An Analysis Of The Natural Concepts In Galen's Medical Thoughts

Claudius Galenus was a prominent physician and philosopher in the early Roman Empire.Inspired by Hippocrates’humour balance theory and Aristotle’s natural teleology,he wrote the book On the Natural Faculties,which systematically discusses body operation under the natural Faculties.Acting in cooperation with popular Stoic Philosophy at that time,the book indicates that people should focus life itself and live a natural life,also has a profound impact on future generations in its research about natural faculties.Ancient Greek speculative philosophy is devoted to the exploration of the soul,meanwhile the body has also been valued as the carrier of the soul.Medicine is also closely linked philosophy.Hippocrates separated medicine from the philosophy in the fifth century BC,which means independent status of medical.Hippocrates believe that human health is closely related to the air,water and climate in nature,and at the same time affected by body humours.Roman Galen take further research on the basis of the study of Hippocrates,then found the operation of various functions of the body organs under effects of natural force.In the 2nd century AD,the human anatomy is not allowed by law.The vast majority of the surgical knowledge of Galen is derived from the anatomy of animals,such as apes and pigs,and previous studies,and the best learning object--the Alexandrian school which is known for surgery.The school of Herophphilus and Erasistratus made a detailed description of the various parts of the human body and the human body is the most outstanding product of nature,even the smallest piece of bone also has its function.Nature never makes useless things,every part of the body,every organ is now the way it is,because it is the best.The Hippocrates and Alexandrian schools provide the practical basis for the of Galen’s natural ideas.The best doctor is also a philosopher,Galen accept the systematical philosophy education in the juvenile period,and impacted by the Greek philosophers.From the four elements theory of body humours,the pursuit of balance,to the exploration of Aristotelian school and Stoic school,Galen’s natural view made further improvement:the natural things all have their purpose,the things doctors should do,Is to observe and follow the natural.Life derived from pneuma at the beginning time,the shape of the creature has been determined.After that,it is a long growth stage,nutrition is its necessities.Nature gives creature several faculties in the process of growing,mainly including attract faculty to the appropriate materials,the retentive faculty of storing materials in the body to absorb,digestive faculty of decomposing materials and transporting to the body’s various parts,expulsive faculty of retentiving materials and other useless material from the body,in other word,excretion.In the meantime,also includes the adhesion and assimilation of food and so on.From the origin of creatures to the conversion of nutrients into blood,heat is one of the essential factors.Heat comes from the embryo,and is most exuberant when at juvenile,and decreases with age.Nutrition maintains the operation of life,meanwhile makes the human body in a state of balance.when take excessive nutrition,one can not be expelled the residue from the body in time,of which accumulation in the role of heat,burning to black bile,Endangering human health.In this case,healer can take measures of bloodletting,fasting and other methods,in order to help the body quickly discharge harmful substances.Besides,reducing intake of food and drink,could avoid more residues generating.Under the influence of the Faculties of nature,body will operate like a magic artist,who controls the biological activities of each fragment best.When the body can not normally complete these activities,the doctor will support the human body following the performance of the natural.Galen’s further exploration of the human body’s operation,links to health and disease,perfectively combines the philosophy and medical practice at that time,provides an explanation for the operation of the body,inspires the doctor to take more observation and analysis to the human body,offers an opportunity for many scientific discoveries.,to some extent,his high medical authority Nevertheless inhibited the further development of science.At the same time,his compliment to various faculties of natural body parts,arouse people’s attention to their own and practice.Galen’s natural concept,although being not free of error,never conceals its light.