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| Erasistratus (315-240 A.D.) |
Men became smarter in all walks of life, including medicine. At first medical theories were formed based on keen observation, and ultimately new ideas were created based on experience, such as actually cutting open a human to see what was inside, and see what various diseases did to the human body.
Erasistratis of Chios lived about 315-240 B.C. and is known by history as an anatomist and founder of the School of Anatomy at Alexandria, Egypt. He is generally known to follow the methods of Hippocrates before him, yet his work would later influence Galen.
Erasistratus was an anatomist who was so accurate at describing the human body that many of his descriptions are still used to this day. However, it wasn't until the writings of Galen some 350 years later that his descriptions were introduced to the medical world. (1)
One significant contribution to medicine and our history of asthma is the discovery by Erasistratus of the valves of the heart. Hippocrates had earlier noted the heart could not be diseased, but Erasistratus thought otherwise.
However, while he conducted his research it was believed the arteries contained air not blood. Blood wasn't described until the days of Galen.
This is significant to our history of asthma because over the next 2,000 years it would be learned that heart failure mimicks true asthma and was ultimately reclassified not as asthma per se but cardiac asthma. Cardiac asthma is now referred to as heart failure.
Another interesting thing about the life of Erastistratis is that, while he may not have known it at the time, his life marked the beginning of the fall of the once great empire that was Rome. In our study of the history of asthma Erasistatis is our last significant figure representing medicine in the Ancient Greek and Roman eras.
Click here for more asthma history.
Click here for more asthma history.
References:
- Parr, Bartholomew Par, M.D., "The London Medical Dictionary," 1809, London, Vol. 1, pagegs 425-5
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