Asclepius: The Greek God of Medicine

Asclepius is the ancient Greek god of medicine. He is the son of Apollo and a mortal woman named Koronis, which makes him a demigod. Asclepius grew up motherless with different versions of how he lost his mother. However, in all versions of his story, he is brought up by his father, Apollo, who grants him the gift of healing and the secrets of medicine using herbs and plants. Asclepius is married to Hygeia, the goddess of hygiene and health (although some versions claim she is his daughter!)

Statue of Asclepius

Asclepius was a very gifted healer who was so successful at saving lives that he could also raise the dead. This made the god of the underworld, Hades, worried that he would not get any dead spirits, so he complained to his brother, Zeus. Fearing that Asclepius will make humans immortal, Zeus kills Asclepius with the strike of a thunderbolt, but later places him among the stars as the constellation, Ophiuchus, also known as the Serpent bearer.

Ophiuchus constellation in the night sky

After Asclepius’ death, his descendants, the Asclepiads, continued in the art of medicine. Hippocrates, the father of western medicine, is also considered a descendant of Asclepius, although he is a historical figure while Asclepius is a mythological character.

Asclepius had several healing temples or aslepieia, where the sick were sent to recuperate. At these temples, non-venomous snakes called the Aesculapian snakes (also seen on his Asclepius’ staff) were an essential part of the healing process and they were allowed to crawl freely around the dormitories where the sick slept. One of the most famous Asclepian sanctuary in ancient Greece was at Epidaurus, which is now a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Epidaurus was in Peloponnese in Greece and it became the most important center of healing in both ancient Greek and Roman times. In addition to the healing temple, and an underground labyrinth for housing the snakes, it also had a huge theatre with excellent acoustics, which later became famous for the Asclepieia festival that was held every four years to celebrate theatre, sport and music. The impressive ruins still exist and is a UNESCO World heritage site.

Theatre of Epidaurus

Sources:
https://www.heavens-above.com/myth.aspx?lat=0&lng=0&loc=Unspecified&alt=0&tz=UCT&cul=en&con=Oph

Comments

Origin of the Word "Cancer"

In my previous post, I explored the history of cancer. Since we know it existed in ancient times, it follows that so did its name. In fact, the name "cancer" was coined by none other than the great Hippocrates (well, not the exact name but the root of the name). Hippocrates in fact, used two terms, carcinoma and carcinos, to describe ulcerous and non-ulcerous tumors respectively. He named the tumors after Carcinus (or Karkinos), a giant crab in Greek mythology that was sent by the Goddess Hera to help Hydra fight against Hercules. As to why Hippocrates chose to name the tumor after a crab is not quite clear but there are several theories: - The hardness of a malignant tumor reminded him of the hard shell of a crab. - The pain induced by a malignant tumor is similar to a sharp pinch of a crab's claw. - The tenacity of cancer is similar to the determination with which a crab bites and grabs on to a person. While all these theories seem plausible, the

Hippocrates: Father of Medicine

Another important person in Greek medicine is Hippocrates. Hippocrates is considered the father of modern medicine who continues to influence medicine more than 2000 years later. Although he is as revered as Asclepius, they have very different origins. While Asclepius is a mythological character, considered to be descended from God, Hippocrates is very much a historical figure, whose origin and life is recorded in history. Hippocrates lived from 460 to 375 BCE during the Classical Greece period and practiced medicine in Greece. His contribution to western medicine is rivaled by none other, and his collection of works covers almost every aspect of disease and medicine including infection, hygiene, epidemiology and the human immune system. Bust of Hippocrates Also, unlike Asclepius, Hippocrates practiced medicine as a science, not as divine magic. He was one of the first to separate religion from medicine, and sought to match treatment with symptoms. His observations in the Corp

Meditrinalia: Festival of Health (AKA Wine!)

Happy Meditrinalia! Those who are legally allowed to, raise a glass of your favorite wine in cheer- the goddess of health is smiling upon you today! Meditrinalia is an ancient Roman festival that was celebrated on October 11 in honor of the goddess of medicine, Meditrina. According to legend, the festival marked the end of the vine harvest, and people of Latium began to taste their new wine on this day. Although it was first celebrated in honor of Jupiter, it soon gave rise to a new goddess of healing/medicine, Meditrina, on whom the festival is now named. The Romans made an offering of wine to the gods on this occasion while reciting " vetus novum vinum bibo, novo veteri morbo medeor." which translates to ''Wine new and old I drink, of illness new and old I'm cured." The new wine was thought to hold healing powers. Given that we now know wine is rich in antioxidants, and it can help reduce cholesterol and heart disease, the ancient Romans sure were o

History of Medicine

Search This Blog