Methodologist
Methodists (derived from μέθοδός = scientific treatment of an object) called themselves followers of a medical doctrine, which from the 1st century BC. Was developed and practiced by Greek doctors in the Roman Empire. The methodological school was one of the main currents of ancient medicine alongside the dogmatic school of the Hippocratic tradition and the empirical school . Representatives of the Hippocratic medicine based on humoral pathology (the theory of humors) rejected what they saw as the greatly simplified teachings and healing methods.
Basics and development
Asklepiades of Bithynia (born 124 BC, died 60 BC) started the school of Methodists . For the theoretical justification of his therapeutic measures, he replaced the prevailing humoral pathology with a reference to Epicureanism , in particular to the atomic theory of Herakleides Pontikos the Elder . He imagined the organism to be composed of atoms and saw the cause of illness in changes or disturbances in the movement of these particles.
Themison of Laodikeia completed the teaching. He explained that because of the general causes of the disease, the general condition, namely contraction ( status strictus ), relaxation ( status laxus ) or mixed condition ( status mixtus ) should not be taken into account during treatment . It should also be noted whether the disease is acute or chronic and at what stage it is (increasing, stationary or decreasing).
Soranus of Ephesus expanded the methodological school further. Soranic Gynecology has survived from his numerous books on philosophical, literary and medical subjects . De morbis acutis et chronicis by Caelius Aurelianus is regarded as the free translation of a book by Soranos into Latin.
The three doctors, as well as the methodological doctor Thessalus von Tralleis , also often mentioned , wrote their works in Greek, but worked largely in Rome and thus promoted the acceptance of Greek medicine.
Treatment methods
The text De morbis acutis et chronicis by Caelius Aurelianus provides an insight into the healing methods of the methodologists. After a detailed diagnosis and determination of the main indication, a special, comprehensive treatment is offered for each disease. It consists of dietetics , body movement (active such as walking, land and sea voyages, passive such as being carried or rocking in bed), massages and friction, anointing, baths, bloodletting , enema , cupping , accommodation and storage regulations and extensive pharmaceuticals . Surgical measures are refused. It goes so far that even pulling a sore tooth is condemned.
Contemporary reception and tradition
The methodology school was well known in Rome and lived until late antiquity.
Aulus Cornelius Celsus (1st century AD) explains in the proemium for his work De Medicina the theory of Asklepiades and the doctrine of Themison with his classification of diseases.
Pliny the Elder (1st century AD) deals with the Methodologists and Asklepiades in his Naturalis Historia . Pliny presents less the theoretical basis of his doctrine, but more the remedies. He reports on the great successes up to a death at the stake, but claims reproachfully that Asklepiades took up the healing profession because of the income.
Galen of Pergamon (2nd century AD) has a negative view of the methodologists. In the book about doctors he writes: Methodici et in universum scientiam ipsam esse praedicant, sed utrique a vero, maximeque methodici aberrarunt. But he passed on a lot of information about the teaching and its doctors.
Oreibasios (4th century AD) uses Asklepiades and Soranos for his great medical encyclopedia in Greek.
Caelius Aurelianus (early 5th century AD) translates works by Soranos into Latin in order - as he writes in the preface - to shed light on the difficult-to-understand Greek authors. He also indicates that some doctors no longer speak Greek.
Texts
- Caelius Aurelianus: Acute Diseases, Chronic Diseases. Ed .: Gerhard Bendz in the CML, Berlin 1990.
- Celsus: De Medicina, Proemium. In: The doctor in antiquity. Ed .: Walter Müri, Munich 1938.
- Galenus in Medicorum Graecorum Opera , editionem curavit Dr. Karl Gottlob Kühn , Leipzig 1827.
- Pliny: Natural History , Volume XXVI, Munich / Zurich 1983.
literature
- Iwan Bloch : Greek doctors of the third and fourth (post-Christian) centuries in the Handbuch der Geschichte der Medizin , Hildesheim / New York 1971.
- Robert Fuchs: History of medicine among the Greeks in the manual of the history of medicine , Hildesheim / New York 1971.
- Theodor Meyer-Steineg : The medical system of the methodologist. In: Jena medical-historical contributions. Volumes 7 and 8, Jena 1916.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Hans Georg von Manz: Methodist School. In: Werner E. Gerabek , Bernhard D. Haage, Gundolf Keil , Wolfgang Wegner (eds.): Enzyklopädie Medizingeschichte. De Gruyter, Berlin / New York 2005, ISBN 3-11-015714-4 , p. 980 f.
- ↑ Jutta Kollesch , Diethard Nickel : Ancient healing art. Selected texts from the medical writings of the Greeks and Romans. Philipp Reclam jun., Leipzig 1979 (= Reclams Universal Library. Volume 771); 6th edition ibid 1989, ISBN 3-379-00411-1 , p. 18 f.
- ^ Theodor Meyer-Steineg: The medical system of the methodologist , I. Asklepiades von Prusa
- ^ Theodor Meyer-Steineg: The medical system of the methodologists , II. Themison of Laodikeia
- ↑ Robert Fuchs: History of medicine among the Greeks , 32nd The Methodists
- ↑ Robert Fuchs: History of medicine among the Greeks , 32nd The Methodists
- ^ Caelius Aurelianus: Chronic Diseases , Book II, 4.
- ↑ Pliny: Naturkunde , Volume XXVI, 12-17.
- ↑ Galenus: Volume XIV, p. 684: "The methodologists believe that they are leading the way in science and yet err most of all."
- ^ Iwan Bloch: Greek doctors of the third and fourth (post-Christian) centuries , I. The writers of the fourth and fifth centuries, Oreibasios