During the Roman empire, medicine in Rome revolved around Galen, a physician who reconciled the opposing philosophical constructs of Plato (an idealist) and Aristotle (a realist) through dissections and the formation of a systematic description of human anatomy. Although the belief in an irrational nature, a Platonic doctrine which stated that intangible forces outside of the natural world could have an effect on earthly beings had been popular in Greece, Galen and his followers revealed unease about medical speculation. Instead they believed in conclusions being drawn primarily from facts understood by using the senses and scientific discovery. However, the cultural beliefs in Rome were still predominantly in favor of philosophical constructs and ideals, and Galen himself believed that every physician must also be well versed in philosophy. Therefore, the physicians of Galen’s time used systematic and scientific methods along with philosophical principles to interpret the human anatomy, and treat illnesses through knowledge of both the spirit and body.
The idea that physicians should be well versed in philosophy first came from Hippocrates, a Greek physician considered to be the “father of medicine.” Galen was primarily influenced by the philosophers …show more content…
Within the human body, the crasis was a force considered to be a the mixture of the elements and humors, which were life forces described by platonic doctrines, and used to explain bodily functions If one's crasis was balanced then the person was considered healthy, but If the crasis was unbalanced then sickness would occur. The most important out of all of the crasis was the vital pneuma, the “life force” which was pushed through the body, resulting in a pulse. In this way, cultural and philosophical beliefs popular in Roman society were further combined with the anatomical
The idea that physicians should be well versed in philosophy first came from Hippocrates, a Greek physician considered to be the “father of medicine.” Galen was primarily influenced by the philosophers …show more content…
Within the human body, the crasis was a force considered to be a the mixture of the elements and humors, which were life forces described by platonic doctrines, and used to explain bodily functions If one's crasis was balanced then the person was considered healthy, but If the crasis was unbalanced then sickness would occur. The most important out of all of the crasis was the vital pneuma, the “life force” which was pushed through the body, resulting in a pulse. In this way, cultural and philosophical beliefs popular in Roman society were further combined with the anatomical