Ancient Greek Medicine

Greek culture spread across sourthern Europe.

• 700BC- 300BC- medicine- influenced by the Egyptians
• World- controlled by many Gods- wrote down myths
• Loved to debate- views expressed

Asclepios was the Greek God of healing.

• Spiritual/ supernatural approach to medicine- followed by the cult of Asclepios
• Temples called Asclepions- people stayed in them when they were ill
• Vistors- ceremonial washing in the sea, make sacrifice to the God & sleep in a building called an abaton (narrow with roof but no solid walls- open to the air)
• While sleeping- God would come in dream & cure them
• Preists did 'ward rounds'- administering ointments & performing rituals- some involved placing snakes on patient (snake is sacred animal of Aslepios)
• Success stories- recorded in inscriptions on walls of the Aslepions
• A's daughter- Hygeia & Panacea- involved in healing 
• Women were allowed to be doctors

Philosophers tried to explain things rationally.

• Followers- 'Brotherhood of Pythagoras'-devotees & argued with other philosophers
• Religion was interwoven in their logic
• Thales of Miletus- founder of Greek philosophy- thought water was the basis of life (580BC)
• Anaximander (560BC)- everything made up of four elements- earth, water air & fire
• Phythagoras (580- 500BC)- life was about balance of opposites

Hippocrates- the founding father of Western medicine.

• Hippocrates (460- 377BC)- born on island of Kos
• Hippocratic Oath- promise by doctors to obey rules of behaviour in their professional lives
• Hippocratic Corpus- collection of medical books- written by Hippocrates or his followers

The ideas of the Hippocratic Corpus.

• Healthy body- in balance- illness was an inbalance of elements
• 'Airs, waters & places'- book from Hippocratic Corpus- environment instead of gods & spirits caused disease
• 'Prognostic', 'Coan Prognostic' & 'Aphorisms' improve Egyptian ideas- diagnosis
• Suggested- studying cases- doctors could learn to predict course of an illness
• Encouraged the 4 step method- 'clinical method of observation'

• 1) Diagnosis- study the symptoms
• 2) Prognosis- consider & predict
• 3) Observation- observe, note, compare
• 4) Treatment- treat with confidence

• Suggests- no action before reliable diagnosis is made
• Ilness- where possible- left to run their course- 'Minimum intervention'

The Ancient Greeks had lifestyle regimens.

• 'A regimen for Health' & 'Regimen in Acute disease' from HC- recommeneded lifestyles for healthy living or recovery from illness
• Be healthy- exercise- Men- gymnasiums
• Hygiene was important- emphasis on washing
• Ancient Athens- system brought clean water through clay pipes
• Diet was also important. 'Aregimen for Health' suggested- eating lots & drunking little in winter and vice versa in summer
• Text- prescribes amount of sleep & exercise required- depending on digestive problems

Aristotle linked disease to the Four Humours.

• Aristotle (384BC- 322BC)- linked Hippocratic balance of elements to body fluids- blood, phlegm, yellow bile & black bile
• Four seasons linked to four elements- balance for good health
• Winter- get colds & produce more phlegm- rains more (linked water, winter & phlegm)
• Failed to see symptoms were effects of disease rather than causes
• Treatments- get four back in balance
• Some- getting rid of an excess of one or another of the humours
• Others counter balanced- foods, herbs, drinks & spices were considered to have humours- consume to correct imbalance

Alexandria became a centre of medical advance.

• Founded- Alexander the Great
• Library of A tried to amass all the knowledge of the world- made copies for other libraries- lucky due to fires
• Human dissection was allowed- short time allowed vivsection of condemmed criminals
• Famous for training medics & surgeons- accurate observation was key to advancement
• Herophiluas (250BC) compared human & animal anatomy & worked on nervous system- correctly indentifed connection to brain but thought nerves were vessels carrying life force
• Frasistratus (250BC)- identified differences between arteries, veins & nerves & saw nerves were not hollow
• Doctors from A- practised from all over the world- but divided into competing intellectual camps - led to doctors only considering teachings of their own group

Surgery was a last resort for the Ancient Greeks.

• Mechanics of surgery advanced but effective anaesthetics, antiseptics understanding germs & infections were far in future
• Surgery- risky- patient often died from trauma or infection
• Last resort- most treatments- outside the body- exception was draining lungs infected with pneumonia
• Surgeons- good technique for settling broken bones- extreme- amputate
• Surgical instruments- scalpels, forceps, shears, probes & hooks (iron, steel & brass)
• Eye opperations occured