Medical Works of Antiquity (16 vols.)

by Hippocrates; Heraclitus of Ephesus; W. H. S. Jones; E. T. Withington

and

4 more

Publishers:

Harvard University Press; William Heinemann; G. P. Putnam’s Sons

, 1916

Overview

Medical Works of Antiquity assembles the writings of Hippocrates, Galen, and Celsus to bring you a comprehensive study of ancient medical practices, theories, and experiences. These texts remained valuable resources for hundreds of years, representing the best medical insight available at the time.

Known as the father of Western medicine, Hippocrates made extraordinary contributions to medical practices and vocabulary, including key terminology still in use today. Categorical terms such as “acute,” “chronic,” “endemic,” and “epidemic,” as well as “exacerbation,” “relapse,” “resolution,” “crisis,” “paroxysm,” “peak,” and “convalescence” were all coined by Hippocrates. While the specific techniques Hippocrates used in fourth and fifth century BC are outdated, Hippocrates introduced a number of medical approaches and the philosophy behind them that medical practitioners still use today, such as the modern adaptation of the famous Hippocratic Oath—included in the Medical Works of Antiquity collection with Hippocrates’ other medical writings.

Six hundred years after Hippocrates, Galen entered the medical field. With the best education available and a wealth of experience, Galen made contributions to medicine that lasted over 1,000 years, and his works were studied by medical practitioners as late as the nineteenth century. Galen knew that understanding the human body’s mysteries was key to medical science, but since dissecting the deceased was illegal under Roman law, he studied anatomy by dissecting pigs and monkeys instead. Through this, he established a greater understanding of the human body than any physician before his time, as well as countless physicians after. Works like On the Natural Faculties survive today as fascinating explorations of ancient medical practices and the logic behind them.

Building from the writings of prominent physicians, Aulus Cornelius Celsus wrote On Medicine as a part of an encyclopedia on agriculture, medicine, military arts, rhetoric, philosophy, and jurisprudence. On Medicine is the only surviving text from the encyclopedia. It offers an accessible and comprehensive explanation of medical science leading up to the first century. All three volumes of On Medicine are contained in the Medical Works of Antiquity, covering subjects including the Greek schools of medicine, prognosis, diagnosis, ailments, treatment, surgeries, and more.

This collection contains the complete texts in their Loeb Classical Library editions. Each volume is included in its original language with an English translation for easy side-by-side comparison. Logos’ language tools help you to go deeper into the Greek and Latin texts and explore each writer’s elegant language. Use the dictionary lookup tool to examine difficult Greek or Latin words and find every occurrence in your library. There’s never been a better way for students of history, medicine, culture, and Greek and Latin literature to absorb these intriguing works.

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Key Features

• A comprehensive study of Roman medical practices, theories, and experiences
• The complete works of the father of Western medicine
• Wisdom that was used for over 1,000 years
• Loeb Classical Library editions

Product Details

• Title: Medical Works of Antiquity
• Series: Loeb Classical Library
• Publisher: Harvard University Press
• Volumes: 16
• Pages: 3,479