The Invention of Medicine: From Homer to Hippocrates
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- Create Date：2022-08-11 08:52:10
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- Author：Robin Lane Fox
- ISBN：0141983965
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Summary
Longlisted for the RUNCIMAN AWARD， 2021
Medicine is one of the great fields of achievement of the Ancient Greeks。 Hippocrates is celebrated worldwide as the father of medicine and the Hippocratic Oath is admired throughout the medical profession as a founding statement of ethics and ideals。 In the fifth century BC， Greeks even wrote of medicine as a newly discovered craft they had invented。
Robin Lane Fox's remarkable book puts their invention of medicine in a wider context， from the epic poems of Homer to the first doctors known to have been active in the Greek world。 He examines what we do and do not know about Hippocrates and his Oath and the many writings that survive under his name。 He then focuses on seven core texts which give the case histories of named individuals， showing that books 1 and 3 belong far earlier than previously recognised。 Their re-dating has important consequences for the medical awareness of the great Greek dramatists and the historians Herodotus and Thucydides。 Robin Lane Fox pieces together the doctor's thinking from his terse observations and relates it in a new way to the history of Greek prose and ideas。
This original and compelling book opens windows onto many other aspects of the classical world， from women's medicine to street-life， empire， art， sport， sex and even botany。 It fills a dark decade in a new way and carries readers along an extraordinary journey form Homer's epics to the grateful heirs of the Greek case histories， first in the Islamic world and then in early modern Europe。
Medicine is one of the great fields of achievement of the Ancient Greeks。 Hippocrates is celebrated worldwide as the father of medicine and the Hippocratic Oath is admired throughout the medical profession as a founding statement of ethics and ideals。 In the fifth century BC， Greeks even wrote of medicine as a newly discovered craft they had invented。
Robin Lane Fox's remarkable book puts their invention of medicine in a wider context， from the epic poems of Homer to the first doctors known to have been active in the Greek world。 He examines what we do and do not know about Hippocrates and his Oath and the many writings that survive under his name。 He then focuses on seven core texts which give the case histories of named individuals， showing that books 1 and 3 belong far earlier than previously recognised。 Their re-dating has important consequences for the medical awareness of the great Greek dramatists and the historians Herodotus and Thucydides。 Robin Lane Fox pieces together the doctor's thinking from his terse observations and relates it in a new way to the history of Greek prose and ideas。
This original and compelling book opens windows onto many other aspects of the classical world， from women's medicine to street-life， empire， art， sport， sex and even botany。 It fills a dark decade in a new way and carries readers along an extraordinary journey form Homer's epics to the grateful heirs of the Greek case histories， first in the Islamic world and then in early modern Europe。
Reviews
Jason Kassel， PhD
，
Mental illness insights are incorporated within my interpretation of Euripides’ Madness of Herakles https://jasonkassel。substack。com/。 Mental illness insights are incorporated within my interpretation of Euripides’ Madness of Herakles https://jasonkassel。substack。com/。 。。。more
saïd
，
Really would have benefited from an editor with a background in medicine。 The retroactive diagnoses were just embarrassing。
Mark
，
The Hippocratic literary corpus comprises many volumes that modern analysis shows， like other ancient texts， were written over many years and by different authors。 The name Hippocrates does not appear anywhere in these writings， but over the centuries they have been attributed to a great physician with that name。 Robin Lane Fox’s fascinating investigation of Epidemics volumes 1 and 3 from this corpus reveals evidence that they were written by a single revolutionary physician presenting 42 case s The Hippocratic literary corpus comprises many volumes that modern analysis shows， like other ancient texts， were written over many years and by different authors。 The name Hippocrates does not appear anywhere in these writings， but over the centuries they have been attributed to a great physician with that name。 Robin Lane Fox’s fascinating investigation of Epidemics volumes 1 and 3 from this corpus reveals evidence that they were written by a single revolutionary physician presenting 42 case studies from a few years spent on the north Agean island of Thasos about 470 BCE。 He proposes that the author was Hippocrates himself。RLF discusses the cases in detail extracting from them and from his formidable knowledge of the ancient world multiple clues to support his theory。 The cases include the first description of a patient with melancholia; no treatments are described; the word diagnosis is not used （RLF reminds us of the importance of prognosis in the ancient world [has this changed？]）; the great principle ‘first do no harm’ is mentioned; and the gods are not mentioned。Along the way there are many interesting big and small facts including a discussion of the Oath of Hippocrates and a discussion of modern attempts to retrospectively diagnose these patients。 Diseases whose identities seem likely include cirrhosis or hepatoma， malaria， mumps， tuberculosis， and possible puerperal fever。 Others that are more speculative are Weil’s disease， Behcet’s syndrome， diptheria， erysipelas， typhus， and typhoid fever。Lastly， I was pleased to hear that one of the later texts advises that a doctor should be of good color with a nice fleshiness。 。。。more
