2004, Number 6
Contributions of Herodotus to surgery within the historiographic analysis of his Histories
Romero-y Huesca A, Ramírez-Bollas J, López-García S, Valenzuela-Salazar C, Ponce-Landín FJ
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Language: Spanish
References: 11
Page: 525-532
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ABSTRACT
During the splendor of Athens, Herodotus of Helicarnasus develops his life and work in the V century B.C. that led him to be considered the father of history. The available knowledge of ancient medicine and surgery is based on the descriptions of authors such as Homer, Herodotus, Hippocrates, and Plinius. Herodotus, a contemporary of Hippocrates, in his Histories, defines the limit between the epic narratives of Homer and the beginning of scientific history based on observation, reflection, and analysis. He develops an erudite, objective, and clear narrative of facts that allow him to discover the causes in order to determine their consequences in society. He describes the magic-religious model of the health-disease process, etiology, diagnostic methods, and treatment for diseases in ancient towns. He makes a description of Egyptian medicine, particularly about medical specialization, embalmment, and common diseases. He emphasizes surgical procedures: circumcision, castration, amputations of ears, nose and hands, ocular evisceration and mastectomies (punishments) and describes traumatic wounds, their prognosis and treatment. He also mentions the names and actions of the most famous physicians of the time. Herodotus lived the cultural decadence of Ionia, his native land, at the time of economic and intellectual hegemony of Athens. His work is universal and has the purposes of projection to the future and to seek causes.REFERENCES