Asclepiades Of Prusa
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Asclepiades ( el, Ἀσκληπιάδης; c. 129/124 BC – 40 BC), sometimes called Asclepiades of Bithynia or Asclepiades of Prusa, was a Greek physician born at Prusias-on-Sea in
Bithynia Bithynia (; Koine Greek: , ''Bithynía'') was an ancient region, kingdom and Roman province in the northwest of Asia Minor (present-day Turkey), adjoining the Sea of Marmara, the Bosporus, and the Black Sea. It bordered Mysia to the southwest, Pa ...
in
Anatolia Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...
and who flourished at
Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...
, where he practised and taught Greek medicine. He attempted to build a new theory of disease, based on the flow of
atoms Every atom is composed of a nucleus and one or more electrons bound to the nucleus. The nucleus is made of one or more protons and a number of neutrons. Only the most common variety of hydrogen has no neutrons. Every solid, liquid, gas, an ...
through pores in the body. His treatments sought to restore harmony through the use of
diet Diet may refer to: Food * Diet (nutrition), the sum of the food consumed by an organism or group * Dieting, the deliberate selection of food to control body weight or nutrient intake ** Diet food, foods that aid in creating a diet for weight loss ...
, exercise, and bathing. Biographer
Antonio Cocchi Antonio Cocchi (3 August 1695 – 1 January 1758) was an Italian physician, naturalist and writer. He was best known for his work on anatomy. Biography Cocchi was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1736, his candidature citation describi ...
noted that there were over forty men of history with the name ''Asclepiades'' and wrote that physician
Caius Calpurnius Asclepiades of Prusa Caius Calpurnius Asclepiades of Prusa (aka "Phylophysicus", one of several men referred to as Asclepiades of Prusa) was an eminent physician who flourished in the second century during the reign of Hadrian. Born in Prusia, Bithynia in 88 CE, he w ...
, born 88 CE, was a fellow countryman of, and perhaps a direct descendant of this Asclepiades.


Life

Asclepiades was born in Prusias-on-Sea in
Bithynia Bithynia (; Koine Greek: , ''Bithynía'') was an ancient region, kingdom and Roman province in the northwest of Asia Minor (present-day Turkey), adjoining the Sea of Marmara, the Bosporus, and the Black Sea. It bordered Mysia to the southwest, Pa ...
. He traveled extensively when young, and seems at first to have settled at Rome to work as a
rhetorician Rhetoric () is the art of persuasion, which along with grammar and logic (or dialectic), is one of the three ancient arts of discourse. Rhetoric aims to study the techniques writers or speakers utilize to inform, persuade, or motivate parti ...
. In that profession he did not succeed, but he acquired a great reputation as a physician. His pupils were very numerous, and his most distinguished pupil,
Themison of Laodicea Themison of Laodicea ( el, Θεμίσων, ''gen.'' Θεμίσωνος; 123 BC - 43 BC) was the founder of the Methodic school of medicine, and one of the most eminent physicians of his time. Biography Themison was a native of Laodicea in Syria, an ...
, founded the
Methodic school The Methodic school of medicine (''Methodics'', ''Methodists'', or ''Methodici'', el, Μεθοδικοί) was a school of medicine in ancient Greece and Rome. The Methodic school arose in reaction to both the Empiric school and the Dogmatic scho ...
. It is not known specifically when he died, except that it was at an advanced age. It was said that he laid a wager with
Fortune Fortune may refer to: General * Fortuna or Fortune, the Roman goddess of luck * Luck * Wealth * Fortune, a prediction made in fortune-telling * Fortune, in a fortune cookie Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''The Fortune'' (1931 film) ...
, that he would forfeit his character as a physician if he should ever suffer from any disease himself.
Pliny the Elder Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/2479), called Pliny the Elder (), was a Roman author, naturalist and natural philosopher, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the emperor Vespasian. He wrote the encyclopedic '' ...
, who tells the anecdote, adds that he won his wager, for he reached a great age and died at last from an accident. Nothing remains of his writings but a few fragments. The family lineage of Asclepiades is not known. It is assumed that his father was a doctor due to ancient physicians coming from medical families. He received the names Philosophicus due to his knowledge of philosophy and Pharmacion for his knowledge of medicinal herbs.
Antiochus of Ascalon Antiochus of Ascalon (; grc-gre, Άντίοχος ὁ Ἀσκαλώνιος; c. 125 – c. 68 BC) was an Platonism, Academic philosopher. He was a pupil of Philo of Larissa at the Platonic Academy, Academy, but he diverged from the Academic s ...
said about Asclepiades, "second to none in the art of medicine and acquainted with philosophy too."


