Galen's Theory Research Articles

Galen's Theory of Black Bile: Hippocratic Tradition, Manipulation, Innovation by Keith Andrew Stewart, and: Galen's Treatise Περὶ Ἀλυπίας (De indolentia) in Context: A Tale of Resistance ed. by Caroline Petit

Galen's Theory of Black Bile: Hippocratic Tradition, Manipulation, Innovation by Keith Andrew Stewart, and: Galen's Treatise Περὶ Ἀλυπίας (De indolentia) in Context: A Tale of Resistance ed. by Caroline Petit

Galen and his Legacy concerning Humoral Theory and Diet: De subtiliante dieta

Through this paper, we want to analyze the evolution of Ancient Hippocratic philosophy regarding the humoral theory (the medical concept humorism or humoralism) synthesized by Galen and spread through space and time because of his writings. Starting from Galen's work, De Subtiliante Diaeta, we will try to see how the diet, especially one rich in liquids, modifies the ratio between the four constituent elements of the organism and therefore influences the individual`s relationship with their water and food supply needed for proper bodily functions.In drawing up this analysis we will pursue both a historiographical approach, regarding Galen's theory, as well as a systematic approach to the primary source. The relationship a man has with the water he drinks or extracts from the consumed food is approached by all written cultures, from the beginning of history to the present day, water being the main necessary element of survival. As many of the Ancient, Medieval and Pre-Modern conceptions have their root in the humoral theories of Hippocrates and Galen, the issue becomes even more relevant as drinking water was not easily accessible (compared to the Contemporary period in developed countries), and water-rich foods provided a great supply of liquids.

The Relationship Between Galen’s Personality Type Theory and Emotional Intelligence Level

Introduction: Personality is a behavior and mindset pattern that is typical for each person in responding to every event or stimulus in his environment. Galen's theory has classified personality types into four types they are Sanguinis, Choleric, Melancholy, and Plegmatis. The level of emotional intelligence shows a person's ability to deal with demands and pressures to achieve their best in thinking and behaving appropriately. This study aims to prove the relationship between personality types based on Galen's theory with emotional intelligence level in preclinical medical students.Methods: This study is a comparative study using an online questionnaire instrument on emotional intelligence and personality type tests compiled by Florence Littauer. This research variables are the emotional intelligence level and personality type. This study used data from 100 respondents, then data was analyzed using Chi Square test.Results: From 100 respondents, dominant personality type is Sanguinis 35%, followed by Choleric 13%, Melancholy 27%, and Plegmatis 25%. There were no respondent who showed a low level of emotional intelligence in this study. 64% of respondents have a high level of emotional intelligence, while the remaining 36% have a moderate level. Chi Square test shows p value is 0.032.Conclusion: There is a relationship between personality types based on Galen's theory with emotional intelligence level on medical students in Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Airlangga.

Greatness in failure: a look at Leonardo da Vinci and his drawings of the heart

Greatness in failure: a look at Leonardo da Vinci and his drawings of the heart

Johannitius (809-873 AD), a medieval physician, translator and author.

The medieval physician, translator and author Abū Zayd Ḥunayn ibn Isḥāq al-'Ibādī, best known in the West as Johannitius, is considered the best translator of Greek texts, particularly medical writings, into Arabic. He made great inroads in the art of translation in the Islamic world. In addition to his own translations, Johannitius put significant effort into training pupils and passing knowledge about translation to succeeding generations. He was also a great writer, compiling over 100 books on different subjects, especially medical. Among his own works, the illustrious Kitab al-Ashr Maqalat fil-Ayn (Ten Treatises on the Eye) contains the oldest known illustration of the structure of the eye. It served as the primary source for Galen's theory of vision and subsequent use by Western scholars.

