Herophilus: Difference between revisions
imported>Anthony.Sebastian (add content, wikilinks) |
imported>Anthony.Sebastian mNo edit summary |
||
Line 10: | Line 10: | ||
{{-}} | {{-}} | ||
The late 4th and early 3rd century BCE [[History of medicine|Greek physician]] and human anatomist, '''Herophilus''' (335-280 BCE), lived during a brief period in the history of [[Ancient Greece|ancient Greece]] when the authorities of the city of [[Alexandria]] (founded by [[Alexander the Great]] in ~332 BCE) permitted dissection (and possibly [[vivisection]]) of the human body, a practice banned since the time [[Hippocrates|Hippocrates of Cos]] earlier had introduced the principles of natural causes of disease as opposed to his forebears’ supernaturally based medicine.<ref name=vonstaden1989>von Staden H. (1989) [http://books.google.com/books?id=rGhlIfJZkVoC Herophilus: The Art of Medicine in Early Alexandria.] Edition, Translation, and Essays by Heinrich Von Staden, Herophilus. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521236460 (hbk), ISBN 9780521236461(hbk), ISBN 9780521041782 (pbk). | The late 4th and early 3rd century BCE [[History of medicine|Greek physician]] and human anatomist, '''Herophilus''' (335-280 BCE), lived during a brief period in the history of [[Ancient Greece|ancient Greece]] when the authorities of the city of [[Alexandria]] (founded by [[Alexander the Great]] in ~332 BCE) permitted dissection (and possibly [[vivisection]]) of the human body, a practice banned since the time [[Hippocrates|Hippocrates of Cos]] earlier had introduced the principles of natural causes of disease as opposed to his forebears’ supernaturally based medicine.<ref name=vonstaden1989>von Staden H. (1989) [http://books.google.com/books?id=rGhlIfJZkVoC Herophilus: The Art of Medicine in Early Alexandria.] Edition, Translation, and Essays by Heinrich Von Staden, Herophilus. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521236460 (hbk), ISBN 9780521236461(hbk), ISBN 9780521041782 (pbk). | ||
*<b><u>[http://www.cambridge.org/us/catalogue/catalogue.asp?isbn=9780521236461 Publisher's description:]</u></b> Herophilus, a contemporary of Euclid, practiced medicine in Alexandria in the third century B.C., and seems to have been the first Western scientist to dissect the human body. He made especially impressive contributions to many branches of anatomy and also developed influential views on many other aspects of medicine. Von Staden assembles the fragmentary evidence concerning one of the more important scientists of ancient Greece. Part 1 of the book presents the Greek and Latin texts accompanied by English translation and interpretative commentary. Significant background information is given in the introductory essay preceding each chapter. Part 2 briefly sketches the major developments within the Herophilean school after Herophilus, and discusses the individual members within it. Anyone interested in the history of science, the history of medicine, or intellectual history will find this book a rich source of information about an unusual and important aspect of Greek culture. (See Table of Contents and Excerpt [http://www.cambridge.org/us/catalogue/catalogue.asp?isbn=9780521236461 here,] and extensive preview [http://books.google.com/books?id=rGhlIfJZkVoC here.])</ref> <ref><b><u>Note:</u></b> Not long after its founding, under the successors of Alexander in Alexandria, the Ptolemies, the center of Greek learning had shifted from Athens to Alexandria, and the focus of learning had shifted from ‘the philosophy of man’ to the ‘science of human beings’. The Ptolemies decidedly encouraged scientific progress. See Preface and pages 37-38 of von Staden’s study of Herophilus cited above.</ref> Herophilus exploited that opportunity in public and private dissections of human corpses, making numerous original discoveries of human anatomy. In part because of Herophilus’s pioneering work in studying human anatomy through dissection, and in part because of the extent and significance of his discoveries, many scholars have accorded him the accolade, “Father of Anatomy”. Renaissance scholars call him the "Vesalius of antiquity", after the "The Father of Modern Anatomy, [[Vesalius|Andreas Vesalius]].<ref name=vonstaden1989/> Von Staden considered Herophilus the ''….first and greatest Alexandrian representative of scientific medicine''.<ref name=vonstaden1989/> | *<b><u>[http://www.cambridge.org/us/catalogue/catalogue.asp?isbn=9780521236461 Publisher's description:]</u></b> Herophilus, a contemporary of Euclid, practiced medicine in Alexandria in the third century B.C., and seems to have been the first Western scientist to dissect the human body. He made especially impressive contributions to many branches of anatomy and also developed influential views on many other aspects of medicine. Von Staden assembles the fragmentary evidence concerning one of the more important scientists of ancient Greece. Part 1 of the book presents the Greek and Latin texts accompanied by English translation and interpretative commentary. Significant background information is given in the introductory essay preceding each chapter. Part 2 briefly sketches the major developments within the Herophilean school after Herophilus, and discusses the individual members within it. Anyone interested in the history of science, the history of medicine, or intellectual history will find this book a rich source of information about an unusual and important aspect of Greek culture. (See Table of Contents and Excerpt [http://www.cambridge.org/us/catalogue/catalogue.asp?isbn=9780521236461 here,] and extensive preview [http://books.google.com/books?id=rGhlIfJZkVoC here.])