Medicine, Health, and Healing in the Ancient Mediterranean (500 BCE–600 CE): A SourcebookThis sourcebook provides an expansive picture of medicine, health, and healing in ancient Greece and Rome. Covering a wide array of fascinating topics—such as ancient diagnostic practices using the pulse and urine, gynecological theories of women’s illness, treatments involving drugs and surgery, the training and work of physicians, the experiences of patients, and various sites where healing took place—this volume will engage readers interested in the rich history of health and healthcare. The volume brings together textual sources—many hard to access and some translated into English for the first time—as well as artistic, material, and scientific evidence, including:
Readers will come away with a nuanced understanding of the illnesses people in ancient Greece and Rome experienced, the range of healers from whom they sought help, and the various practices they employed to be healthy. |
Contents
Approaching the History of Medicine | 1 |
A Chronological Overview | 16 |
Living Conditions in the Ancient Mediterranean | 37 |
The Cosmos and the Body as a Microcosm | 52 |
The Art and Science of Medicine | 78 |
Theories of Health and Illness | 95 |
Diagnosis | 107 |
Case Histories | 122 |
Common Treatments and Therapeutics | 219 |
Physicians | 283 |
Life Stages | 337 |
Healing Places and Spaces | 383 |
Acknowledgments | 395 |
Glossary of Subjects | 403 |
Glossary of People | 411 |
Further Reading | 421 |
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Common terms and phrases
ailments anatomy ancient medical ancient Mediterranean Asclepius bathing become bile birth black bile blood bodily body bones brain called cause cavity Celsus century BCE Chapter cold depicting digestion discussed disease divine dream drink drugs Erasistratus especially example excess fetus fever flesh Galen gods Greek Greek physician Greek text Greek word hand happen harm healing heat Herophilus Hippocrates Hippocratic corpus Hippocratic Oath human humors Hygieia illness inflammation inscription intestines kinds Latin living longer extant Marcus Aurelius massage medical writers medicine modern-day mouth muscles nature obstetrician pain patients pessary phlegm physicians pneuma practice pregnant reason regimen remedies Roman Scribonius Largus second century seed sick person skin someone sometimes Soranus sources stomach suffering surgery temple things Timaeus tion Translation treat treatment trepanation Türkiye urine uterus vessels vomiting warm wet nurse winds wine woman womb women wound writings