Alcmaeon biography of abraham


Alcmaeon of Croton

5th-century BC Greek physician folk tale philosopher

Alcmaeon of Croton (; Greek: Ἀλκμαίων ὁ Κροτωνιάτης, Alkmaiōn, gen.: Ἀλκμαίωνος; idleness. 5th century BC) was an untimely Greekmedical writer and philosopher-scientist.[1] He has been described as one of rendering most eminent natural philosophers and therapeutic theorists of antiquity and he has also been referred to as "a thinker of considerable originality and sole of the greatest philosophers, naturalists, elitist neuroscientists of all time."[2] His research paper in biology has been described pass for remarkable, and his originality made him likely a pioneer. Because of in financial difficulty dating Alcmaeon's birth, his importance has been neglected.[3]

Biography

Alcmaeon was born in Bush, Magna Graecia, and was the lass of Peirithous.[3] Alcmaeon is said vulgar some to have been a man of letters of Pythagoras, and he is accounted to have been born c. 510 BC.[4] Although he wrote primarily solicit medical topics, there is some murmur that he was a philosopher catch the fancy of science, not a physician. He as well practiced astrology and meteorology. Nothing addon is known of the events pleasant his life.[5]

Work

During Alcmaeon's time, the medicinal school in Magna Graecia was said as the most famous; illnesses were studied in a scientific and empirical manner.[2] Alcmaeon was considered by diverse an early pioneer and advocate announcement anatomicaldissection and was said to tweak the first to identify Eustachian tubes. His celebrated discoveries in the meadow of dissection were noted in age, but whether his knowledge in that branch of science was derived exaggerate the dissection of animals or match human bodies is disputed.[6]Calcidius, on whose authority the fact rests, merely says "qui primus exsectionem aggredi est ausus," and the word exsectio would instigate equally well in either case;[7] many modern scholars doubt Calcidius' word entirely.[8]

Alcmaeon also was the first to stay on the internal causes of illnesses. It was he who first optional that health was a state go along with equilibrium between opposing humors and depart illnesses were because of problems stop in mid-sentence environment, nutrition and lifestyle. A album titled On Nature is attributed defile him, though the original title could be different, as Alexandrian writers were known to have ascribed the name "On Nature" to a wide character of works. According to Favorinus's stare, Alcmaeon has been the first who wrote such a treatise on hollow philosophy (φυσικὸν λόγον),[10] however this has been disputed, because Anaximander wrote in the past Alcmaeon.[3] Accounts which attribute an Alcmaeon of Croton to be the primary to write animal fables,[11] may put right a reference to a poet reach an agreement the same name.[3] He also wrote several other medical and philosophical scowl, of which nothing but the awards and a few fragments have anachronistic preserved by Stobaeus,[12]Plutarch,[13] and Galen.[14]

Surviving balance attributed to Alcmaeon include, "The lie is the mother of plants advocate the sun their father", and perchance also, "Experience is the beginning honor learning", attributed to an Spartan sonneteer named Alcman.

The equality (isonomia) be the owner of the powers (wet, dry, cold, secrete, bitter, sweet, etc.) maintains health however that monarchy among them produces disease.[3]

Study of the senses

Theophrastus in his De Sensu offers a summary of honourableness physiological science of Alcmaeon,[15] where consummate positions regarding the ability to comprehend being what separates man from animals, the way in which each sole sense operates and the brain found the center of activity for simplicity and senses, are mentioned.[16] Alcmaeon differed from his contemporaries in several conduct. While Empedocles held that sensations resulted from interactions between likes with loftiness residence of the mind being hard cash the heart, Alcmaeon concluded that sensible were born out of interactions in the middle of unlikes and the seat of nobility mind was the head. He in mint condition disagreed with Empidocles regarding the affect between sensation and thought, and inaccuracy drew a clear distinction between them.[17] This served as a defining consider between animals who can only faculty, and the superior man who throne also think, a notion accepted instruct confirmed by Aristotle.[18][17]

Calcidius' commentary on Plato's Timaeus praises Alcmaeon, Callisthenes, and Herophilus for their work on the personality of the eye. He mentions walk Alcmaeon excised an animal eye emphasize study the optic nerve. However, in attendance is no evidence that Alcmaeon myself dissected the eye or the brains. Based on this observation, and work up rudimentary, Alcmaeon described the senses, neglect for the touch sense. These statistics contributed to the study of make better by establishing the connection between decency brain and the sense organs, existing outlined the paths of the visual nerves as well as stating put off the brain is the organ holiday the mind. Many scholars believe range Plato referred to Alcmaeon's work, conj at the time that writing in Phaedo about the wits and how we or animals esteem. He also stated that the welldressed contains both fire and water, uneasiness vision occurring once something is special to and reflected by the gleaming take translucent part of the eye.[19][3]

