Galen… The man, The myth His story… The man, The myth His story…

The beginning… Galen was born born around A.D 130, in a place called Pergamon. Research shows that Pergamon is now modern day Turkey. Pergamon was a Greek speaking part of the Roman empire. Galen grew up with a rich background as his father was a well educated architect, Galen was later well educated and went on to study at many of the top medical schools of Alexandria in Egypt. How Galen got into medical field was by his father having a dream that the God of healing Asklepios came to him in a dream, as a result of this Galen’s father felt compelled to push his son into the medical field. Galen was born born around A.D 130, in a place called Pergamon. Research shows that Pergamon is now modern day Turkey. Pergamon was a Greek speaking part of the Roman empire. Galen grew up with a rich background as his father was a well educated architect, Galen was later well educated and went on to study at many of the top medical schools of Alexandria in Egypt. How Galen got into medical field was by his father having a dream that the God of healing Asklepios came to him in a dream, as a result of this Galen’s father felt compelled to push his son into the medical field.

Adult life (AD, ) (AD-157) After coming through his school years in Egypt, Galen returned home to be Doctor to the Gladiators of Pergamon, which was a useful experience for the inexperienced Galen who had only just come out of school and was looking to find out how the body worked. (AD ) Galen had a tough decision to make because everyone knew him in Pergamon he decided to move Rome where he was unheard of. His brave decision paid off months after moving to Rome Galen was very popular and many rich Romans wanted him to be there doctor. (AD-157) After coming through his school years in Egypt, Galen returned home to be Doctor to the Gladiators of Pergamon, which was a useful experience for the inexperienced Galen who had only just come out of school and was looking to find out how the body worked. (AD ) Galen had a tough decision to make because everyone knew him in Pergamon he decided to move Rome where he was unheard of. His brave decision paid off months after moving to Rome Galen was very popular and many rich Romans wanted him to be there doctor.

Life in Rome (AD, ) (AD-163)For Galen moving to Rome this was a very hard decision because in Pergamon most people had heard of the famous Galen but in Rome he was un- heard of. (AD ) Soon enough people had heard of Galen in Rome and many rich Romans hoped that he would let them be his patients. In 169 AD the emperors son asked Galen if he could be his patient and Galen agreed. Galens life (AD )Until Galen’s death in AD 201 Galen was Doctor to the ruling family. This making Glen the most famous and successful Doctor in the history of the empire. (AD-163)For Galen moving to Rome this was a very hard decision because in Pergamon most people had heard of the famous Galen but in Rome he was un- heard of. (AD ) Soon enough people had heard of Galen in Rome and many rich Romans hoped that he would let them be his patients. In 169 AD the emperors son asked Galen if he could be his patient and Galen agreed. Galens life (AD )Until Galen’s death in AD 201 Galen was Doctor to the ruling family. This making Glen the most famous and successful Doctor in the history of the empire.

Galen’s theories and practices. Knowledge of anatomy in Hippocratic medicine was pretty poor and Galen was set on making this different, his aim was to get doctors and medical researchers to be able to fully understand the idea of anatomy. Unfortunately for Galen for religious reasons he was not allowed to dissect the bodies of humans so to substitute for this Galen dissected the bodies of pigs and apes. Many times Galen carried out public experiments where he cut open the neck nerves of pigs and correctly proved that the voice box was connected to the brain. On one occasion Galen told a group of spectators to be silent as when he was to cut the neck of this pig it would squeal but when he would do it again the pig would make no sound. Once he did this and the pig made no sound Galen explained how he had cut the cord linking the brain and the voice box.

Galen’s theories and practices. Unfortunately for Galen by only being able to dissect animals Galen made many silly mistakes, in my opinion though I don’t think you can really blame him Galen had only certain recourses and although he made some mistakes with these resources he also made some very good medical progress. Some of the mistakes that Galen did are : Galen’s dissection of animals led him to think wrongly that the human brain was linked to a network of nerves and vessels. He incorrectly identified a connection between the liver and the stomach. Galen wrongly stated that blood moved from the right to the left ventricles of the heart via invisible pores. Unfortunately for Galen by only being able to dissect animals Galen made many silly mistakes, in my opinion though I don’t think you can really blame him Galen had only certain recourses and although he made some mistakes with these resources he also made some very good medical progress. Some of the mistakes that Galen did are : Galen’s dissection of animals led him to think wrongly that the human brain was linked to a network of nerves and vessels. He incorrectly identified a connection between the liver and the stomach. Galen wrongly stated that blood moved from the right to the left ventricles of the heart via invisible pores.

Pictures of Galen at work Galen dissecting the pig…

After Galen… For over 1500 years Galens work remained so influential