Balinese Aromatherapy Product Development Based on Kansei Engineering and Customer Personality Type

Balinese aromatherapy products have such local indigenous that attracts customer attention. The combination of aromatherapy product and Balinese culture make this product become unique and famous in the market. In this re-search affective engineering approach based on Kansei Engineering was applied to develop Balinese aromatherapy product. Customer personality type based on Hippocrates and Galen theory was involved in the development process. According to its main motivation, three research objectives were proposed (1) to generate the new design concept of Balinese aromatherapy product using Principal Component Analysis (PCA), (2) to identify the relevant product design element using Relief method, and (3) to generate the quantification model of aromatherapy product design using Fuzzy Quantification Theory Type 1 (FQTT1). The result of PCA method showed the extraction of KW collected has been reduced twelve components into one principal component to represent new design concept named “Balinese Traditional” (BT). By using Relief method, ten relevant design elements have been generated from twelve design elements identified. According to the result of FQTT1 analysis, a linear quantitative model has been built for each personality type to explore the relationship between customer's emotional feelings and product design elements. From these models, design support information has been generated to assist product designers in decision making for the new Balinese product design. In general, the result showed that all design specification of Balinese aromatherapy product were specific for each personality and most of them were productive as the new design rules.

1097 GALEN OF PERGAMUM(129-216 AD) ON ERECTION AND PRIAPISM: (PATHO-) PHYSIOLOGY AND CASE REPORTS

You have accessJournal of UrologyHistory of Urology Forum1 Apr 20131097 GALEN OF PERGAMUM(129-216 AD) ON ERECTION AND PRIAPISM: (PATHO-) PHYSIOLOGY AND CASE REPORTS Franz Marx Franz MarxFranz Marx Cologne, Germany More articles by this author View All Author Informationhttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.juro.2013.02.689AboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES In the work of Galen (“corpus galenicum”) comprising more than 170 writings, about 340 short case reports can be found. 33 of these reports are connected with urologic organs or symptoms, seven are dealing with priapism. METHODS Galen's perception of physiology and pathophysiology of erection and his case histories connected to priapism are analyzed on the basis of the original Greek texts. RESULTS In his work “On the Affected Parts” Galen treats quite extensively the physiology of erection as well as the pathophysiology of priapism founded on his concept of Hippocratic humoral pathology and own anatomical research. In his view the primary cause for erection is the specific quality of the cavernous bodies to attract the expanding pneuma (the “vital spirit”) from the penile arteries. Following Galen's theory priapism is the consequence of a non-natural condition of the arteries presenting “pathological” widening of vascular openings and excessive generation of gaseous pneuma. The clinical presentation of Galen's cases is not different from the modern definition of the disorder. One of the cases displaying continuous palpitations of the persistently erected but not aching penis reminds of the actual “high-flow” variation of priapism defined by unbridled arterial inflow. Galen's therapeutic approach includes local cooling measures, herbal infusions and phlebotomy. CONCLUSIONS Galen's reports on priapism are the first clinical casuistics on this topic - associated with pathogenetic discussion - in the history of urology. They attest the analytic and conceptual ingenuity of this great ancient physician and scientist. © 2013 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 189Issue 4SApril 2013Page: e450 Advertisement Copyright & Permissions© 2013 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.MetricsAuthor Information Franz Marx Cologne, Germany More articles by this author Expand All Advertisement Advertisement PDF downloadLoading ...

Embodiments of Will: Anatomical and Physiological Theories of Voluntary Animal Motion from Greek Antiquity to the Latin Middle Ages, 400 B.C.-A.D. 1300 (review)

