Acknowledgements; Note on translations; Note on abbreviations; Introduction; Part I. Hippocratic Corpus and Diocles of Carystus: 1. The 'theology' of the Hippocratic treatise On the Sacred Disease; 2. Diocles and the Hippocratic writings on the method of dietetics and the limits of causal explanation; 3. To help, or to do no harm: principles and practices of therapeutics in the Hippocratic Corpus and in the work of Diocles of Carystus; 4. The heart, the brain, the blood and the pneuma: Hippocrates, Diocles and Aristotle on the location of cognitive processes; Part II. Aristotle and His School: 5. Aristotle on melancholy; 6. Theoretical and empirical elements in Aristotle's treatment of sleep, dreams and divination in sleep; 7. The matter of mind: Aristotle on the biology of 'psychic' processes and the bodily aspects of thinking; 8. Divine movement and human nature in Eudemian Ethics 8.2; 9. On sterility ('Hist. an. 10'), a medical work by Aristotle?; Part III. Late Antiquity: 10. Galen's use of the concept of 'qualified experience' in his dietetic and pharmacological works; 11. The Methodism of Caelius Aurelianus: some epistemological issues; Bibliography; Index of passages cited; General index.
Collection of essays exploring the strong connections between ancient philosophy and ancient medicine.
Philip J. van der Eijk is Professor of Greek at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. He has published widely on ancient philosophy, medicine and science, comparative literature and patristics. He is the author of Aristoteles. De insomniis. De divinatione per somnum (Berlin: Akademie Verlag, 1994) and of Diocles of Carystus. A Collection of the Fragments with Translation and Commentary (2 Vols., Leiden: Brill, 2000-1). He has edited and co-authored Ancient Histories of Medicine. Essays in Medical Doxography and Historiography in Classical Antiquity (Leiden: Brill, 1999) and co-edited Ancient Medicine in its Socio-Cultural Context (2 Vols., Amsterdam - Atlanta: Rodopi, 1995).
Review of the hardback: '… it reveals much that should be of
interest to the modern physician. … the introduction offers by far
the best and most up-to-date overview available, for specialists
and nonspecialists alike, of the relation between ancient medicine
and philosophy. And several of the essays provide highly accessible
accounts of general issues that will be essential reading for
anyone interested in the history of medicine and science in the
ancient world.' The Lancet
Review of the hardback: 'Not only is Eijk a superb scholar who
writes on complex topics with a clarity and unambiguity that would
send a shudder of revulsion down the spine of most literary
critics, but he also has an eye for the contemporary resonance of
ancient issues.' Journal of Classics Teaching
Review of the hardback: '… even experts will welcome that these
papers are now available in one volume … Van der Eijk's choice of
the specific topics he deals with is such that each paper unravels
yet another aspect of the interrelation between ancient medicine
and philosophy … good, very solid, traditional scholarship …
faithful to the principles of the new approach throughout this
volume … it not only helps us to realise the richness of ancient
medical texts, and in general of ancient thought, at the same time
it provides us with the methodological tools to study them in such
a way that the results are as rewarding as they can be.' Notre Dame
Philosophical Reviews
Review of the hardback: '… closely researched … Philip Van der
Eijk's takes us into the language, the philosophy and history of
the ancients practitioners and thinkers in medicine and philosophy
… this is an essential book for the student of ancient philosophy
and science … an important addition to the serious scholar's
library and not easily part with. Recommended.' Metapsychology
Review of the hardback: '… performs a great service for
philosophers, physicians, Classicists and historians of medicine
who may be unaware of the lively discussions among ancient medical
historians regarding all aspects of medicine in Classical
Antiquity. … There is much to ponder in Medicine and Philosophy in
Classical Antiquity: physicians will profit from being reminded how
important are theoretical constructs that always, if subliminally,
preside in the practice of medicine; Classicists and Ancient
historians will gain numerous insights into the ongoing debates
among us regarding the nature of ancient medicine as a whole; and
students of philosophy will be prompted to recall how important are
the works of the Greco-Roman philosopher-doctors (or
doctor-philosophers) as wellsprings of Western medicine and the
allied sciences.' The Times Literary Supplement
Review of the hardback: '… extremely well researched, clearly
written and easy to follow … With its serious attempt to cross
disciplinary boundaries by relying on careful reading of the source
texts, the book can be warmly recommended to all interested in the
multiple relationships between ancient medicine and philosophy.'
Arctos
Review of the hardback: 'The studies collected in this volume
demonstrate many benefits of the new approach to the study of
ancient medicine. … an example of excellent scholarship.' Rhizai
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