Heart research and ancient Greek medicine

Dreams in ancient Greek Medicine.

Dreams preoccupied the Greek and Roman world in antiquity, therefore they had a prominent role in social, philosophical, religious, historical and political life of those times. They were considered as omens and prophetic signs of future events in private and public life, and that was particularly accentuated when elements of actions which took place in the plot of dreams were associated direct...

The ancient Greek origins of sports medicine.

The history of physical education shows sport and medicine to have a long-standing and close relationship (Dixon et al. 1957). Indeed, if one takes into account the participation of doctors of medicine on national teams and the sporting reputations of some hospitals and medical faculties, a sympathy for sport seems to be almost a tradition of the medical profession. Perhaps the association of h...

The heart and the vascular system in ancient Greek medicine. From Alcmaeon to Galen

Epilepsy in ancient Greek medicine—the vital step

Diseases can be considered as acts or invasions by the gods, demons, or evil spirits, and treated by the invocation of supposedly supernatural powers. Or they were considered the effects of natural causes and are consequently treated by natural means. In the struggle between the magic and the scientific conception the latter has gradually emerged victorious in the western world. The fight has b...

Greek Medicine Practice at Ancient Rome: The Physician Molecularist Asclepiades

Background: In the pre-Hellenistic period, the concept of medicine was not well-defined. Usually, a disease was considered as a divine punishment and its treatment was devolved to the priests who asked for healing from the divinities. The only job that could be compared to medical practice was a kind of itinerant medicine, derived from the Egyptian therapeutic tradition based only on practical ...