Eingeweidewürmer in Galens Schriften

Abstract

Galen was undoubtedly one of the most important physicians in antiquity. He left a voluminous work which was edited by numerous scholars. The most capacious edition was done by Karl Gottlob Kühn between 1821 and 1833, which is, besides other more recent editions, the major source for this work. Galen deals in his works with all aspects of medicine and with philosophy. The texts on intestinal helminths are spread over the whole works of Galen and give a deep insight of the understanding of parasitic diseases due to intestinal helminths in Antiquity. Intestinal helminths "vermes intestinales" are also subsumed as "lumbrici" of which three species are distinguished: "lati", "teretes" and "ascarides". Galen inherits the descriptions of these worms from the Corpus Hippocraticum and even indicates this once. Well defined amongst the "teretes" or "lumbrici rotundi" appears to be the roundworm Ascaris lumbricoides of today. Less clear are the descriptions of the other "smaller worms", so-called "ascarides". Due to the described symptoms it is possible to identify the threadworm Enterobius vermicularis "that infests mainly children". If Galen distinguished other "small" worm species could not be clarified from this text. The third "species" "Lumbrici lati", today's tape worms, are described separately and also the hunger they cause is mentioned. With his model of explanation for the genesis of the worms Galen combines medicine, philosophy and the Doctrine of the Four Humours which was valid at his time: intestinal worms originate from "putridity and warmth" and therefore stand opposite the life forms that evolve from semen. In addition to the descriptions of the parasites Galen gives advice how and by which means parasites can be fought. Their successful expulsion can be achieved using substances that have the properties "cool" and/or "dry" following the Doctrine of the Four Humours. Some of the medicines described are still used as drugs in our society amongst others: mint, cardamom or myrrh.