Homeric Medicine and Its Contribution to Hippocratic Medicine
Kelsey Simpson
Kristen M. Gentile
Ancient Medicine CLAS303
17 April 2011
Homeric Medicine
And Its Contribution to Hippocratic Medicine
The Iliad and the Odyssey are traditionally seen as works of literature, but students and
researchers of ancient medicine and the classics see beyond that label. These Homeric ἔπος [1]
which were referred to as ἐπικός,[2] were much more than just stories in the ancient world. In
fact, studies show that the medical descriptions featured in Homeric literature provided pre—
Hippocratic medicinal knowledge.[3] While both the Iliad and the Odyssey are good evidence of
Homeric medicine, the Iliad provides plentiful information regarding not only the treatment and
descriptions of illnesses, but battle wounds as well. While Homer 's Iliad documents the horrors
of war and the mortality of humans, there is an underlying benefit hiding between the lines.
There is a strong probability that the ancient world looked to the works of Homer as resources
for ancient medicine. The inclusion of the bloody descriptions of the injuries which occurred
during the final stages of the Trojan War is what provided pre—Hippocratic medicinal
knowledge and instigated curiosity for further anatomical and physiological exploration. In this
paper, I will examine how the knowledge of literary ailments helped the people of the ancient
world to better understand the human body and provided a smoother transition into the realm of
rational Hippocratic medicine.
The Iliad is like a guide to pre—Hippocratic medicine and the treatment of wounds. Of
Homer 's epics, the Iliad contains the most information regarding the treatment of injuries.
Extensive in length, this ἔπος spans over 15,000 lines, and has countless different editions and
versions available today. The original Iliad was Considered one of the oldest surviving Greek
poems, but more importantly, it is believed to be
Kristen M. Gentile
Ancient Medicine CLAS303
17 April 2011
Homeric Medicine
And Its Contribution to Hippocratic Medicine
The Iliad and the Odyssey are traditionally seen as works of literature, but students and
researchers of ancient medicine and the classics see beyond that label. These Homeric ἔπος [1]
which were referred to as ἐπικός,[2] were much more than just stories in the ancient world. In
fact, studies show that the medical descriptions featured in Homeric literature provided pre—
Hippocratic medicinal knowledge.[3] While both the Iliad and the Odyssey are good evidence of
Homeric medicine, the Iliad provides plentiful information regarding not only the treatment and
descriptions of illnesses, but battle wounds as well. While Homer 's Iliad documents the horrors
of war and the mortality of humans, there is an underlying benefit hiding between the lines.
There is a strong probability that the ancient world looked to the works of Homer as resources
for ancient medicine. The inclusion of the bloody descriptions of the injuries which occurred
during the final stages of the Trojan War is what provided pre—Hippocratic medicinal
knowledge and instigated curiosity for further anatomical and physiological exploration. In this
paper, I will examine how the knowledge of literary ailments helped the people of the ancient
world to better understand the human body and provided a smoother transition into the realm of
rational Hippocratic medicine.
The Iliad is like a guide to pre—Hippocratic medicine and the treatment of wounds. Of
Homer 's epics, the Iliad contains the most information regarding the treatment of injuries.
Extensive in length, this ἔπος spans over 15,000 lines, and has countless different editions and
versions available today. The original Iliad was Considered one of the oldest surviving Greek
poems, but more importantly, it is believed to be
Bibliography: Adams, Henry Foster. “A Note of the Effect of Rhythm on Memory.” Psychological Review Volume 22.4 (July, 1915): 289—298 Arieti, James A.. “Achilles’ Inquiry about Machaon: The Critical Moment in the Iliad.” The Classical Journal 79.2 (Dec., 1983—Jan., 1984): 125-130. Blickman, Daniel R. “The Role of the Plague in the Iliad." Classical Antiquity Volume 6.1 (April, 1987):1—10. Burkert, Walter. "The making of Homer in the 6th century BC: Rhapsodes versus Stesichorus." Papers on the Amasis Painter and his World, Malibu: Getty Museum, 1987: 43–62. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002. Homer. The Iliad. Edited and translated by Robert Fagles. New York: Penguin, 1991. Neal, Tamara. The Wounded Hero: Non-Fatal Injury in Homer 's Iliad. Switzerland: Peter Lang AG, 2006. Nutton, Vivian. Ancient Medicine. Edited by Liba Taub. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, 2004. Oxford University: Oxford University Press, 1996. Paipetis, S. A. Science and Technology in Homeric Epics. Springer Science + Business Media B.V., 2008: 280. Ranta, Jerrald. “The Drama of Plato 's "Ion." The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism Volume 26.2 (Winter, 1967): 219-229. Translated by Cornelius G. Comegys, M.D.. Cincinnati: Moore, Wilstach, Keys & Co., 1856. (March, 2007): 112—115. Saunders, K. B.. “Frölich’s Table of Homeric Wounds.” The Classical Quarterly New Series 54.1 (May, 2004): 1-17. Sieben, R.. “The Homeric Concept and Practice of Medicine.” Stanford Medical Bulletin (August 20, 1962): 130-136 Smith, Wesely D.. “Physiology in the Homeric Poems.” Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association 97 (1966): 547-556. Urso C. “Anatomical references in Homer 's Iliad.” Pathologica Volume 89.1 (February, 1997): 26—30. Viale, G. “An intriguing fragment of pre-hippocratic medicine in Aeschylus.” Neurosurgery Volume 55.4 (October 2004): 761—766. Warren, C.P. “Some Aspects of Medicine in the Greek Bronze Age.” Medical History Volume 14.4 (October 1970): 364–377.