</ref> <ref><b><u>Note:</u></b> Not long after its founding, under the successors of Alexander in Alexandria, the Ptolemies, the center of Greek learning had shifted from Athens to Alexandria, and the focus of learning had shifted from ‘the philosophy of man’ to the ‘science of human beings’. The Ptolemies decidedly encouraged scientific progress. See Preface and pages 37-38 of von Staden’s study of Herophilus cited above.</ref> Herophilus exploited that opportunity in public and private dissections of human corpses, making numerous original discoveries of human anatomy. In part because of Herophilus’s pioneering work in studying human anatomy through dissection, and in part because of the extent and significance of his discoveries, many scholars have accorded him the accolade, “Father of Anatomy”. Renaissance scholars call him the "Vesalius of antiquity", after the "The Father of Modern Anatomy, [[Vesalius|Andreas Vesalius]].<ref name=vonstaden1989/> Von Staden considered Herophilus the "''….first and greatest Alexandrian representative of scientific medicine.''".<ref name=vonstaden1989/> | ||
==References and notes cited in text as superscripts== | ==References and notes cited in text as superscripts== |
Revision as of 17:16, 16 February 2009
![](http://s9.addthis.com/button1-share.gif)
Note: Text in font-color Blue link to articles in Citizendium; text in font-color Light-Maroon link to articles not yet started; |
The late 4th and early 3rd century BCE Greek physician and human anatomist, Herophilus (335-280 BCE), lived during a brief period in the history of ancient Greece when the authorities of the city of Alexandria (founded by Alexander the Great in ~332 BCE) permitted dissection (and possibly vivisection) of the human body, a practice banned since the time Hippocrates of Cos earlier had introduced the principles of natural causes of disease as opposed to his forebears’ supernaturally based medicine.[1] [2] Herophilus exploited that opportunity in public and private dissections of human corpses, making numerous original discoveries of human anatomy. In part because of Herophilus’s pioneering work in studying human anatomy through dissection, and in part because of the extent and significance of his discoveries, many scholars have accorded him the accolade, “Father of Anatomy”. Renaissance scholars call him the "Vesalius of antiquity", after the "The Father of Modern Anatomy, Andreas Vesalius.[1] Von Staden considered Herophilus the "….first and greatest Alexandrian representative of scientific medicine.".[1]
References and notes cited in text as superscripts
Most citations to articles listed here include links — in font-color blue — to full-text. Accessing full-text may require personal or institutional subscription. Nevertheless, many with do offer full-text, and if not, usually offer text or links that show the abstracts of the articles, free without subscription. Links to books variously may open to full-text, or to the publishers' description of the book with or without downloadable selected chapters, reviews, and table of contents. Books with links to Google Books often offer extensive previews of the books' text. |
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 von Staden H. (1989) Herophilus: The Art of Medicine in Early Alexandria. Edition, Translation, and Essays by Heinrich Von Staden, Herophilus. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521236460 (hbk), ISBN 9780521236461(hbk), ISBN 9780521041782 (pbk).
- Publisher's description: Herophilus, a contemporary of Euclid, practiced medicine in Alexandria in the third century B.C., and seems to have been the first Western scientist to dissect the human body. He made especially impressive contributions to many branches of anatomy and also developed influential views on many other aspects of medicine. Von Staden assembles the fragmentary evidence concerning one of the more important scientists of ancient Greece. Part 1 of the book presents the Greek and Latin texts accompanied by English translation and interpretative commentary. Significant background information is given in the introductory essay preceding each chapter. Part 2 briefly sketches the major developments within the Herophilean school after Herophilus, and discusses the individual members within it. Anyone interested in the history of science, the history of medicine, or intellectual history will find this book a rich source of information about an unusual and important aspect of Greek culture. (See Table of Contents and Excerpt here, and extensive preview here.)
- ↑ Note: Not long after its founding, under the successors of Alexander in Alexandria, the Ptolemies, the center of Greek learning had shifted from Athens to Alexandria, and the focus of learning had shifted from ‘the philosophy of man’ to the ‘science of human beings’. The Ptolemies decidedly encouraged scientific progress. See Preface and pages 37-38 of von Staden’s study of Herophilus cited above.