Greek Medicine: History, Development And Contributions
We can talk about as many medicines as there have been cultures and historical periods. The way in which human diseases have been treated and approached are very varied and have depended on the historical context in which the doctor lived.
Greek medicine is no exception The way the ancient Greeks viewed diseases is quite different from how we do it today, although it has influenced and laid the foundations for current medical practice.
Still, it cannot be said that Greek civilization was something static and culturally monolithic. In fact, there were great changes, which have caused Hellenistic historians to divide Greek civilization into two great periods.
That is why when talking about Greek medicine we cannot ignore the great differences that existed between the oldest times compared to the most classical ones, and in this article we are going to look at them in greater depth.
Within the great periods of the history of Western civilization, Ancient Greece is called the period from the 11th-12th century BC. C. until V BC. c In these centuries, Hellenic culture incorporated elements from other ethnic groups, from Mesopotamia, the Middle East and Africa. At this time, Greek medicine was characterized by not being refined or sophisticated.
Great historical events of the time give clues to what medical work was like in ancient Greek culture. One of them was the battle of Troy, one of the great armed conflicts experienced in the early days of young Europe. It was during the war that several questions were raised about How the wounds of badly injured soldiers should be treated Medical practices, judging from epic poems such as Homer’s The Iliad and The Odyssey, were interspersed with religious rites and superstitions. In fact, in the first of the works discussed, reference is made to those who, according to Homer, were the first practitioners of medicine: Polydirio and Machaón.
According to legend, Machaon put his healing knowledge into practice with a king, the Spartan Menelaus , who had been wounded by an arrow. The story goes that Machaon treated the monarch by first exploring the wound and what condition his patient was in, then he sucked the blood from the injury and finally administered the treatment.
Cult of the god Asclepiades
As we were already commenting, in the early days of Greek culture, the vision that was had about the therapeutic process was very marked by the belief that one’s health depended on the wishes and wills of the Olympian gods Most Hellenic temples were built near water sources, since it was believed that if someone fell ill, they could be cured by the water that, when arising near a temple, would acquire regenerative powers.
Among the many deities that make up the Greek pantheon, one stands out above the others in terms of its role in the therapeutic process: Asclepiades. This deity was the god of medicine, being the son of the one who had previously been the god with that same function, Apollo, and a beautiful but mortal virgin called Coronis.
The newborn was taken to Mount Pelion and raised by the centaur Chiron, who taught him many knowledges, including medicine. Asclepiades, once he had grown up, went to practice his knowledge in the big cities, becoming a prestigious doctor. As time went by, his father, Apollo, who until then had been the god of medicine, abdicated this title, giving it to his son.
Once the myth behind this god is understood, it is logical to think that the doctors of Ancient Greece worshiped him, considering his designs as essential for the patient to be cured. The sick came to him to overcome his illness or wonder why he had punished them with it.
Some temples erected to Asclepiades functioned in a similar way as modern hospitals do today. For example, in Pergamon and other temples the sick went there and undressed to put on white robes. Once this was done, they went to another area of ​​the temple, similar to a hotel, with facilities to treat patients and accommodate them for a time.
At the origins of the cult of this god there were beliefs that would be unthinkable today , and even the Greeks of several centuries later would flatly refuse to use them as an effective treatment. Cures and incantations were performed, and certain practices considered ‘natural’ were followed, such as having ulcers licked by dogs blessed by the god.
The priest who was in charge of ensuring that the rites to the god Asclepiades were carried out according to tradition, in addition to collecting the offerings intended for him and ensuring that the patients received the proper religious treatments, It was called iatros and, in fact, this word has survived to this day , meaning ‘the medical, the surgical’. This iatros had a function similar to the vision we have today of shamans and sorcerers.
From the 5th century BC. C. there are a series of socio-political and cultural changes that make Greece become the great power of the moment and this is also reflected in its knowledge, especially in the field of biology, astronomy and, very notably, in medicine. It could be said that it is at this time, although very far from how it is understood today, that scientific medicine appears.
At this time one of the great thinkers in the history of Western civilization appears, Aristotle, who conducted an extensive study of life forms, beginning with animals This philosopher, from the city of Stagira, studied and classified nearly 500 animals with the intention of understanding not only the natural world, but also human nature itself.
But although the work of Aristotle and other great classical Greek thinkers is undoubtedly something that deserves attention and a greater degree of depth, the one who should have a truly prominent role in this article is, without a doubt, Hippocrates of Cos.
Hippocrates: illness is a natural phenomenon
Hippocrates of Cos is, both for doctors and those who are not, a figure who has had an important role and fame within the field of health sciences. His name is associated with one of the great discoveries in history, representing a great change in the conception that was had about the origin of diseases in pre-Christian Greece: all disease is a natural phenomenon.
Hippocrates was against thinking that illness was the result of demonic possession , divine punishment or sorcery. Thus, within the Hippocratic vision of medicine, it was considered that one could get sick due to causes that were in the environment, such as the climate, food, bad water… It is not surprising that Hippocrates is known as the father of medicine as it is understood today.
Among the great contributions of Hippocratic practice and theory, the following three can be mentioned:
1. Observation and reasoning
As was already mentioned, the religious view of the disease was overcome and the medical condition from which the patient suffered was carefully observed and explored.
Diseases have symptoms, which give clues to what medical condition the patient is suffering from and how it can be dealt with.
In fact, Hippocrates was one of the first to establish differential diagnosis specifically between the diseases of malaria and fever.
2. Organic cause of diseases
The main idea of ​​Hippocrates, which today is the foundation behind modern medicine, is that every physiological disease has a biological cause.
In the hippocratic theory of the four humors It talks about how diseases arise, defending the idea that they are the consequence of an imbalance between four substances: bile, phlegm, blood and water.
3. Deontology
He defended the idea that the doctor had to work in the most ethical and moral way possible for the patient, ensuring benefit and without discriminating between social group, ethnicity, sex or race.
Until the time, those who had the right to be seen by a doctor were usually the men who were among the highest elites of their city-state. Hippocrates changed this, making women, the poor and foreigners receive, in some way, medical care.
Influence of Greek medicine today
Although more than twenty centuries have passed since the time in which Hippocrates lived, there are many great contributions of this Greek that have had an impact on the vision we have today of medicine and its field of application.
It should not be ignored that, thanks to the great scientific advances, in addition to the founding of disciplines such as microbiology, oncology and genetics , the causes of diseases are known more clearly. However, these could hardly have arisen if today it was still believed that diseases are the result of invisible heavenly curses.
The contribution that is perhaps the best known is that of the Hippocratic Oath As has already been said, Hippocrates defended the idea that every sick person had the right to be cared for, regardless of their status or social condition. Today, this oath is fundamental in medical practice and, in fact, those who have just completed their medical studies must recite it during the graduation ceremony.
Another of the great contributions of Greek medicine, in this case from the hand of Aristotle, is the study of animal and human anatomy Thanks to this, and despite the rudimentary nature of the technique, the first surgical interventions could be performed with truly therapeutic results.
Finally, the idea that emerges from Greek medicine from the 5th century BC is very important. Every disease has a biological origin and, therefore, in one way or another it is possible to prevent what causes the disease from causing it. That is to say, Thanks to the medicine of the time, better treatments could be developed , not only with the intention of curing patients, but also of preventing them from suffering from the disease. Prevention and care significantly improved people’s well-being.