Shayne
，
Overall， I found this book to be a disappointing and at times frustrating read。 The author has a tendency make sweeping generalizations and use his opinions as facts to base subsequent arguments on。 The basis for many of these arguments I found to be unconvincing and the author’s certainty that his conclusions were correct was grating。 Additionally， I found the retrospective diagnoses he makes were a stretch at times， and certainly would have benefitted from some additional clinical insight。 Tha Overall， I found this book to be a disappointing and at times frustrating read。 The author has a tendency make sweeping generalizations and use his opinions as facts to base subsequent arguments on。 The basis for many of these arguments I found to be unconvincing and the author’s certainty that his conclusions were correct was grating。 Additionally， I found the retrospective diagnoses he makes were a stretch at times， and certainly would have benefitted from some additional clinical insight。 That being said， there are some elements of the book that are interesting and worth reading。 In particular， his discussions about the conceptual and philosophical changes in thought processes were thoughtful and intriguing。 Moreover， there are quite a few wonderful anecdotes that give this time period a distinctive and interesting charm。 Unfortunately， these do not compensate for what is otherwise a dense and often irritating book。 。。。more
Thomas Lambe
，
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this！This was terrific！ I learned so much。 The author was new to me。 The writing was so good。 This was a very engaging read。 （Maybe not for the faint of heart though。。。）。 This was well done。 Highly recommended。 I think everyone should read this - you will look at your doctors differently！ There are so many wrong assumptions made about the history of medicine。 This work will go a long way towards correcting this！
Kendra Wilde
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Dry。
Jason Wilson
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Hugely informative， though a bit dry， this gives an in depth picture of ancient Greek medicine。 There are nods to other cultures of the time though not enough- given the importance of Mespotamia，Babylon， Egypt etc。 to human history more would have been appropriate。 What's here though is fascinating- of especial interest is the Epidemics， a sort of ancient commonplace book for Doctors in which they wrote their findings 。 Some of the case studies given here are interesting。 We get to meet Hippocra Hugely informative， though a bit dry， this gives an in depth picture of ancient Greek medicine。 There are nods to other cultures of the time though not enough- given the importance of Mespotamia，Babylon， Egypt etc。 to human history more would have been appropriate。 What's here though is fascinating- of especial interest is the Epidemics， a sort of ancient commonplace book for Doctors in which they wrote their findings 。 Some of the case studies given here are interesting。 We get to meet Hippocrates and Galen too。 Medicine was taken seriously as a quasi-religious （whether practitioners were belivers in the gods or an unknown god or not） calling and often passed down。 Ethics were paramount， hence the oath。 。。。more
Zach
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Fascinating study of the Hippocratic corpus and the birth of Medicine as a craft。 Really enjoyed his translation and discussion of the Hippocratic oath as well as his analysis of the sophistication of the Epidemic author whom he believes to be Hippocrates himself。 Fox gets a bit lost in the weeds when discussing Thasos and his re-dating of the Epidemics。 These parts could be skipped。
❀ Diana ❀
，
Nu cred că am înțeles ce am citit: o teză de doctorat sau un manual de istorie de clasa a X-a？ Oricare ar fi varianta， am fost dezamăgită de conținutul acestei cărți。O abundență de date și nume care au prea puțină relevanță în contextul de față， foarte multe păreri și presupuneri personale fără atestări oficiale și 0 cunoștințe din domeniul medical。 Luând în considerare subiectul abordat， te-ai fi așteptat la informații fixe care să rezulte din cercetări， nu la speculații specifice profesorilor Nu cred că am înțeles ce am citit: o teză de doctorat sau un manual de istorie de clasa a X-a？ Oricare ar fi varianta， am fost dezamăgită de conținutul acestei cărți。O abundență de date și nume care au prea puțină relevanță în contextul de față， foarte multe păreri și presupuneri personale fără atestări oficiale și 0 cunoștințe din domeniul medical。 Luând în considerare subiectul abordat， te-ai fi așteptat la informații fixe care să rezulte din cercetări， nu la speculații specifice profesorilor de literatură。 :） 。。。more
Talent
，
