult the gods; healed wounds, cuts, worked with his hands. Podalirius healed disease. -Galucus' Prayer: Prays to Zeus and gets healed -The wound would not heal and Telephus consulted the oracle of Delphi about it. The oracle responded in a mysterious way that "he that wounded shall heal". -Telephus convinced Achilles to heal his wound in return for showing the Achaeans the way to Troy, thus resolving the conflict. (Theory of similarities!!!!) -Theory that epidemics struck as a result of divine anger. -Homer and his audience DID NOT attribute all illness to the gods. The painful ulcer that led the Greeks to leaving Philocretes on Lemnosis was ascribed to a natural cause: a bite from a water-snake. Hesiod: -disease came as a punishment from Zeus to evildoers -Also painted the picture of diseases freely roaming the earth silently bring mischief to mortals

Some influence, but not really. Pre-socratic philosophers had a greater influence. Reasons for Egyptian Influence Medicinal substances: artifacts and Greeks referring to Egypt in their medical texts Greek Authors: Herodotus says there are doctors everywhere Analogous theories: purging and residue Ninyas the Egyptian: text written the same time as Hippocrates ****just because two places have similarities in medicine, doesn't mean they influenced each other Reasons against Egyptian Influence Language: claims that Greeks hated learning other languages No acknowledgment: Greeks don't really say where they get their ideas from Medical Literature: Egyptians don't go out of their way into the world to explain medicine

Had the greatest influence on Greek medicine. Physikos: reductionism: reduce the world into small parts naturalism: use the things you see to explain the world (natural causes) **Empedocles (c. mid 5th BC) Practical Theoretical Four elements: fire, water, earth, air Blood Digestion and Heat **Alcmaeon of Croton (c. 500-450 BC) Tradition claimed him as a pupil of Pythagoras Theoretical Health and Isonomia: relates equality under the law to medicine; equal distribution of forces (moist, dry, cold, hot, bitter, sweet, etc.) Crasis= mixed ; eurcrasis= well mixed Sensation Embryology Sex differentiation **Diogenes of Apollonia Theoretical Everything from a single principle - air Air and intelligence Anatomy **Democritus of Abdera (c.460 BC) Some texts say he is the teacher of Hippocrates Theoretical Prognosis, dietetics, medical opinions Pneuma and the seed (reproduction) Atomist doctrine Interest in animal anatomy Emphasized having a healthy lifestyle Prevention is better than cure Says the soul ruins the body because of its desire for pleasures and wine

Use the things you see to explain the world (natural causes)

FALSE

TRUE

b. Most of these texts come from the 5th and 4th century BC

True

d. B and C

b. Hippocratic physicians avoided treating patients with incurable diseases

True

d. All of the above

False