Medicine

Asclepiades began by vilifying the principles and practices of his predecessors, and by asserting that he had discovered a more effective method of treating diseases than had been before known to the world. He decried the efforts of those who sought to investigate the structure of the body, or to watch the phenomena of
disease A disease is a particular abnormal condition that negatively affects the structure or function of all or part of an organism, and that is not immediately due to any external injury. Diseases are often known to be medical conditions that a ...
, and he is said to have directed his attacks particularly against the writings of
Hippocrates Hippocrates of Kos (; grc-gre, Ἱπποκράτης ὁ Κῷος, Hippokrátēs ho Kôios; ), also known as Hippocrates II, was a Greek physician of the classical period who is considered one of the most outstanding figures in the history of ...
. Discarding the
humoral Humoral immunity is the aspect of immunity that is mediated by macromolecules - including secreted antibodies, complement proteins, and certain antimicrobial peptides - located in extracellular fluids. Humoral immunity is named so because it invo ...
doctrine of Hippocrates, Asclepiades attempted to build a new theory of disease, and founded his medical practice on a modification of the atomic or corpuscular theory, according to which disease results from irregular or inharmonious motion of the corpuscles of the body. His ideas were likely partly derived from the atomic theories of
Democritus Democritus (; el, Δημόκριτος, ''Dēmókritos'', meaning "chosen of the people"; – ) was an Ancient Greek pre-Socratic philosopher from Abdera, primarily remembered today for his formulation of an atomic theory of the universe. No ...
and
Epicurus Epicurus (; grc-gre, Ἐπίκουρος ; 341–270 BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher and sage who founded Epicureanism, a highly influential school of philosophy. He was born on the Greek island of Samos to Athenian parents. Influenced ...
. All morbid action was reduced to the obstruction of pores and irregular distribution of atoms. Asclepiades arranged diseases into two great classes of ''Acute'' and ''Chronic''. Acute diseases were caused essentially by a constriction of the pores or an obstruction of them by an excess of atoms; the Chronic were caused by a relaxation of the pores or a deficiency of atoms. Asclepiades thought that other mild diseases were caused by a disruption in bodily fluids and
pneuma ''Pneuma'' () is an ancient Greek word for "breath", and in a religious context for "spirit" or "soul". It has various technical meanings for medical writers and philosophers of classical antiquity, particularly in regard to physiology, and is a ...
. He separated illnesses into three separate categories: ''status strictus'' (too tightly held), ''status laxus'' (too loosely held), and ''status mixtus'' (a little of each). He also believed that there were no critical days of diseases, meaning that illnesses do not end at a definite time. Asclepiades' remedies were, therefore, directed to the restoration of harmony. He trusted much to changes of diet, massages, bathing and exercise, although he did employ
emetic Vomiting (also known as emesis and throwing up) is the involuntary, forceful expulsion of the contents of one's stomach through the mouth and sometimes the nose. Vomiting can be the result of ailments like food poisoning, gastroenteri ...
s and
bleeding Bleeding, hemorrhage, haemorrhage or blood loss, is blood escaping from the circulatory system from damaged blood vessels. Bleeding can occur internally, or externally either through a natural opening such as the mouth, nose, ear, urethra, vag ...
. A part of the great popularity which he enjoyed depended upon his prescribing the liberal use of wine to his patients, and upon his attending to their every need, and indulging their inclinations. He would treat all his patients fairly and did not discriminate based upon gender or mental illness. He believed treating his patients kindly and amicably was essential to being a good physician. ''Cito tuto jucunde'' (meaning to treat his patients "swiftly, safely, and sweetly") was a motto that he followed. This contrasted with the behavior of other physicians who practiced during his lifetime who it was said had a tendency to be uncaring and have a lack of sympathy towards their patients.