Reviewed by: Embodiments of Will: Anatomical and Physiological Theories of Voluntary Animal Motion from Greek Antiquity to the Latin Middle Ages, 400 B.C.-A.D. 1300 Sabrina Grimaudo Michael Frampton . Embodiments of Will: Anatomical and Physiological Theories of Voluntary Animal Motion from Greek Antiquity to the Latin Middle Ages, 400 B.C.-A.D. 1300. Saarbrücken, Germany: VDM Verlag, 2008. xxxv + 623 pp. Ill. $100.00 (978-3-639-08294-4). Embodiments of Will is the evocative title of this monograph aiming to reconstruct the history of the two main theories on the origin of voluntary animal motion, from Aristotle to Mondino dei Luzzi (fourteenth century): the cardiocentric theory and the cerebrocentric one. It is a history in which, as Frampton shows, scientific knowledge, philosophical convictions, and "beliefs" linked to the paradigms dominant at different times are inextricably interwoven. The work is based not only on a reading of many Greek and Latin sources, Arabic compendia, and medieval texts but also on dissections personally carried out by the author (a practicing physician) according to Aristotle and Galen and documented by photographs. After a brief introductory chapter, we really get into classical antiquity in chapters 2 and 3 (part I). Chapter 2 examines the first works from the Greek world that developed a systematic investigation of voluntary animal motion (hekousios kinesis): Aristotle's De incessu animalium and, above all, De motu animalium. Frampton's analysis is broadened here in order to take in on one side the forerunners of Aristotle's reflection (Pre-Socratics, Corpus Hippocraticum, Plato especially in Timaeus), extending on the other hand to more or less all the Aristotelian corpus.. Consistent with his biological and philosophical system, which is clearly cardiocentric, in Aristotle the theory of voluntary motion also hinges on the heart and the neura (cardiosinew theory). Chapter 3 is devoted to Galen's cerebrocentric theory. Here Frampton shows that Galen, in response to the revival of Aristotle's cardiocentrism by Chrysippus through valorization of the role of the vagus nerve, "translates" the issue of the origin of movement into the terms of the place of the hegemonikon. In opposition to what the Stoics maintained, this part of the soul, also responsible for the motor impulse, is not placed in the heart but in the brain, from which the nerves spring (cerebroneuromuscular theory). Galen, in keeping with his epistemological style, proves this through anatomical demonstrations carried out both by dissection of dead bodies and by vivisection of animals. Perhaps it is the shift of the axis of Galen's reflection and his focusing on the problem of the place of the hegemonikon that explain why Frampton decides to base his analysis above all on De placitis Hippocratis et Platonis, leaving out other works by Galen that are nevertheless pertinent to the theme in question (De motu musculorum, De motibus dubiis). In this respect, chapter 3 proves to be less exhaustive than chapter 2. [End Page 132] Part II (chaps. 4 and 5) traces the history of the classical theories of voluntary animal motion from late antiquity to the threshold of the Renaissance, well remarking the decisive role played in those centuries by the Latin translations of the texts of Aristotle, Galen, and Avicenna in the prevalence of one or the other theory. During the early Middle Ages (chap. 4) we find some reflection on the theme, more or less by accident, in the works of authors who are not physicians, all oriented toward a cerebrocentric solution deriving from Plato and Galen. This was a situation destined to change following the spread, in the centuries of the late Middle Ages (chap. 5), of Latin translations of Aristotle's biological works and Avicenna's Canon, which leads to a clear reaffirmation of the cardiocentric theory of voluntary movement, fully reflected in the great anatomy manual of Mondino dei Luzzi (Anatomia, Bologna, 1316). Having thus become part of the curriculum of the universities, this theory was substantially to be dominant until the publication of De corporis humani fabrica by Andreas Vesalius (1543), which was to mark its definitive eclipse in favor of the cerebrocentric model worked out by Galen. The bibliography is rich, though of uneven value. The...

Galen's Theory of Knowledge

Galen's Theory of Knowledge

Balance and moderation

For centuries, Galen's humoral theory held sway. It explained diseases as resulting from an imbalance of the body's four humours: blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile. Since the second century AD many body fluids and the channels they use have been identified: for example, tiny systems are found in the eye, where aqueous humour, constantly being formed by capillaries of the ciliary processes, drain away into Schlemm's canal; and the much larger lymphatic system that conveys many substances and ducts into the main cardiovascular system. Cerebro-spinal fluid has its own circulatory system and also ducts into the blood. These linked circulatory systems also convey invaders, either unbidden or self-inflicted, that may wreak havoc in the body. But these systems can also be deliberately punctured to withdraw fluids for study, analysis, or for other uses, such as the introduction of drugs that are part of an increasing number of combatweapons. Today, we say that humoral immunity requires circulating antibodies. Galen would surely be astonished.

Paranasal sinuses: only one of nature's games?

Many theories exist concerning the function of paranasal sinuses, but it is rather difficult to definitively name the right one. Despite the fact that many of them have been proved to be wrong, they are still used. Galen postulated 2000 years ago that they were "porous bones", which helped with weight reduction. Like Galen's theory, most of the others have been refuted as well. A list of these refuted theories covers a range of postulated functions including a relative warming or moistening of the breath, protection against high pressure in the nasal region when sneezing, paranasal sinuses as a place of efficient mucus production, or an aid for smelling, similar to the ethmoidal cells of the porcupine. Others include an isolated function for protection against cold climates and an aid for formulating sound by acting as a resonance chambers. Two theories still remain. One says that the paranasal sinuses are only the result of the evolutionary processes that have taken place in the skull during human development. The other theory explain that the form of the paranasal sinuses exists through the influence of the forces created during the act of chewing. Small cavities appear as a result of the minimal energy created, and these cavities can be found in the form of paranasal sinuses.