I genuinely regret buying and reading this book—it was a waste of time to read in detail。 The critics’ blurbs talk about an accessible book， but an editor would’ve done wonders for this book’s content and organization。 It is a dense series of minutiae， which after many pages of tiresome reading， might wrap up into a semblance of a point。 Other times， it devolves into an intellectual show-off peppered with remarkably speculative （yet arrogantly certain） ramblings about what surely must have happe I genuinely regret buying and reading this book—it was a waste of time to read in detail。 The critics’ blurbs talk about an accessible book， but an editor would’ve done wonders for this book’s content and organization。 It is a dense series of minutiae， which after many pages of tiresome reading， might wrap up into a semblance of a point。 Other times， it devolves into an intellectual show-off peppered with remarkably speculative （yet arrogantly certain） ramblings about what surely must have happened 2500 years ago because the author said so。 Some parts sound like the notes for a historical fiction movie， such is the frequency of the author’s opinion spilled out as fact。 Then， there is an odd attempt to dissect medicine from epic poetry or ancient plays and compare them to ancient medical texts。 What？ Why would you do that？ It’s as ridiculous as comparing the show ER to actual medicine。At the end， I struggled to figure out what the whole point of this book is。 Where is the invention of medicine？ What is the summary of the Epidemics？ Instead， I am left with as fragmented a story as a piece of shattered pottery， with one professor’s opinion imagining what the vase must have SURELY looked like—while drowning in useless detail about the winds and walls of Thasos。 My time would have been better spent actually reading the Epidemics and Galen’s commentary than this book。Next to the insufferable arrogance of the author is his ignorance of medicine and science。 The chapter on Retrospective Diagnosis is comical and perfectly encapsulates this approach to history: speculative and not very useful。If anything， I’ve lost a ton of respect for the field if this is considered “innovative and groundbreaking。” Sure， there are plenty of actual textual references， archeological finds， and the author is definitely erudite。 However， there is strikingly large amounts of speculation， personal opinion， personal judgments， and egos clouding the text。 So many conclusions are drawn from the absence of evidence。 My own conclusion is that there is so much we simply cannot know about the past， and a large dose of humility and openness to other possibilities is necessary。As someone in the medical field， I wanted to read about medicine。 Instead， I got a load of uninteresting detail and tons of speculative leaps。 Some speculation from myself: perhaps this book is not intended for me。 Regardless， no matter what field you are in， you will likely have read the dry， boring research paper or thesis intended for the shelves。 This book is that。 。。。more
firo
，
Not too lengthy， it cleared up a few misconceptions I had about Hippocrates and early medicine generally。 It discusses the broad change from divine oriented medical intervention to a human/nature centered analysis。 Lane Fox discusses the problems with dating various items in the Hippocratic corpus with depth， exhausting depth。 For me the discussion of when each work ought be dated was overly lengthy。 For a reader more interested in the practice of dating or a reader concerned with a definitive d Not too lengthy， it cleared up a few misconceptions I had about Hippocrates and early medicine generally。 It discusses the broad change from divine oriented medical intervention to a human/nature centered analysis。 Lane Fox discusses the problems with dating various items in the Hippocratic corpus with depth， exhausting depth。 For me the discussion of when each work ought be dated was overly lengthy。 For a reader more interested in the practice of dating or a reader concerned with a definitive dating of the texts in question this would be an upside。 。。。more
William Schram
，
Modern Medicine is relatively recent。 We have the Germ Theory of disease， a modern take on anatomy， and an understanding of genetics。 However， Medicine as a whole is an ancient practice。Robin Lane Fox uses The Iliad and other sources to find what the ancients understood about Medicine。 It's interesting to see how they portrayed Doctors and other Medical Practitioners back in Homer's time。 Modern Medicine is relatively recent。 We have the Germ Theory of disease， a modern take on anatomy， and an understanding of genetics。 However， Medicine as a whole is an ancient practice。Robin Lane Fox uses The Iliad and other sources to find what the ancients understood about Medicine。 It's interesting to see how they portrayed Doctors and other Medical Practitioners back in Homer's time。 。。。more
Sarah
，
