CLASSICS FINAL OFFICIAL TERMS

Plague of Athens

A deadly epidemic during the Peloponnesian War described by Thucydides that showed the limits of medicine and challenged divine explanations of disease.

Asklepios

Greek god of healing whose sanctuaries offered cures through rituals and incubation, representing divine medicine.

Miasma

The idea that disease is caused by pollution or contamination in the environment.

Incubation

A healing practice where patients sleep in a sanctuary to receive divine dreams for cures.

Anatomical votives

Offerings shaped like body parts given to gods in hopes of healing specific ailments.

Rational medicine

Medical practice based on observation and natural causes rather than divine intervention.

Hippocrates

Greek physician associated with rational medicine and clinical observation.

Divine medicine

Healing through gods, rituals, and religious practices.

Thales of Miletus

Early philosopher who explained nature through natural elements (water), influencing scientific thinking.

Maschalismos

Ritual mutilation of corpses to prevent revenge, reflecting beliefs about the body and soul.

Hippocratic medicine

Medical tradition emphasizing observation, prognosis, and regimen.

Humoral theory

The belief that health depends on balance of four humors: blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile.

Dogmatists

Physicians who emphasized theory and underlying causes of disease.

Empiricists

Physicians who relied on observation and experience rather than theory.

Plato

Philosopher who influenced ideas about the body and soul.

Empedocles

Philosopher who proposed the four-element theory (earth, air, fire, water).

Pythagoras / Pythagorean school

Philosophical movement emphasizing harmony and balance, influencing medicine.

Elemental theory

The idea that everything is composed of four elements, forming the basis of humoral theory.

Plato’s theory of the soul

The idea that the soul has three parts: reason, spirit, and appetite.

Environmental determinism

The belief that climate and geography influence health and behavior.

Scythian Anariees

A group described as gender-nonconforming, explained medically as a disease.

Ancient Greek geography

The study of how environment affects health and human traits.

Women’s anatomy

Ancient understanding of the female body, often inaccurate and biased.

Womb / uterus

Believed to move within the body and cause disease ('wandering womb').

Amulets

Objects worn for protection or healing, blending magic and medicine.

Odor therapy

Using smells to influence the body, especially to move the womb.

Seed / semen

Male reproductive fluid central to theories of reproduction.

Maternal seed

The idea that women also contribute reproductive material.

Encephalo-myelogenetic theory

The belief that reproduction originates from the brain and spinal cord.

Hematogenetic theory

The belief that reproduction originates from blood.

Pangenetic theory

The belief that reproductive material comes from the entire body.

Abortifacients / contraceptives

Substances used to prevent or terminate pregnancy.

Midwives

Women who assist in childbirth and provide reproductive care.

Wet-nurses

Women who breastfeed others’ children.

Breastfeeding / lactation

Seen as important for infant health and linked to humors.

Dissection

Cutting open dead bodies to study anatomy.

Vivisection

Cutting open living bodies to study function.

The Museum of Alexandria

A major center of learning where anatomical research and dissection were practiced.

Herophilus

Physician who studied the brain, nerves, and differences between arteries and veins.

Erasistratus

Physician who studied physiology and believed arteries carried pneuma.

Clepsydra (water clock)

A device used to measure time, including pulse rate.

Physiology

The study of how the body functions.

Poison

A harmful substance used in medicine and politics.

Mithridates VI

King who experimented with poisons and antidotes to build immunity.

Pharmaka

Substances that can act as both medicine and poison.

Cosmetics

Products used to enhance appearance.

Cosmeceuticals

Substances used for both cosmetic and medical purposes.

Tattoos / brands

Marks placed on the body for identity, punishment, or decoration.

Regimen

A plan of diet, exercise, and lifestyle for maintaining health.

Emetics

Substances that induce vomiting.

Purgative

Substances that clear the bowels.

Enema

Fluid inserted into the body to cleanse the intestines.

Venesection / bloodletting

The removal of blood to restore humoral balance.

Plethora

An excess of blood in the body.

Cupping

A technique using suction to draw out fluids.

Bathing

Used as a treatment and for maintaining health.

Exercise

Physical activity used to maintain bodily balance.

The Colosseum

Roman arena where injuries provided medical experience.

Galen

Roman physician who used animal dissection and developed theories of humors and pneuma.

Experimental anatomy

Studying the body through experimentation.

Pulse

A key indicator of health studied by Galen.

Disability / impairment

Physical differences understood through social and medical frameworks.

Adunatos / perosis

Terms referring to weakness or disability.

Deformities

Physical abnormalities often stigmatized.

Mobility aids

Tools used to assist movement.

Hephaestus

Greek god with a physical disability, showing cultural views of impairment.

Breath / pneuma (Galen)

Vital life force believed to move through the body.

Animal dissection

The use of animals to study anatomy and function.

Geras

Old age, associated with physical decline.