Galen and the humour theory of temperament

This paper relates how Galen of Pergamum (AD 130–200) used the theory of humours to explain individual differences in character. The four primary humours, chole (bile), melanchole (black bile). sanguis (blood) and flegma (phlegm), were understood in terms of a general cosmological theory in which fire, earth, air and water were the four basic elements of all things. Physical constitution and psychological characteristics were determined by the balance or blend (L. temperare) of the humours. In general, Galen made few characterological observations and these adjectives showed a negligible correspondence to the adjectives that were later ascribed to the four temperament categories. The legacy of Galen's theory of humours, however, is a descriptive typology of character that emerged in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and that bears a remarkable resemblance to the extraversion and neuroticism dimensions.

An empirical investigation of Eysenck's typology

Eysenck has summarized the history of the Galen theory of personality types and, while changing the theory from a categorical to a dimensional model, has suggested that it might be operationalized in terms of his factors of Extraversion and Neuroticism. The descriptors that Eysenck provides (and which are commonplace in everyday language) include not only traits, but states as well. This led us to predict that these personality types should evince different patterns and ranges of moods (states) and thus necessitates a crucial test of this ancient typology, specifically in the operationalized form suggested by Eysenck. In a preliminary test of this, Howarth (1988a) demonstrated that expected mood differences among the four types—Melancholic, Sanguine, Phlegmatic, and Choleric—did indeed emerge, suggesting the need for the formulation of the more crucial test over time. In order to test this possibility, 39 representatives of the four groups were selected from a total of 467 persons who had taken the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire. They then completed the Howarth Mood-Adjective Checklist (HMACL) over a 10-day period. Their responses were anlyzed using multiple discriminant functions and it was shown that the four types were clearly discriminable in a meaningful manner. Thus, our empirical investigation supports this classical theory of personality as herein defined both on the trait and on the state side.

Two fundamental questions in personality research

This paper relates how Galen of Pergamum (AD 130–200) used the theory of humours to explain individual differences in character. The four primary humours, chole (bile), melanchole (black bile). sanguis (blood) and flegma (phlegm), were understood in terms of a general cosmological theory in which fire, earth, air and water were the four basic elements of all things. Physical constitution and psychological characteristics were determined by the balance or blend (L. temperare) of the humours. In general, Galen made few characterological observations and these adjectives showed a negligible correspondence to the adjectives that were later ascribed to the four temperament categories. The legacy of Galen's theory of humours, however, is a descriptive typology of character that emerged in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and that bears a remarkable resemblance to the extraversion and neuroticism dimensions.

Galen's conception theory

One of the reasons why ancient theories of reproduction have drawn so much recent attention' is that they offer a unique case study in scientific inference, one that unites limited observational data (usually anatomic description based upon dissections of primates and readily accessible facts of heredity) and theoretical inference. Because these two poles constitute the boundaries for most scientific explanation, study of these theories can shed philosophical light upon scientific methodology as well as reveal the nature of the explanations involved.

From Galen's theory to William Harvey's theory: A case study in the rationality of scientific theory change

The history of science is that of older theories being challenged and eventually being superseded by newer theories. The rationality of this process of scientific theory change is a central issue in contemporary philosophy of science. This paper aims to elucidate this topic by examining an episode in the history of medical science, namely the change from Galen's theory of the movement of the heart and blood to Harvey’s theory of the circulation of the blood. In Part I the historical details include Galen's theory, the generation of Harvey's theory, Harvey's arguments for his theory, the reception of and arguments against Harvey’s theory, and the fate of Galen's theory. In Part II to elucidate the topic, the change from Galen's theory to Harvey's theory is assumed to be rational, and the ideas of Imre Lakatos and Thomas Kuhn are examined in turn to see if they can account for this rationality. It is argued that they cannot. In Part III a different conception, which does account for the rationality of this scientific theory change, is presented. One noteworthy consequence of this conception is that it provides an argument against the context of discovery/context of justification distinction as an adequate basis for understanding the rational process of scientific theory change.