On Temperaments : On Non-Uniform Distemperment; the Soul?s Traits Depend on Bodily Temperament

Galen; Johnston, Ian (EDT)

ISBN 10: 0674997387 / ISBN 13: 9780674997387

Published by Harvard University Press, 2020

About this Item

Unread book in perfect condition.

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Bibliographic Details

• Title: On Temperaments : On Non-Uniform Distemperment; the Soul?s Traits Depend on Bodily Temperament
• Publisher: Harvard University Press
• Publication Date: 2020
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0674997387
• ISBN 13: 9780674997387
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: As New

About this title

Synopsis

Antiquity’s most prolific and influential medical writer and practitioner.

Galen of Pergamum (129–?199/216), physician to the court of the emperor Marcus Aurelius, was a philosopher, scientist, medical historian, theoretician, and practitioner who wrote forcefully and prolifically on an astonishing range of subjects and whose impact on later eras rivaled that of Aristotle. Galen synthesized the entirety of Greek medicine as a basis for his own doctrines and practice, which comprehensively embraced theory, practical knowledge, experiment, logic, and a deep understanding of human life and society.

This volume presents three works of the greatest importance to Galen’s theory and practice of medicine. On Temperaments sets out Galen’s concept of the combination (krasis) of the four elemental qualities (hot, cold, wet, and dry), which is fundamental to his account of the structure and function of the human body and of animal and plant bodies generally, and is in turn essential to his theory of medical practice. The two related works, On Non-Uniform Distemperment and The Soul’s Traits Depend on Bodily Temperament, deal with specific aspects of dyskrasia, which is a disturbance in the combination of these qualities. Appended are two related short treatises, On the Best Constitution of Our Body and On Good Bodily State.

About the Author

Ian Johnston is an independent scholar pursuing a lifelong passion for ancient languages.