Galen
Important in Medicine because…
A Greek born in Pergamum in 129AD. By 133AD his city was part of the Roman Empire.
Galen started his training in the important Asclepion in his home city. He was later to travel to Smyrna and the more significant Alexandria, which Alexander the Great had made the centre of learning in the ancient World, with its huge library.
After gaining more practical experience with treating gladiators back in Pergamum, he left for Rome in AD161.
He became doctor to the Emperor’s son.
He produced many medical texts, over 100. His writings and his career were to have an enormous influence in the later Islamic world and in Europe, his ideas and books would be consulted for the next 1400 years!
His books advocated the Four Humours and observation of patients. He was also in agreement with Hippocrates about ethics as well as observation.
His knowledge from treating Gladiators expanded doctor’s anatomical understanding of what part of the body does what.
Galen also only recorded his successful experiments and cases, a swell as embellishing his role in other discoveries.
Importantly Galen believed in the treatment of opposites – like freezing out a fever or sweating a cold.