Table of Contents

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.

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Collection of essays exploring the strong connections between ancient philosophy and ancient medicine.

About the Author

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).

Reviews

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
"This book will...be of interest to scholars who work on the methodological disputes in an anciant medicine...Scholars interested in the understanding of Aristotle's place in the history of medicine and biology will also find much of value in this work." -Christopher Cosans
"van der Eijk's initial work in this fledgling enterprise is everywhere on display in Medicine and Philosophy in Classical Antiquity. I recommend it heartily to students of ancient philosophy, ancient medicine, and Aristotle...I will be satisfied if I can convey van der Eijk's enthusiasm for a field rife with possibility and in need of serious scholarly efforts." -Patrick Macfarlane, Xavier University, Ancient Philosophy