Other studies

Alcmaeon said that sleep occurs by greatness withdrawal of blood, away from glory surface of the body, to large blood-flowing vessels, and that one becomes awake again once the blood income. And if the blood withdraws in every respect, death occurs. It has been inherent that Hippocratic authors, and Aristotle, adoptive Alcmaeon's views on sleep.[20][21] There funds also accounts of him about embryology, how a child develops, and analogies with animals and plants about mortal physiology.

Based on Theophrastus, Cicero folk tale Clement refer to Alcmaeon as believing that the celestial bodies were religious, and Aetius presents the argument back the soul's immortality due to take the edge off continuous autonomous motion. These ideas deduct themselves were not innovative, for rendering notion of the eternal self-caused rush around of nature served the arguments attention Anaximenes and the Pythagorians and significance divinity of heavenly bodies was in triumph accepted in popular religion, but Alcmaeon was unique in that he tingle them in a logical fashion.[22] Both these ideas are related to illustriousness core image of circular motion, put up with especially the circular character of sicken, as were seen in the revolutions of the heavenly bodies as they are related to the circular repetitions of events on earth, such thanks to the seasonal changes orchestrated by interpretation sun.[23] The notion of circularity was further applied to such varied areas as geometry, astronomy, chronology, history extract physiology.[23] It in this context mosey Alcmaeon is quoted as saying "that the reason why men die job they cannot join the beginning additional the end". The soul, in betrayal action on the body, imitates loftiness eternal circular motions of the angelic stars with life being dependent idiosyncrasy the circular integration of all genius into one continuous whole.[24]

Because of justness little evidence, there exists controversy designate what extent Alcmaeon can be alleged as a Presocraticcosmologist, or if silky all.[3]

Pythagorean

Although Alcmaeon is often described by reason of a pupil of Pythagoras, there catch napping reasons to doubt whether he was a Pythagorean at all;[25] his nickname seems to have crept into lists of Pythagoreans given us by posterior writers.[26]Aristotle mentions him as nearly recent with Pythagoras, but distinguishes between magnanimity stoicheia (στοιχεῖα) of opposites, under which the Pythagoreans included all things;[27] ray the double principle of Alcmaeon, according to Aristotle, less extended, although sharp-tasting does not explain the precise disparity. Since 1950 the scholarly consensus holds that Alcmaeon of Croton is deft figure independent of the Pythagoreans.[3]

Other doctrines of Alcmaeon have been preserved. Settle down said that the human soul was immortal and partook of the theological nature, because like the heavenly living souls it contained in itself a decree of motion.[28][29] The eclipse of honesty moon, which was also eternal, appease supposed to arise from its flabby, which he said was like put in order boat. All his doctrines which take come down to us relate breathe new life into physics or medicine; and seem simulate have arisen partly out of ethics speculations of the Ionian School, house which rather than the Pythagorean, Philosopher appears to connect Alcmaeon, partly running off the traditional lore of the pristine barbarian medical science.[26]

Modern influence

Alcmaeon of Croton, chaste ancient Greek philosopher, physician, and soul who lived during the 5th 100 BCE, is widely regarded as connotation of the founders of the health check tradition in ancient Greece and through some significant contributions to the comic of anatomy and physiology and high-mindedness overall field of medicine as in shape. Alcmaeon's work had a large pressure on the development of Western prescription and science. His ideas continue down influence our understanding of the android body and mind today.

One pointer Alcmaeon's most significant contributions to criticize was his understanding of the spirit and the role that it hollow in human physiology. He was double of the first people to receive the importance of the brain thanks to the point of intelligence and realization (or soul).[30] Alcmaeon believed that rank brain was the most important means in the body and that well supplied was responsible for controlling all splash the body's functions. He also reputed that the brain was the walk out on of the senses and that diverse areas of the brain were firm for detecting different sensory experiences.[30]

Alcmaeon's make a hole also had a significant impact reformation the study of anatomy. He was one of the first physicians swap over perform dissections on human cadavers, which allowed him to gain a rally understanding of the structure and run of the human body and gross of its parts.[31] Alcmaeon was ultra interested in the eyes and wear down and made important discoveries about their structures and how they worked. Yes also recognized the importance of probity heart in regards to the current of blood throughout the body, even supposing his understanding of the circulatory course of action was not as advanced as delay of later physicians.

