Following on from two previous posts which explored the contributions of the Ancient Egyptians and the Islamic Golden Age to our knowledge of medicine. Now we explore the developments made in Ancient Greece. Above we see the mural in Papagorgiou Hospital paying homage to Asclepios.
Medicine then was a compilation of theories and practice where the spiritual and the physical were interwoven. A good case in point is Asclepios, reputed to be the son of Apollo, who was perceived to be the first physician. Myth or man is irrelevant, but what is significant is that Asclepion centres were operant for diagnosis, healing and advice. Abscesses were said to be drained and ‘foreign material’ removed, while the patient was sedated by substances such as opium.
This is a photo of mine taken in Trikala – a tribute made to him as the original town of Trikki boasted a centre there dating back to probably the first century BC. You can see the figure holding a staff, now globally established as the symbol of medicine. The design embodies a snake traditionally associated with the physician. Various reasons for this include the fact that the serpent, shedding its skin, embodied revitalization and that its venom was sometimes used as a form of medication.
One such centre was the Asclepion of Epidaurus where marble boards, dated as 350 BC, record names, case histories, symptoms and cures of those who came to the temple to be cured. Below we can see the Asclepion centre on the island of Kos, probably the most well preserved of those sanctuaries.
Worth a mention is the Greek physician Herodicus of the 5th century BC. Seen below, he is said to be the first to use exercise for treatment and the maintenance of health, recommending good diet and massage, using specific herbs and oils.. Considered the father of sports medicine, he was, perhaps, one of the tutors of Hippocrates.
The Hippocratic Corpus is a collection of texts probably written by several authors over several decades. As well as trying to systemize biological features into medicine, it represented a significant move away from the spiritual and superstition. They adopted an empirical rational approach, where observation and practical trial and error drove development, though for good measure it was regarded as expedient to placate the gods - just in case!
The Humoural Theory, prevalent at hat time, held that the four humours - blood, phlegm, yellow and black bile - were each linked to an organ, temper, season and element. Balance here was the solution. As well as nutrition, geographic location and living conditions - mosquitos, rats and quality of drinking water - being factored in to the health perspective; the mind was seen as as a possible cause if illness and important in healing.
As well as advocating what were then revolutionary ideas, Hippocrates was one of the first physicians who insisted on hygiene - hands and instruments had to washed. He and his students developed the Hippocratic Oath, an ethical code for physicians. Today his contribution is reflected in the 1964 Lasagna Oath which is secular, ethical and promotes good professional practice in contemporary medicine.
The Hippocratic General Hospital of Thessaloniki, a major public teaching hospital, is the largest in the Balkans and highly regarded.
After all this time, his legacy lives on!
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