Lesson 1 - Worksheet

History, Medicine through time
Lesson 1
Worksheet
How much medical progress did ancient Greece and
Rome make?
Ms McCartney
Where was Ancient Greece?
Between 1000 BC and 300 BC Ancient Greece stretched over a much bigger
geographical area then the Greece we think of today. It included land in modern Albania,
Turkey, Italy, Spain and Africa. They developed cities mainly around the coast of the
Mediterranean, so they could trade with each other.
In the early part of ancient Greece they explained many of the mysteries of nature, such
as the changing of the seasons and the eruption of volcanoes, by the actions of their
Gods. This is known as a supernatural belief.
What changed in Greek thinking?
Greek civilisation was at its height around 600-300 BC and science, philosophy and
mathematics began to flourish and became important to many Greeks. They began to
replace the old supernatural explanations with rational ones, produced and recorded,
by thinkers called philosophers.
Hippocrates contributed to the development of the rational tradition of medicine. But it

existed simultaneously alongside a supernatural tradition. Both sets of ideas developed
and flourished at the same time in ancient Greece. We are going to focus on the
development of the rational tradition, because of the influence it had in medieval Britain
hundreds of years later as it is important to your course.
Who was Hippocrates?
Hippocrates was born in about 460 BC and was influenced by Pythagoras, who believed
a healthy body was one of balance, of hot and cold, wet and dry, and that any imbalance
was a sign of ill health.
Hippocrates and his followers wrote a series of books known as the Hippocratic Corpus.
They are important because it shows us Greek medical thought for the first time. They
also demonstrate a shift from concentrating on the illness to concentrating on the
patient.
Hippocrates thought that ideas about causes of disease could apply to any case, he would
rather that doctors observe each patient and the progress of their illness. He emphasised
the importance of noting a patient's symptoms and only treating them once the
observations supports their prognosis.
What was observation?
This system of observation was developed slowly over time and is what we now know
as clinical observation. Hippocrates did not think doctors should depend of religious
practices and he rejected magical cures.
A later Greek philosopher, Aristotle, developed this thinking further. He connected the
idea of balance of the body with observation, and developed the thinking of the four
humours. In the theory the four humours imbalance was seen as a cause of disease not a
symptom.
What did Romans believe?
Rome had conquered the Greek cities in Italy by 275BC. This was a strong city state that
wanted to expand. It was successful, and ruled a growing empire which had a vast
geographical and influential reach that was far superior than that of the Greeks. The
Empire was ruled centrally from Rome. To maintain control they had to keep their army
healthy, and they were also practical builders.
Romans believed in prevention rather than cure of disease. Many Romans also
believed in observation and this led to a focus on public health that saw them draining
huge swamps and undertaking engineering projects that benefitted health. Sewers were
used to take waste away from towns, and aqueducts were used to bring pure water into
towns.
Who was Galen and why was he important?
Galen was an important doctor of the Roman empire, he was born in Greece (modern
Turkey) around AD129. He became a doctor that treated gladiators, this meant that he
gained a huge amount of knowledge of anatomy through this work. He also had studied
human skeletons in Alexandria, a town known for medical advancement in surgery. He
later went to Rome and became the doctor for the Emperor’s son. This meant he could
afford the time to write over 100 books. He expanded on the theories of Hippocrates and
Aristotle. Galen’s persuasive style and the fact that he focused on only his successful
cases. Also the idea that there was ‘the creator’ supported religious beliefs and therefore
his ideas were picked up and spread through religions, such as Christianity and Islam, and
would remain central thinking in medicine for hundreds of years.
Extension task information
Limitations on medical progress

In Greece, the supernatural beliefs associated with health continued. Many believed that
making a sacrificial offering to a god, or visiting a religious site to cure the sick, would help
them more than by following new rational ideas. Some of these continued into the middle
ages, such as sick people making pilgrimages to religious sites to be cured.
Throughout most of the Roman empire human dissection and research using skeletons were
forbidden, due to religious grounds. This led to medical ignorance around human anatomy and
led to misconceptions emerging. For example, Galen placed greater importance on parts found
in certain animals that he dissected, such as the rete mirabile in the brain, which was not found
in humans.
Glossary
Supernatural - Outside the world as we know it, usually involving Gods and unknown
forces.
Rational - Ruled by reason, the beginnings of a more scientific approach.
Public health - the health of a population as a whole, subject to government/ central
support and regulation.
Anatomy - The study of the internal workings of something, e.g. humans or animal.
Dissection - The act of internally examining something, e.g. human or animal.
Comprehension Questions
1.How did ideas change during Ancient Greece?
2.What did Hippocrates believe about medicine?
3.What did the Romans think caused disease?
4.What made Galen a successful doctor?
5.Challenge question: How much medical progress do you think the
ancient Greeks and Romans made?
Once you have completed your answers, resume the lesson to find
out how you got on and hear some more.

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History, Medicine through time

Hippocrates contributed to the development of the rational tradition of medicine. But it

Limitations on medical progress

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