Main description:

Neurological history claims its earliest origins in the 17th century with Thomas Willis's publication of Anatomy of the Brain, coming fully into fruition as a field in the late 1850s as medical technology and advancements allowed for in depth study of the brain. However, many of the foundations in neurology can find the seed of their beginning to a time much earlier than that, to ancient Greece in fact. Neurological Concepts in Ancient Greek Medicine is a collection
of essays exploring neurological ideas between the Archaic and Hellenistic eras. These essays also provide historic, intellectual, and cultural context to ancient Greek medical practice and emphasizing the interest in the brain of the early physicians. This book describes source material that is
over 2,500 years old and reveals the observational skills of ancient physicians. It provides complete translations of two historic Hippocratic texts: On the Sacred Diseases and On the Wounds of the Head. The book also discusses the Hippocratic Oath and the modern applications of its meaning. Dr. Walshe connects this ancient history, usually buried in medical histories, and shows the ancient Greek notions that are the precursors of our understanding of the brain and nervous system.

Contents:

Foreword by Martin A. Samuels

Preface

Chapter 1: Neurologic Concepts in the Homeric Epics

Chapter 2: Hippocrates and the Corpus Hippocraticum

Chapter 3: A Neurology Text Before there was Neurology

Chapter 4: On the Sacred Disease

Chapter 5: Surgical Texts and Diagnosis Guides

Chapter 6: Wounds of the Head

Chapter 7: Hippocratic Medicine and Neurologic Conditions

Chapter 8: Ancient Greek Ideas of Cognition

Chapter 9: The Separation of the Nerves from Other Fibers

Chapter 10: The Hellenistic Pursuit of Neuroanatomy

Chapter 11: The Hippocratic Oath and a Modern Digression