Ancient Medicine: Selected Papers

by Ludwig Edelstein

A classic study of medicine in antiquity, Ancient Medicine brings together much of Ludwig Edelstein's most important work on a subject that occupied him throughout a distinguished career. Included is his widely known translation of and commentary on the Hippocratic Oath, as well as his other writings on the oath which demonstrate how atypical it is of Greek medical thought. The book also explores the influence of empiricism and skepticism on Greek and Roman medicine, the practice of anatomy and dietetics in antiquity, and the relation of ancient medicine to ancient philosophy.

480 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1967

Reviews

[Erik Graff · Rating 4 out of 5]

During the mid-nineties I and about a thousand other employees of Loyola University Chicago were laid off during a major corporate restructuring which ultimately led to the abolition of the part-time undergraduate division of which I'd been academic dean. Initial well-meaning assurances from colleagues that this was a technicality and that I'd be rehired did not pan out, so, obtaining some part-time work at the Ares Press, publisher of the academic journal Ancient World, I started actively looking for work, preferably back at Loyola where I'd been for almost fifteen years.

One of the very many jobs I applied for was for the directorship of the Pre-Health Advising office, a service which as the Pre-Med program had been run under the auspices of my division and whose former director I had worked closely with, sharing a suite of offices at our Lake Shore campus. I read Edelstein's book as a compromise formation between my work in the classics and aspirations to do medical advising.

I didn't get the job, but I did learn a lot about ancient Greek medicine and Hippocratic ethics.