Drug theory

Digestion was a primary factor in Asclepiades' drug theory. Particles of food were seen as the main cause of indigestion. If the particles of food were small, digestion would follow its normal course. However, if the particles were too big, indigestion would occur. If an illness were to occur, he believed that drugs were not the solution. His prescribed treatment was food and wine (given in appropriate amounts) followed by an
enema An enema, also known as a clyster, is an injection of fluid into the lower bowel by way of the rectum.Cullingworth, ''A Manual of Nursing, Medical and Surgical'':155 The word enema can also refer to the liquid injected, as well as to a device ...
, which would extract the improper food doing the damage. This procedure would remove the cause of illness. Asclepiades believed that the use of drugs for cleansing was of no use - "all the substances were produced by the drugs themselves", but, rather, "Treatment consists merely of three elements: drink, food and the enema". Asclepiades was heavily influenced by Pythagoreanism and the early work of Democritus on herbal powers and remedies. Pliny the Elder says of him that, “Above all, he was helped by magean deceits, which prevailed to such a degree that they were strong enough to destroy confidence in all herbal remedies” and goes on to detail some of the magic powers of those plants, including two previously detailed by Democritus.


Music therapy

Asclepiades used
music therapy Music therapy, an allied health profession, "is the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music th ...
to treat mentally ill patients in order to maintain "psychogenic equilibrium". While Asclepiades was not the first to use music therapy, he used it to treat mental illness along with other ailments including viper bites and scorpion stings. Gentle music was recommended to those in a flippant state, while those in a somber state were encouraged with music using the
Phrygian mode The Phrygian mode (pronounced ) can refer to three different musical modes: the ancient Greek ''tonos'' or ''harmonia,'' sometimes called Phrygian, formed on a particular set of octave species or scales; the Medieval Phrygian mode, and the modern ...
. He did not recommend the use of a flute in any treatments because it was considered to be too energetic and would not have a calming effect on patients. He believed that the part of the body that was affected would dance to the music and expel the pain from the body. The medical writers
Galen Aelius Galenus or Claudius Galenus ( el, Κλαύδιος Γαληνός; September 129 – c. AD 216), often Anglicized as Galen () or Galen of Pergamon, was a Greek physician, surgeon and philosopher in the Roman Empire. Considered to be one of ...
and
Aretaeus Aretaeus ( grc-gre, Ἀρεταῖος) is one of the most celebrated of the ancient Greek physicians. Little is known of his life. He presumably was a native or at least a citizen of Cappadocia, a Roman province in Asia Minor (modern day Turkey ...
, both of whom lived in the 2nd century AD, credited Asclepiades with being the first individual to perform an elective (non-emergency)
tracheotomy Tracheotomy (, ), or tracheostomy, is a surgical airway management procedure which consists of making an incision (cut) on the anterior aspect (front) of the neck and opening a direct airway through an incision in the trachea (windpipe). The ...
. Asclepiades advocated humane treatment of mental disorders and had insane persons freed from confinement and treated them with natural therapy, such as diet and massages. Asclepiades is considered to be a pioneer physician in psychotherapy, physical therapy, and molecular medicine.


References

Notes *


Further reading

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Asclepiades Of Bithynia 120s BC births 40 BC deaths 2nd-century BC Greek people 1st-century BC Greek physicians People from Bithynia