Comparison between the Iliad and Hippocratic corpus was well done。 Just like in Traveling Heroes there is a lot of repetition which makes it seem like an essay or magazine article puffed out to be a book though。 The point about the division evolving between observations and documentation in a start at a true scientific methodology and oracles， soothsayers and Asclepiads suggested to me that the two have progressed in tandem for much longer than I thought。 Superstition， snake oil and hope in magi Comparison between the Iliad and Hippocratic corpus was well done。 Just like in Traveling Heroes there is a lot of repetition which makes it seem like an essay or magazine article puffed out to be a book though。 The point about the division evolving between observations and documentation in a start at a true scientific methodology and oracles， soothsayers and Asclepiads suggested to me that the two have progressed in tandem for much longer than I thought。 Superstition， snake oil and hope in magic bullets will always be in the mix。 It does seem to be a way of thinking。 A lesson of the Coronavirus response seems to be that desperate and hurting people will try just about anything and it seems of course always to have been so。 I read Medusa and Snail at the same time and Lewis Thomas has an essay in there about how bad the track record of medicine has been and how much luck and happy accidents had to do with progress。 Given the short life spans we have， being able to read everything that has been documented before in science and medicine illuminates how crucial that is to just keeping the human race alive。 So my question is- is there a deep bunker somewhere where textbooks on PAPER are being stored so they can be retrieved when our digital assets are no longer accessible when civilization has its next crisis？ We only have a remnant of the Hippocratic corpus because someone had to deem it important enough to preserve and protect。 Is this something archivists （that aren’t attached to any political entity） do or think about？ 。。。more
Emg
，
Sections were a little too technical and detailed for but it was fun following a scholar's thoughts。 Very witty; you just have to like a guy who can work Rosario Dawson into ancient Greece！ Sections were a little too technical and detailed for but it was fun following a scholar's thoughts。 Very witty; you just have to like a guy who can work Rosario Dawson into ancient Greece！ 。。。more
Marcus Smaiz
，
Great information。
sinag
，
3/5 stars！I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley。 All thoughts and opinions are my own。I learned a lot about the history of Western medicine in this book。 However， I think it's too long and not that direct to the point for my liking。 It is a great book for readers who are interested to know more about this topic though。 3/5 stars！I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley。 All thoughts and opinions are my own。I learned a lot about the history of Western medicine in this book。 However， I think it's too long and not that direct to the point for my liking。 It is a great book for readers who are interested to know more about this topic though。 。。。more
Christine
，
Robin Lane Fox's "The Invention of Medicine" is a thorough review of Ancient Greek views on medicine。 The book is approachable if a little dense。 Assuming you have even a passing interest in how our present-day thoughts on infections and cures differ from those of people far away in time， this is a good study to pick up。 I particularly enjoyed the parts discussing Homer's detailed descriptions of injuries and anatomy in "The Iliad。"Recommended if you want to learn more about the Ancient' world f Robin Lane Fox's "The Invention of Medicine" is a thorough review of Ancient Greek views on medicine。 The book is approachable if a little dense。 Assuming you have even a passing interest in how our present-day thoughts on infections and cures differ from those of people far away in time， this is a good study to pick up。 I particularly enjoyed the parts discussing Homer's detailed descriptions of injuries and anatomy in "The Iliad。"Recommended if you want to learn more about the Ancient' world from the perspective of its medical beliefs and practices。 Some interest in Ancient Greece might be necessary。Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for granting me an eARC in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Bits of Lit
，
The Invention of Medicine is a thorough study of medicine in the times of the ancient Greeks。 Starting with portrayals in Homer's Iliad， it captures you with its exhaustively researched content。 The origins of Hippocrates and the Hippocratic Oath come to life with Robin Lane Fox's examination。 It can feel overwhelming and too academic， but this niche topic can be enjoyed by anyone， even if they are not familiar with medicine or ancient Greece。 The difficult part to get through is the examination The Invention of Medicine is a thorough study of medicine in the times of the ancient Greeks。 Starting with portrayals in Homer's Iliad， it captures you with its exhaustively researched content。 The origins of Hippocrates and the Hippocratic Oath come to life with Robin Lane Fox's examination。 It can feel overwhelming and too academic， but this niche topic can be enjoyed by anyone， even if they are not familiar with medicine or ancient Greece。 The difficult part to get through is the examination of the Epidemics books， as it can be dry， but it's good reading。 。。。more
Mandy
，
