Galen
Galen
Galen (pronounced: /ˈɡeɪlən/), also known as Galen of Pergamon (129 AD – c. 216 AD), was a prominent Greek physician, surgeon, and philosopher in the Roman Empire. His theories dominated and influenced Western medical science for more than 1,300 years.
Etymology
The name Galen is of Greek origin, derived from the word "galēnē" which means "calm".
Biography
Galen was born in the city of Pergamon (modern-day Bergama, Turkey) and studied in various cities of the Mediterranean including Alexandria, where he gained most of his medical knowledge. He served as a physician to the gladiators of the High Priest of Asia in Pergamon, which provided him with significant experience in treating wounds. Later, he moved to Rome, where he wrote extensively and performed public demonstrations of his anatomical knowledge.
Contributions to Medicine
Galen's most significant contributions to medicine were his work on the circulatory system, the nervous system, and the digestive system. He was the first to recognize that the pulse is related to the heartbeat, and he accurately described the function of the heart valves. He also made important discoveries about the brain and the spinal cord, and he correctly identified the digestive system as a source of nutrition for the body.
Related Terms
- Hippocratic Corpus: A collection of early medical works associated with Hippocrates and his teachings.
- Humorism: The method of understanding the human body and its diseases in terms of the balance of four humors: blood, yellow bile, black bile, and phlegm, which was largely developed by Galen.
- Galenic formulation: Pharmaceutical formulations named after Galen, which are based on his principles of preparing medicines.
See Also
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Galen
- Wikipedia's article - Galen
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