ABSTRACT

The first edition of Ancient Medicine was the most complete examination of the medicine of the ancient world for a hundred years. The new edition includes the key discoveries made since the first edition, especially from important texts discovered in recent finds of papyri and manuscripts, making it the most comprehensive and up-to-date survey available.

Vivian Nutton pays particular attention to the life and work of doctors in communities, links between medicine and magic, and examines the different approaches to medicine across the ancient world. The new edition includes more on Rufus and Galen as well as augmented information on Babylonia, Hellenistic medicine and Late Antiquity.

With recently discovered texts made accessible for the first time, and providing new evidence, this broad exploration challenges currently held perspectives, and proves an invaluable resource for students of both classics and the history of medicine.

chapter 1|18 pages

Sources and Scope

chapter 2|18 pages

Patterns of Disease

chapter 3|16 pages

Before Hippocrates

chapter 5|15 pages

Hippocratic Theories

chapter 6|17 pages

Hippocratic Practices

chapter 8|14 pages

From Plato to Praxagoras

chapter 9|12 pages

Alexandria, Anatomy and Experimentation

chapter 10|18 pages

Hellenistic Medicine

chapter 12|17 pages

The Consequences of Empire

Pharmacology, surgery and the Roman army

chapter 13|16 pages

The Rise of Methodism

chapter 14|15 pages

Humoral Alternatives

chapter 15|14 pages

The Life and Career of Galen

chapter 16|18 pages

Galenic Medicine

chapter 17|25 pages

All Sorts and Conditions of (Mainly) Men

chapter 19|19 pages

Medicine in the Later Roman Empire

chapter 20|7 pages

Conclusion