Greek Medicine - Roots of Science - Lecture Slides, Slides of Life Sciences

Download Greek Medicine - Roots of Science - Lecture Slides and more Slides Life Sciences in PDF only on Docsity! Greek Medicine I. Early Greek Medicine II. Hippocratic Medicine III. Hellenistic Anatomy and Physiology IV. Galen (129 – 210) Docsity.com I. Early Greek Medicine A. Homer (ca. 900 BCE) 1. Gods cause disease B. Cult of Asclepius (300 BCE – 200 CE) 1. Greek hero who became a god 2. Cure: incantations and herbal medicines Docsity.com Hippocratic Oath I swear by Apollo, Asclepius, Hygieia, and Panacea, and I take to witness all the gods, all the goddesses, to keep according to my ability and my judgment, the following Oath. To consider dear to me, as my parents, him who taught me this art; to live in common with him and, if necessary, to share my goods with him; To look upon his children as my own brothers, to teach them this art. I will prescribe regimens for the good of my patients according to my ability and my judgment and never do harm to anyone. To please no one will I prescribe a deadly drug nor give advice which may cause his death. Nor will I give a woman a pessary to procure abortion. But I will preserve the purity of my life and my arts. I will not cut for stone, even for patients in whom the disease is manifest; I will leave this operation to be performed by practitioners, specialists in this art. In every house where I come I will enter only for the good of my patients, keeping myself far from all intentional ill-doing and all seduction and especially from the pleasures of love with women or with men, be they free or slaves. All that may come to my knowledge in the exercise of my profession or in daily commerce with men, which ought not to be spread abroad, I will keep secret and will never reveal. If I keep this oath faithfully, may I enjoy my life and practice my art, respected by all men and in all times; but if I swerve from it or violate it, may the reverse be my lot. Docsity.com C. Theory of health and disease 3. Disease caused by imbalance of bodily humors (homeostatic imbalance) • Bodily humors: blood, phlegm, yellow bile, black bile • Associated with hot, cold, wet, dry • Excess or lack of warmth and moisture causes imbalance of humors which results in disease • Different humors dominant in different seasons: Phlegm – winter Blood – spring Yellow bile – summer Black bile - autumn 4. Other causes of disease: poor diet and lack of exercise • Temperaments: melancholy (moody, glum) – black bile; choleric (irritable) – yellow bile; sanguine (happy, healthy) – blood; phlegmatic (slow, droopy) – phlegm • Earth in black bile, Fire in yellow bile, water in phlegm, all in blood • Standard belief until 19th century Docsity.com C. Theory of health and disease 5. Therapy • Restore balance of humors • Diet and exercise • Nature heals D. Not the dominant medicine 1. Supernatural healing popular (Asclepius) 2. Natural approach combined with supernatural (especially dream healing) • Purging: bloodletting, emetics, laxatives, diuretics Docsity.com C. Human Physiology Example of digestion • Food into stomach reduced to juice (chyle) • Chyle through pores in stomach and intestines to liver • In liver, chyle becomes blood • Blood moves through veins to nourish body Docsity.com C. Physiology • Arteries contain only pneuma (physis and psychic) inhaled from air • Physis (vital pneuma) to heart via pulmonary vein • From heart, physis distributed through arterial system • Responsible for sensations and motor responses • Nerves distribute finer form of pneuma: psychic pneuma • Problem with pneuma theory: artery cut, blood comes out • Explanation: loss of pneuma could cause vacuum • Blood from veins rushes in to prevent vacuum What really happens? Docsity.com Questions What becomes of chyle once it reaches the liver? a. It passes to the intestines b. It becomes blood c. It moves through the veins to nourish the body d. It becomes psychic pneuma What is responsible for sensations and motor responses? a. Physis pneuma b. Psychic pneuma c. Phlegm d. Yellow bile Docsity.com C. Galen’s physiology 1. Based on Plato and Erasistratus 2. Three major organs • Brain • Source of soul’s rational functions • Source of nerves: sensory and motor • contain psychic pneuma • Heart • Source of passions • Source of arteries • contain vital pneuma (physis) • Liver • Source of desire and appetite • Source of veins that nourish body Docsity.com C. Galen’s physiology 3. The three major organs work together • food through stomach reduced to chyle • chyle through stomach to liver • in liver, chyle becomes venous blood • venous blood through veins nourishes body and is consumed • venous blood enters right side of heart pumped to lungs • lungs regulate heat created by heart and provide pneuma • arteries a mix of pneuma and thinned venous blood Docsity.com IV. Galen (129 – 210) D. Diagnostic 1. Each patient unique; therefore examine entire body 2. Pay special attention to urine and pulse E. Galen the creationist • Evidence for Demiurge in his creation: beginnings of Natural Theology “When anyone looking at the facts with an open mind sees that in the slime of fleshes and juices is yet an indwelling intelligence and sees too the structure of any animal whatsoever- for they all give evidence of a wise Creator – he will understand the excellence of intelligence in the heavens.” Docsity.com