Ancient Medicine and Contemporary Medical Terminology

Catalog description

The history of Western medicine is remarkably recent; until the nineteenth century prevailing theories of the body and mind, and many therapeutic methods to combat disease, were largely informed by an elaborate system developed centuries earlier. This course will examine the ways in which the Greeks, and then the Romans, conceptualized the body, disease, and healing, and will compare these to medical culture of our time. We will investigate the pluralism of ancient medical traditions, which include the Hippocratic corpus, ritual healing in the sanctuaries of Asclepius, pharmacology, and the works of Galen, and we will visit the Penn Museum to see their collection of ancient medical instruments. We will also discuss processes that led to the crystallization of modern and contemporary medical methods. Over the course of the semester, we will also survey modern medical terminology – important knowledge for anyone who wishes to study medicine. All readings will be in English and no previous background in Classical Studies is required. This course will be especially appealing (and useful) to Pre-med and Nursing students, and to students interested in the History of Science, Ancient Philosophy, and Classics.