Philosophy, Biology and Medicine of the Ancient World Flashcards
(42 cards)
What was the Ancient Greek philosophers best achievemet?
invented purely scientific curiosity
What did purely scientific curiosity of Ancient Greece look like?
distribution of greek culture throughout the Mediterranean
Science to the Greeks was defined by two concepts in an attempt to understand the world?
1) the natural vs the supernatural
2) rational explanation open to scrutiny (observation and reason)
The Greek philosophers did not invoke what to explain the world? and for what reasons?
supernatural agencies
- Greek religion did not have a complete explanation of the world
- Greek gods had human characteristics and faults with little interest in people
- Priests did not dominate Greek civilization
Who was Thales? (650-580 BC)
- from Miletus
- little was known from him but he was the first natural philosopher
What were Thales 3 main teaching points?
- Earth is a disk surrounded by water
- Water is the fundamental beginning of all things
- Forces that cause change in matter is transformation
Thales could lay claim to the scientific approach because…?
his naturalism and unity of matter
Empedocles was like Thales how?
his naturalism
Empedocles was known for his what model and biology?
- 4 element model of nature: fire, earth, water, air
- animals evolved from limbs and torsos combining
Democritus (460-360 BC) as an atomist and religious skeptic?
- believed the world consisted of divisible particles to small pieces that cannot be divided
Describe Democritus’ atomism and biology?
- believed the soul contained fire atoms
- the brain is the organ of though, the heart of courage, and the liver of sensuality (DIFFERENT FROM THE OTHER GREEKS)
Democritus was best known for being a religious skeptic and aethist?
- believed there were no divine beings; -
- natural law govern the world not divine will
- disagreed with the 4 elements from empedocles
Hippocrates (460-361) during the same time as democritus looked at medicine?
Early greek medicine focussed on religion and magical cures
These healers were known as Asclepiads, why?
- religious medical/healing centres in temples working as institutions for school and surgery
- nepotistic guilds
- the staff of Asclepios and its symbolism arose
Quickly summarize the life of Hippocrates
- born in Clos to an Ascelpiad father
- travelled Asia Minor
- practiced in Clos and Thessaly
Where did all his written work come from?
Written by his students and summarized into a Hippocratic Corpus
What was different about his approach to medicine?
- rejected the supernatural and religion in medicine
- suspicious of broad theory
- held very high ethical standards
He developed the Hippocratic Method
- observe all using your senses
- gather observations without prejudice
- study patient rather than disease
- evaluate honestly
- assist nature to heal
Hippocratic physiology and the four elements and four humours and illness
blood, yellow bile, black bile, etc
- and pathology describe an imbalance of these humours as illness
Side note - Rudolf Virchow challenged Hippocrates how?
Humoral Physiology vs cellular physiology
2 interesting points thought of by Hippocrates
1) Pneuma - life giving principle of air
2) the brain functioned as a radiator
Hippocrates also looked at logical treatments
- diagnosis was a holistic view: the whole body was sick
- therapies: moving a patient to a cleaner area, laxatives or opiums
Aristotle and which other Greeks showed a shift from what to what?
Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle shifted away from purely natural curiosity toward more human-centered and theological interests
Quickly summarized Aristotle’s life
- born Macedonia
- taught as an Asclepiad
- study for 18 years at Plato’s Academy
- studied Marine Biology on the Island of Lesbos (classifying up to 580 animals)
- fled Lesbos to Macedonia and tutored Alexander the Great
- returned to Athens for his own school: the Lyceum