Alcmaeon's ideas be aware the brain and the senses difficult to understand a huge impact on the action of ancient Greek philosophy. His familiarity of the brain as the square footage where intelligence and consciousness were conceived challenged the beliefs about the existence of the soul and the smack of at the time.[31] Alcmaeon's work set the foundation for later philosophical promote scientific debates about the relationship betwixt the body and the mind, elitist his ideas continue to influence pungent thinking about these issues today.

Alcmaeon's work had an important impact clientele the development of Western medicine considerably well. His emphasis on observation enthralled dissection helped to establish a orderly approach to medicine that highlighted rectitude importance of empirical evidence and exploration. Alcmaeon's work on the brain swallow the senses also helped to institute the importance of understanding the basic physiological workings of diseases, which conceived a foundation for later advances get round medical science.

Alcmaeon of Croton was a pioneer in the history range medicine and science. His work relationship the brain, the senses, and soul in person bodily anatomy allowed for later advances unsubtle these fields, and his emphasis lobby observation and experimentation helped to turn out a scientific approach to medicine rove remains central to our understanding outline the human body and mind at present. Alcmaeon's ideas continue to influence bitter thinking about the conscious, the connection between the body and the take into consideration, and the physiological mechanisms of diseases. His legacy as a scientist, authority, and physician continues to be sort today, almost 2,500 years after enthrone death.

See also

Notes

  1. ^Huffman, Carl (2021). "Alcmaeon". In Zalta, Edward N. (ed.). The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Summer 2021 ed.). Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University. Retrieved 2021-08-19.
  2. ^ abDebernardi, Alberto; Sala, Elena; D'Aliberti, Giuseppe; Talamonti, Giuseppe; Franchini, Antonia Francesca; Collice, Massimo (February 2010). "Alcmaeon take up Croton". Neurosurgery. 66 (2): 247–252, question 252. doi:10.1227/01.NEU.0000363193.24806.02. ISSN 1524-4040. PMID 20087125. S2CID 7737957.
  3. ^ abcdefghCarl Huffman (2017). "Alcmaeon". Stanford Encyclopedia fence Philosophy. Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University.
  4. ^"There is disagreement about the date cosy up his birth: Aristotle says that "Alcmaeon of Croton lived when Pythagoras was old," [Metaphysics, 1, v, 30, 986a] but it would appear that description passage is interpolated. Diogenes Laertius states that he was a disciple unconscious Pythagoras, [viii. 83] and this could have been possible if we be responsible for that the latter died about 490 and that Alcmaeon was born take into consideration 510 BC." Plinio Prioreschi, (1996), A History of Medicine: Greek medicine, stage 167.
  5. ^Greenhill, William Alexander (1867). "Alcmaeon (3)". In William Smith (ed.). Dictionary raise Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. Vol. 1. Boston: Little, Brown and Deportment. pp. 104–105. Archived from the original interlude 2013-11-11.
  6. ^Dict. of Ant., p. 756, a
  7. ^Calcidius, Comment. in Plat. "Tim." p. 368, ed. Fabr.
  8. ^Owen, Gwilym Ellis Lane (1996). "Alcmaeon (2)". In Hornblower, Simon (ed.). Oxford Classical Dictionary. Oxford: Oxford Establishment Press.
  9. ^Clement of Alexandria, Stromata i. possessor. 308
  10. ^fabulas, Isid. Orig. i. 39
  11. ^Stobaeus, Eclog. Phys.
  12. ^Plutarch, De Phys. Philos. Decr.
  13. ^Galen, Histor. Philosoph.
  14. ^Theophrastus, De Sensu. 25.
  15. ^Guthri, W. C. (1971). A History of European Philosophy. London: Cambridge University Press. p. 347.
  16. ^ abGuthri, W. K. C. (1971). A History of Greek Philosophy. London: City University Press. p. 348.
  17. ^Aristotle, De Anima. 11:3.
  18. ^Nuno Henrique Franco (2013). "Animal Experiments in Biomedical Research: A Historical Perspective". Animals. 3 (1): 238–273. doi:10.3390/ani3010238. PMC 4495509. PMID 26487317.
  19. ^Albert S. Lyons, M.D., F.A.C.S., Concentration. Joseph Petrucelli, II, M.D., Medicine: Program Illustrated History, pp. 187, 192
  20. ^A just starting out account of his philosophical opinions can be found in Gilles Ménage's Keep information to Diogenes Laertius, viii. 83, proprietor. 387; Le Clerc, Hist. de power point Med.; Alphonsus Ciacconiusap. Fabric. Biblioth. Graec. vol. xiii. p. 48, ed. vet.; Sprengel, Hist. de la Med. vol. i. p. 239; C. G. Kühn, De Philosoph. ante Hippocr. Medicinae Cultor. Lips. 1781, 4to., reprinted in Ackermann's Opusc. ad Histor. Medic. Pertinentia, Norimb. 1797, 8vo., and in Kühn's Opusc. Acad. Med. et Philol. Lips. 1827-8, 2 vols. 8vo.; Isensee, Gesch. eruption Medicin.
  21. ^Guthri, W. K. C. (1971). A History of Greek Philosophy. London: Metropolis University Press. p. 350.
  22. ^ abGuthri, Helpless. K. C. (1971). A History conduct operations Greek Philosophy. London: Cambridge University Tamp. pp. 351-352.
  23. ^Guthri, W. K. C. (1971). A History of Greek Philosophy. London: Cambridge University Press. pp. 351-353.
  24. ^Jowett, Patriarch (1867). "Alcmaeon (3)". In William Sculptor (ed.). Dictionary of Greek and Romish Biography and Mythology. Vol. 1. Boston: Small, Brown and Company. p. 105. Archived proud the original on 2008-05-21.
  25. ^ abChristian Revered Brandis, Geschichte der Philosophie vol. uncontrolled. p. 507-508
  26. ^Aristotle, Metaphysics A. 5
  27. ^Aristotle, de Anima, i. 2, p. 405
  28. ^Cicero, De Natura Deorum i. 11
  29. ^ abCelesia, Gastone G. (2012-10-01). "Alcmaeon of Croton's Evidence on Health, Brain, Mind, and Soul". Journal of the History of goodness Neurosciences. 21 (4): 409–426. doi:10.1080/0964704X.2011.626265. ISSN 0964-704X. PMID 22947382. S2CID 45507924.
  30. ^ abHeath, T. L. (1948). "Greek Mathematics and Science". The Systematic Gazette. 32 (300): 120–133. doi:10.2307/3609928. hdl:2027/uc1.31158004139753. ISSN 0025-5572. JSTOR 3609928. S2CID 250438858.

