POST-HIPPOCRATIC GREEK MEDICINE.—THE SCHOOLS OF MEDICINE.
The Dogmatic School.—Praxagoras of Cos.—Aristotle.—The School of Alexandria.—Theophrastus the Botanist.—The great Anatomists, Erasistratus and Hierophilus, and the Schools they founded.—The Empiric School.
It was only natural that the philosophical Greeks should discuss medicine at as great a length as they discussed philosophy; accordingly, we find that no sooner had our art taken its place amongst the subjects worthy of being seriously considered by the Greek intellect, than it was as much talked about as practised, and wrangled over as though it were a system of religion. Sects arose which opposed each other with the greatest vehemence; and Hippocrates had not long formulated his teaching when his disciples elevated his principles into a dogmatism which challenged, and shortly provoked, opposition of various kinds. Then arose the schools of medicine which ultimately became famous, as those of the DOGMATISTS, EMPIRICS, METHODISTS, PNEUMATISTS, etc. The DOGMATISTS boasted of being the Rational and Logical school. They held that there is a certain connection between all the arts and sciences, and that it is the duty of the physician to avail himself of all sorts of knowledge on every subject which bears any relationship to his own. They made, therefore, the most careful inquiry into the remote and proximate causes of disease. They examined the influence on the human body of airs, waters, places, occupations, diet, seasons, etc. They formulated general rules, not of universal application, but modified their treatment according to circumstances, availing themselves of whatever aid they could obtain from any source. Hippocrates had said, “The physician who is also a philosopher is equal to the gods,” and the Dogmatists elevated this into an article of their creed. Hippocrates, Galen, Oribasius, Ætius, Paulus Ægineta, and the Arab physicians were dogmatists. The founders of the school were the sons of Hippocrates—Thessalus and Draco. The former was the eldest son of the great physician, and was the more famous of the two. He passed a great part of his life as physician in the court of Archelaus, king of Macedonia.[399] His brother, Draco, was physician to Queen Roxana, wife of Alexander the Great.