Galen

📷 Wikimedia Commons — domaine public — Georg Paul Busch (engraver) — 1750

Claudius Galenus

129 — 300

Rome antique

SciencesPhilosophyPhilosopheAntiquityRoman Empire (Early Empire)

A Greek physician of the 2nd century AD, Galen served as doctor to the Roman emperors and became the greatest medical theorist of antiquity. His work in anatomy and physiology, based on the dissection of animals, dominated Western medicine for over a thousand years.

Famous Quotes

« The best physician is also a philosopher. »

« Anatomy is the foundation of medicine. »

Key Facts

Born around 129 AD in Pergamon (present-day Turkey), died around 216 AD
Personal physician to Emperor Marcus Aurelius in Rome
Author of approximately 300 medical treatises, about a hundred of which have survived
Developed and systematized the theory of the four humors inherited from Hippocrates
His writings remained the medical authority in Europe and the Arab world until the 16th century

Works & Achievements

De usu partium corporis humani (On the Usefulness of the Parts of the Body) (c. 170 AD)

A treatise in 17 books describing the teleological anatomy of the human body — that is, each organ justified by its function. A foundational work that dominated medical thought for over a thousand years.

De anatomicis administrationibus (On Anatomical Procedures) (c. 177 AD)

A practical dissection manual in 15 books, precisely describing techniques and anatomical observations drawn from the dissection of monkeys and other animals. A major surgical reference of antiquity.

De methodo medendi (On the Therapeutic Method) (c. 178 AD)

A treatise in 14 books setting out a rational and systematic method for diagnosing and treating diseases. A standard reference work for medieval European and Arab physicians.

De naturalibus facultatibus (On the Natural Faculties) (c. 170 AD)

A founding treatise of Galenic physiology, expounding the theory of the faculties that govern digestion, nutrition, and growth. In it, Galen mounts a brilliant defense of teleological thinking against the atomists.

De temperamentis (On Temperaments) (c. 170 AD)

A treatise developing and systematizing the theory of the four humors inherited from Hippocrates (blood, phlegm, yellow bile, black bile), which became the cornerstone of medieval medicine and the psychology of temperaments.

Ars medica / Microtechne (The Art of Medicine) (c. 160 AD)

A short introductory treatise on Galenic medicine, and one of the most widely read and commented medical texts of the Middle Ages. It synthesizes the fundamental principles of diagnosis and therapeutics.

Anecdotes

Galen began his career treating the gladiators of Pergamon. This position allowed him to observe numerous serious wounds and deepen his anatomical knowledge. It is said that he reduced gladiator mortality so effectively that the high priest who had hired him renewed his appointment four years in a row.

To demonstrate his theories on the nervous system, Galen performed a spectacular public demonstration: by severing the recurrent laryngeal nerves of a pig before an assembly of philosophers and physicians, he proved that the brain — not the heart — controlled the voice. The pig, which had been squealing until that moment, fell instantly silent, confounding his opponents.

Galen was summoned to Rome to treat Marcus Aurelius, who suffered from a chronic ailment. He diagnosed not a fever, but indigestion, and prescribed a simple diet. The emperor, relieved, called him 'the first among physicians and the only philosopher.' Galen went on to become the personal physician of several Roman emperors.

Galen was known for his combative nature and verbal jousting with rival physicians. He had no hesitation in performing public dissections to humiliate his detractors by proving them wrong through direct observation. He fiercely denounced those he called 'charlatans' and 'ignoramuses' who harmed their patients.

Galen narrowly escaped the fire that destroyed the Temple of Peace in Rome in 192 AD, which consumed a large portion of his library and medical preparations stored in nearby warehouses. He devoted much of his later years to reconstructing and rewriting the works he had lost in the blaze.

Primary Sources

De usu partium corporis humani (On the Usefulness of the Parts of the Body) (c. 170 AD)

Nature does nothing in vain, nothing superfluous, nothing lacking in what is necessary. Every part of the body was created for a specific function, and that function is perfectly fulfilled.

De methodo medendi (On the Therapeutic Method) (c. 178 AD)

The physician must first understand the nature of the healthy body, then that of the diseased body, in order to restore the latter to its natural state through appropriate remedies.

De naturalibus facultatibus (On the Natural Faculties) (c. 170 AD)

Every part of the body possesses its own faculty: a faculty of attraction for what is beneficial to it, a faculty of retention, a faculty of alteration, and a faculty of expulsion for what is harmful.

De anatomicis administrationibus (On Anatomical Procedures) (c. 177 AD)

If you wish to know the bones, do not be content with reading books — examine them with your own eyes, either by dissecting yourself or by carefully observing those who dissect.

Ars medica (The Art of Medicine) (c. 160 AD)

Health is the condition in which we neither suffer nor are hindered in our activities. Disease is the opposite condition, in which we suffer and are prevented from performing our natural functions.

Key Places

Pergamon (Bergama, Turkey)

Galen's birthplace and a major intellectual and medical hub of the Roman world, home to its Asclepion (a temple-sanatorium dedicated to Asclepius) and a renowned library. It was here that he received his first medical training.

Alexandria (Egypt)

Galen studied here for several years, making use of the largest library in the ancient world and the medical schools that carried on the Hippocratic and anatomical traditions. This period was decisive in shaping his education.

Rome

Capital of the Empire where Galen spent most of his adult career, becoming imperial physician and achieving international renown. It was here that he conducted his public dissections and wrote the bulk of his works.

Asclepion of Pergamon

A great healing sanctuary dedicated to Asclepius, the god of medicine, where the sick and pilgrims came seeking cures through dreams, baths, and prescribed diets. Galen began his medical career here and was profoundly influenced by its practices.