The history of western medicine- Ancient Greek and Roman medicine

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Who were the Hippocratic physicians?
Followers of Hippocrates’ medical theories and put them into practice
They contributed to the hippocratic corpus
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Why did the Hippocratics and other Greek physicians want to be regarded as philosopher?
Their way of practicing medicine was underlined by the philosophical belief that health and illness must be explained naturally and rationally

Being learned in philosophy was a marker of prestige in society
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how did Greek philosophical medicine relate to religious healing?
Religious healers believed illness was caused by imbalances in the environment caused by god(s)
The Hippocratics believed illness was caused by an imbalance of the humours
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What was humoral theory?
How did it explain health and illness?
The humours are the 4 liquids bodies are made up of, there imbalances must be observable
Explained health and illness in terms of a person’s constitution and environment
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What did prognosis mean to Greek physicians an their patients?
Prognosis uses philosophical skills of observation and reasoning
Provides a means of securing the patient’s trust by informing them of the progress of their treatment
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Why was prognosis such an important skill?
-Gives patient a basis to judge the physician
-physician can avoid helpless cases (save reputation)
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Who was Galen? Why did he have such an impact on medicine?
-Galen saw himself s the inheritor of the Hippocratic tradition
-sought to. Embody Hippocrates’ ideals of learning and rationality
-he developed his own medical corpus
-advanced hippocratic theory by investigating how organs worked
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What functions did Galen attribute to the blood and the heart?
-adopted the theory of a tripartite soul
2 kinds of blood:
1. Venous-nutritious/sustaining growth
2. Arterial- sustaining movement and sensitivity
The blood systems are not connected
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What was the plague of Athens?
-illness believed to have originated in Ethiopia
-head fever, red eyes/throat/tongue, bloody ulcers on body
-Thucydides believed it was a political consequence from the Athenians breaching their truce with the Peloponnesians
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What were epidemics in the ancient world?
-responses to political wrongs
-Crisis
-justice
-redemption
-balance/imbalance
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What did Medieval christians think was God’s role in healing?
Curing was a presentation of God’s care
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What was the physicians role according to medieval Christians?
Provide advice/counsel- didn’t work with hands as they were gentlemen
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What did charity mean to medieval Christians?
caritas was God’s love for his creation and Christians’ love for their fellows. Began as caring for each other (e.g., giving alms to the poor) however it later e evolved in to financial donations as medicine became more institutionalised.
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What were the main orders of medical practitioners during the high Middle Ages?
Physicians, apothecaries, surgeons
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What did medieval and renaissance physicians think of the ancient medical writers?
Medieval Anatomy- mainly used Galen’s writings- i what was observed in the body was different from the book, the book was still correct
The ancients knew best
Renaissance- realised much of the ancient knowledge had been corrupted through time (mainly by t
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How did the way medieval and Renaissance physicians think of ancient medical writers influence the way medicine as taught?
medieval- the if what was observed in the body as different from what was in the book, the book was still correct
Renaissance- emulated and challenged galen’s enquiries due to the growing suspicion of their corruption over time
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Why did anatomy become such an important part of medicine during the renaissance?
Improved ancient theories rather than reject them
Showed that the ancients were aware their knowledge wasn’t complete and needed improvement
Placed emphasis on detail rather than theory
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What was he impact and meaning of the black death?
Economic impact- wages improved, lad ownership redistributed (due to whole families dying)
Epidemiological impact- frequent outbreaks in the following decades
Humanistic impact- catalysed erosion of clerical and royal
power: land redistribution=power red
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Card 2

Front

Why did the Hippocratics and other Greek physicians want to be regarded as philosopher?

Back

Their way of practicing medicine was underlined by the philosophical belief that health and illness must be explained naturally and rationally

Being learned in philosophy was a marker of prestige in society

Card 3

Front

how did Greek philosophical medicine relate to religious healing?

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

What was humoral theory?
How did it explain health and illness?

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

What did prognosis mean to Greek physicians an their patients?

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
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