Groups and Locations

history, medicine, technology, catalog, archive, egypt, mesopotamia, greece

Created by Professor N.Demand (Indiana University Bloomington), The Asclepion presents a series of brief introductory pages and links to the development and characteristics of early medicine. Focused on the ancient civilizations of Greece, Mesopotamia and Egypt, these pages begin with a general background on the methodology used in studying the history of medicine. This is followed by a selection of essays and bibliographies on disease and medical treatment for each of the aforementioned nations. The most useful and extensive section of the site is grouped together under the heading of 'texts and articles'. Here there are links to passages of Hippocrates (from the Loeb translation) on epidemics, fractures and other ailments, and short articles on ancient pharmacology, temple cures and Homer. There is also a useful article and some bibliography on the Greek historian Thucydides' account of the plague that struck Athens during the Peloponnesian War of the fifth century BC, suggesting a possible diagnosis of typhus. This site is directed primarily towards an undergraduate audience or those with little or no knowledge in medical history who require a starting point for study. Although not extensive, the material presented should allow anyone to become versed in the general aspects of the field. References, along with a collection of additional links, will significantly aid readers in expanding their research and locating relevant primary texts.