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Abstract
Erasistratus of Chios (310-250 BC) was one of the great Greek physicians of antiquity. Historical investigation reveals that he was an innovative anatomist, neuroanatomist and a pioneer of human physiology. His accurate discoveries formed the basis of positive sciences and ameliorated medicine.
Keywords
Erasistratus, Herophilus, ancient Greek physicians, history of medicine.
Introduction
Erasistratus of Chios (310-250 BC) was one of the great Greek scientists whose prominent discoveries concerning the human body composed the basis of positive sciences and medicine (Wiltse and Pait, 1998; Acar et al., 2005). Indeed, Erasistratus in addition to Herophilus of Chalcedon (335-280 BC) were pioneers of scientific anatomy, since deploying for the first time the method of human body dissection (Dob-son, 1927; Bay and Bay 2010). Hence, it is quite reasonable that Erasistratus is considered as a great anatomist and a master of experimental physiology (Acar et al., 2005). Unfortunately though, the studies of Erasistratus have been lost entirely and only a few details of his marvelous work may be recovered from the writings of Galen (Roc-ca, 1997, 2003). The present manuscript aims to underline the impact of ancient Greek heritage in current medicine and emphasizes to the remarkable discoveries of Erasistratus referring to human anatomy and physiology.
Background
Erasistratus was a Greek physician, born in the island of Chios (310-250 BC) that has been taught by Theophrastus (Mavrodi and Paraskevas, 2014). As well as Herophilus, who is considered as the "father" of scientific anatomy (Wiltse and Pait, 1998; Acar et al., 2005; Bay and Bay, 2010) Erasistratus belonged in the scientific Alexan-drian mileu and worked at the Herophilean Medical School in Egypt during the Hellenistic period (Durant, 1934; Wiltse and Pait, 1998; Crivellato and Ribatti, 2007). Through this period, Ptolemies achieved to transform Alexandria to the intellectual and scientific center of the Western World (Persaud, 1984). In fact, it was Ptolemy I who permitted for the first time, in approximately 300 BC, the human body cadaveric dissection in medicine (Wiltse and Pait, 1998).
Both Herophilus and his younger contemporary Erasistratus dissected an abundance of human cadavers and subsequently provided astonishing descriptions of the brain, the nerves and the cardiovascular system in addition to descriptions of physiological mechanisms (Castiglioni, 1958; Wiltse and Pait, 1998; Crivellato and Ribatti, 2007). That...