Galen’s Reception in Byzantium Symeon Seth and his Refutation of Galenic Theories on Human Physiology
Year: 2014
Type: article
Abstract: GALEN’S RECEPTION in the Byzantine period has not so far been the subject of a systematic study, and readers are limited to short studies usually covering a broad period.1 This article aims to shed light on criticism of Galen and its context in the Byzantine medical literature. I have chosen to focus on the interesting case of Symeon Seth’s refutation of Galenic theories on physiology, as it is the sole example of a treatise of this kind in the Byzantine period. First I shall give a brief background on the role of Galenic medical knowledge in Byzantium and its various modes of reception;this is followed by an overview of Symeon’s corpus and activity.The main part of the paper consists of a commentary on Symeon’s criticism of Galen’s theories. The study is accompanied by the first critical edition of the text and an English translation, which I hope will stimulate further interest in Galen’s presence in Byzantine medical texts.
Authors: Bouras-Vallianatos, Petros, Xenophontos, Sophia 1985-
Institution: King's College London
Language: English
Topic: History of Medicine Studies
Subfield: History
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W1552996549