Chapter 3. DEVELOPMENT OF TRADITIONAL FOLK MEDICINE AND FIRST STEPS OF SCIENTIFIC MEDICINE IN ANTIQUE PERIOD IN GREECE, ALEXANDRIA, AND ROME

3.1. MEDICINE IN ANCIENT GREECE

Medicine of Ancient Greece (since III-II millennium BC) begins with the Creto-Mycenean period. This period is known for data on folk medicine at the boundary between the communal and slave-owning stages of history. However, of particular importance are data on the high level of sanitary improvement in the cities (particularly on Crete Island), influence on lifestyle and, of course, healing with numerous theurgical rituals performed by priests for treatment of diseases.

Significantly, more complete information was obtained in the 12-9th centuries BC, mainly from artefacts and texts. Here, first we should mention the poems The Iliad and The Odyssey by Homer, a blind poet, who glorified, for instance, the siege of Troy by the Greeks (in the early 12th century BC). Homer mentions an entire family of doctors headed by Asclepius (in the Latin version - Aesculapius), later he was deified and praised as the god of healing (Fig. 3.1). Asclepius is usually portrayed as an old man with a staff entwined by snake and a bowl - a symbol of wisdom, which are known from the history of medicine of eastern countries (Fig. 3.2). All children of Ascle-pius were doctors, his apprentices. Hygeia (who gave the name to an entire branch of medicine - hygiene) - the goddess of health (Fig. 3.3); Panakeia or Panacea - the goddess of treatment (Fig. 3.4), we would say, therapeutic, addressing all diseases; Machaon and Podalirius were mainly engaged in surgery and became famous as military doctors. Their work was highly appre-

Fig. 3.1. Asclepius

Fig. 3.3. Hygeia. Antique sculpture found at Ostia

Fig. 3.2. Antique marble slab with Asclepius and Hygeia depicted on it

ciated; Homer, for example, wrote: "One skilled doctor is worth many glorious warriors. He would both cut out an arrow and dust the wound with a remedy". According to ancient Greek myths, the centaur Chiron taught healing to the god of Sun Apollo - doctor of the gods, father of Asclepius and Asclepius himself. In the Iliad Homer described an episode of surgical treatment of King Menelaus by Machaon: "...then, when he had seen the wound, he wiped away the blood and applied some soothing drugs which Chiron had given to Aesculapius out of the good will he bore him".