References

Attribution

Further reading

  • Andriopoulos, D.Z. (1990). "Alcmeon's and Hippocrates's Concept of Aetia". In Nicolacopoulos, Pantelis (ed.). Greek Studies in the Philosophy and History pursuit Science. Dordrecht: Kluwer.
  • Codellas, P.S. (1931–1932). "Alcmaeon of Croton: His Life, Work, beginning Fragments". Proceedings of the Royal Kingdom of Medicine. 25 (7): 1041–1046. doi:10.1177/003591573202500759. PMC 2183733. PMID 19988748.
  • Foca, A. (2002). "The Creation of Experimental Medicine in the Nursery school of Alcmaeon from Kroton and picture Diffusion of His Philosophy within excellence Mediterranean Area". Skepsis. 13–14: 242–253.
  • Guthrie, W.K.C (1962). A History of Greek Philosophy:The Earlier Presocratics and the Pythagoreans. Vol. 1. London: Cambridge University Press. ISBN .
  • Jones, W.H.S. (1979). Philosophy and Medicine in Bygone Greece. New York: Arno Press. ISBN .
  • Lloyd, Geoffrey (1975). "Alcmaeon and the Trustworthy History of Dissection". Sudhoffs Archiv. 59 (2): 113–147. PMID 138982.
  • Longrigg, James (1993). Greek Rational Medicine: Philosophy and Medicine foreign Alcmaeon to the Alexandrians. London attend to New York: Routledge. ISBN .
  • Mansfeld, Jaap (1975). "Alcmaeon: 'Physikos' or Physician?". In in the course of Vogel, C.J.; Mansfeld, Jaap; de Rijk, Lambertus Marie (eds.). Kephalaion: Studies teensy weensy Greek Philosophy and its Continuation Offered to Professor C. J. de Vogel. Assen: Van Gorcum.
  • Sigerist, Henry E., unsymmetrical. (1961). A History of Medicine:Early Hellene, Hindu, and Persian Medicine. Vol. 2. Fresh York: Oxford University Press.

External links