Even someone who knows nothing about the ancient Greek world will probably have heard of the Hippocratic Oath that doctors still have to take。 This academic， and admittedly quite dense at times， book explores the legacy of Hippocrates and the growth and influence of Greek medicine around the world。 Going back to the injuries mentioned in Homer， then on to Hippocrates himself and the first case studies as we would recognise them， the work ranges across many aspects of Greek daily life and culture Even someone who knows nothing about the ancient Greek world will probably have heard of the Hippocratic Oath that doctors still have to take。 This academic， and admittedly quite dense at times， book explores the legacy of Hippocrates and the growth and influence of Greek medicine around the world。 Going back to the injuries mentioned in Homer， then on to Hippocrates himself and the first case studies as we would recognise them， the work ranges across many aspects of Greek daily life and culture and is a treasure trove of interesting facts and figures。 I particularly enjoyed the case studies as they made these long dead people come alive and feel very human in spite of the centuries that separate them from us。 The author is an erudite historian and it’s no surprise that this is an worthy and erudite tome， which sometimes went above my head – as I am neither erudite nor an historian。 Nevertheless， I got a lot from it and although it’s probably not a book for the general reader， it’s still written clearly and accessibly and gives a real insight into ancient Greek life。 Definitely worth the effort involved to learn more about the origins of modern medicine。 。。。more
Amanda | District Reads
，
Extremely dry， although interesting at points。 I would have appreciated more anecdotal storytelling - but it is likely meant to not be that kind of book。 That said， it's definitely a resource， brings some unique perspective to the Greek philosophers and early medicine， which I found interesting。 Extremely dry， although interesting at points。 I would have appreciated more anecdotal storytelling - but it is likely meant to not be that kind of book。 That said， it's definitely a resource， brings some unique perspective to the Greek philosophers and early medicine， which I found interesting。 。。。more
Margaret Heller
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Reviewed for Library Journal。 What a treat。
Lisa Konet
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This is a great for anyone who is curious about the origins of Western Medicine。 The author obviously is passionate about ancient Greece and well known philosopher's ideas。 Well written and insightful。Thanks to Netgalley， Robin Lane Fox and Perseus Basic Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。Available: 12/8/20 This is a great for anyone who is curious about the origins of Western Medicine。 The author obviously is passionate about ancient Greece and well known philosopher's ideas。 Well written and insightful。Thanks to Netgalley， Robin Lane Fox and Perseus Basic Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review。Available: 12/8/20 。。。more
Naia Pard
，
Disclaimer: I received an advanced copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 OMG！I have never EVER been so excited about a non-fiction book。 I am myself incredulous at how much I have loved this book。The writing， omg！ I can barely contain my delight。The author is not being ominous。 He dosen`t derail from the matter at hand， he goes straight to the point。 More than that， every statement made is accompanied by plenty examples！But， I am getting way ahead of myself。So， this is a book tha Disclaimer: I received an advanced copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 OMG！I have never EVER been so excited about a non-fiction book。 I am myself incredulous at how much I have loved this book。The writing， omg！ I can barely contain my delight。The author is not being ominous。 He dosen`t derail from the matter at hand， he goes straight to the point。 More than that， every statement made is accompanied by plenty examples！But， I am getting way ahead of myself。So， this is a book that talks mainly about the Ancient Greeks。 They were among the first to have something that would translate in modern terms as “doctors” and “medicines”。 That is not to say that there weren`t healers outside of ancient Greece`s aria。 There were healers in Babylon and also in Egipt， but they did not leave behind a treatise， nor a corpus of written testimonials from doctors or patiences。The Greeks let us what was to be called the Hippocratic Corpus。 I would just love to give you some quotes， but as I understood， that is not really allowed as the book is not yet published。 But， God！It is a really entertaining reading。 The Greeks did not have the terminology that we have nowadays to name causes。 For example， they did not see the pulse as being of any importance when consulting a patient。 However， they followed patterns in things like urine`s color or dreams or fits of anger or mumblings。 They observed things happening in their society and they tried to observe their manifestation。 It is just fascinating to follow how they described malaria or mumps。 The doctors were exclusively male。 There comes an entire game when you read what they thought about the female organism。 What produced the period or what was the connection between the breast milk and the menstrual blood。 Or you`ll find about exhibitionists and Homer`s knowledge in medical practice。You have to give it a shot。 It is not a try-harder book。 \\Instagram\\my Blog\\ 。。。more
Susan
，
See my review at Reading World See my review at Reading World 。。。more
Arevik Heboyan
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