An innovative hippocratic cranial intervention for amaurosis in classical Greece

Abstract

Background Amaurosis is the sudden and acute loss of sight. Followers of Hippocrates in ancient Greece described amaurosis as a symptom of several ophthalmological pathologies, such as tumours or trauma. To treat it, surgery often was performed. Methods The Corpus Hippocraticum, edited by Littré, was thoroughly studied. Results The Corpus Hippocraticum describes the surgical treatment for amaurosis, which involves drilling with specialized tools (i.e. trephines) into the affected area of the temporal bone. It was believed that this procedure would help release demonic spirits and balance the bodily humours. Physiology of the era assumed that fluids in the head sometimes exerted high pressure on the optical nerve and that this fluid needed to be alleviated. Conclusions Ancient Greeks studied cranial anatomy and understood the main principals of internal bleeding and inflammation. They treated some of the neurological symptoms that resulted from these conditions with surgery.