The Neurology of Erasistratus

Alexandria, founded by Alexander the Great (356-323B.C.) and established by the Ptolemaic Pharaohs, was the seat of learning for many famous Greek physicians. Its teachers had access to a library of some 7,000 scrolls, probably the largest collection of any country. Hellenistic Alexandria’s renowned scholars included the physiologist Erasistratus, Herophilus (c. 330-c. 260 B.C.) [1] (Figure 1)-named by many, the Father of Anatomy [2-4] and Aretaeus (c. 2nd century AD) a leading anatomist and physician in this period (Table 1).