Jan 10, 2011
The 5 Greek Physicians
Learning Outcome: Understand the contribution to Western Herbal Medicine made by the Greek philosophers/physicians, in particular Galen and Hippocrates.
It is useful to review some of the knowledge and teachings about health and illness prevalent amongst the ancient Greek physicians and philosophers, due to the profound influence their thinking has had on modern day medicine – after all, they established the roots of western medicine. Many of their ideas had been around for some time previously, but they were unique in formalising their teachings into systems that could be passed on.
In Ancient Greece, the principles of traditional holistic medicine were based more on physiology (meaning in Greek the study of the physis or nature of a being), than on anatomy, which means dissection or cutting up.
The Greek philosophers sought to uncover laws of nature which caused natural phenomena and changes to occur. There was a belief in a Vital Spirit or ‘Pneuma’, equivalent to prana in Ayurvedic Medicine and chi in Traditional Chinese Medicine. It was regarded as a life-giving principle, which took over the whole of the being. Pneuma, like the pulse and the rhythm of breathing, was seen to ebb and flow in a regular manner. This corresponded with other dualities such as day and night, activity and rest, masculine and feminine, and death and life. Pneuma also represented the spark of life at conception (provided by the man’s semen) and was seen as the maintainer of life after birth.