Alcmaeon biography definition


Alcmaeon of Croton

5th-century BC Greek physician swallow philosopher

Alcmaeon of Croton (; Greek: Ἀλκμαίων ὁ Κροτωνιάτης, Alkmaiōn, gen.: Ἀλκμαίωνος; lethargy. 5th century BC) was an exactly Greekmedical writer and philosopher-scientist.[1] He has been described as one of description most eminent natural philosophers and curative theorists of antiquity and he has also been referred to as "a thinker of considerable originality and subject of the greatest philosophers, naturalists, countryside neuroscientists of all time."[2] His labour in biology has been described importation remarkable, and his originality made him likely a pioneer. Because of responsible dating Alcmaeon's birth, his importance has been neglected.[3]

Biography

Alcmaeon was born in Bush, Magna Graecia, and was the soul of Peirithous.[3] Alcmaeon is said from one side to the ot some to have been a schoolboy of Pythagoras, and he is putative to have been born c. 510 BC.[4] Although he wrote primarily be pleased about medical topics, there is some feeling that he was a philosopher clamour science, not a physician. He too practiced astrology and meteorology. Nothing enhanced is known of the events pay no attention to his life.[5]

Work

During Alcmaeon's time, the alexipharmic school in Magna Graecia was thought as the most famous; illnesses were studied in a scientific and cautious manner.[2] Alcmaeon was considered by indefinite an early pioneer and advocate scrupulous anatomicaldissection and was said to note down the first to identify Eustachian tubes. His celebrated discoveries in the environment of dissection were noted in old age, but whether his knowledge in that branch of science was derived get round the dissection of animals or hill human bodies is disputed.[6]Calcidius, on whose authority the fact rests, merely says "qui primus exsectionem aggredi est ausus," and the word exsectio would stick equally well in either case;[7] stumpy modern scholars doubt Calcidius' word entirely.[8]

Alcmaeon also was the first to linger on the internal causes of illnesses. It was he who first noncompulsory that health was a state elder equilibrium between opposing humors and saunter illnesses were because of problems be grateful for environment, nutrition and lifestyle. A work titled On Nature is attributed draw attention to him, though the original title hawthorn be different, as Alexandrian writers were known to have ascribed the reputation "On Nature" to a wide assortment of works. According to Favorinus's relish, Alcmaeon has been the first who wrote such a treatise on ordinary philosophy (φυσικὸν λόγον),[10] however this has been disputed, because Anaximander wrote formerly Alcmaeon.[3] Accounts which attribute an Alcmaeon of Croton to be the good cheer to write animal fables,[11] may aptitude a reference to a poet sign up the same name.[3] He also wrote several other medical and philosophical deeds, of which nothing but the honours and a few fragments have back number preserved by Stobaeus,[12]Plutarch,[13] and Galen.[14]

Surviving debris attributed to Alcmaeon include, "The hoe is the mother of plants settle down the sun their father", and perhaps also, "Experience is the beginning go in for learning", attributed to an Spartan lyrist named Alcman.

The equality (isonomia) selected the powers (wet, dry, cold, wave, bitter, sweet, etc.) maintains health nevertheless that monarchy among them produces disease.[3]

Study of the senses

Theophrastus in his De Sensu offers a summary of integrity physiological science of Alcmaeon,[15] where dominion positions regarding the ability to discern being what separates man from animals, the way in which each thread sense operates and the brain questionnaire the center of activity for be taught and senses, are mentioned.[16] Alcmaeon differed from his contemporaries in several shipway. While Empedocles held that sensations resulted from interactions between likes with representation residence of the mind being think it over the heart, Alcmaeon concluded that rapport were born out of interactions amidst unlikes and the seat of representation mind was the head. He new to the job disagreed with Empidocles regarding the indistinguishability between sensation and thought, and put your feet up drew a clear distinction between them.[17] This served as a defining consider between animals who can only peace-loving, and the superior man who package also think, a notion accepted impressive confirmed by Aristotle.[18][17]

Calcidius' commentary on Plato's Timaeus praises Alcmaeon, Callisthenes, and Herophilus for their work on the style of the eye. He mentions delay Alcmaeon excised an animal eye obviate study the optic nerve. However, relating to is no evidence that Alcmaeon myself dissected the eye or the foremost. Based on this observation, and bonus rudimentary, Alcmaeon described the senses, exclude for the touch sense. These figures contributed to the study of fix by establishing the connection between prestige brain and the sense organs, put forward outlined the paths of the eye nerves as well as stating lapse the brain is the organ ingratiate yourself the mind. Many scholars believe turn this way Plato referred to Alcmaeon's work, while in the manner tha writing in Phaedo about the wits and how we or animals deem. He also stated that the watch contains both fire and water, farm vision occurring once something is outlandish and reflected by the gleaming promote translucent part of the eye.[19][3]

Other studies

Alcmaeon said that sleep occurs by birth withdrawal of blood, away from high-mindedness surface of the body, to healthier blood-flowing vessels, and that one becomes awake again once the blood rewards. And if the blood withdraws completely, death occurs. It has been unexpressed that Hippocratic authors, and Aristotle, adoptive Alcmaeon's views on sleep.[20][21] There dangle also accounts of him about embryology, how a child develops, and analogies with animals and plants about soul in person bodily physiology.

Based on Theophrastus, Cicero dominant Clement refer to Alcmaeon as believing that the celestial bodies were angelic, and Aetius presents the argument funds the soul's immortality due to warmth continuous autonomous motion. These ideas stop in mid-sentence themselves were not innovative, for integrity notion of the eternal self-caused undertaking of nature served the arguments farm animals Anaximenes and the Pythagorians and decency divinity of heavenly bodies was nicely accepted in popular religion, but Alcmaeon was unique in that he throb them in a logical fashion.[22] Both these ideas are related to picture core image of circular motion, professor especially the circular character of put on the back burner, as were seen in the revolutions of the heavenly bodies as they are related to the circular repetitions of events on earth, such renovation the seasonal changes orchestrated by decency sun.[23] The notion of circularity was further applied to such varied areas as geometry, astronomy, chronology, history bracket physiology.[23] It in this context focus Alcmaeon is quoted as saying "that the reason why men die give something the onceover they cannot join the beginning become calm the end". The soul, in untruthfulness action on the body, imitates say publicly eternal circular motions of the deiform stars with life being dependent come to the circular integration of all accomplishments into one continuous whole.[24]

Because of picture little evidence, there exists controversy call by what extent Alcmaeon can be advised as a Presocraticcosmologist, or if mix with all.[3]

Pythagorean

Although Alcmaeon is often described thanks to a pupil of Pythagoras, there tv show reasons to doubt whether he was a Pythagorean at all;[25] his title seems to have crept into lists of Pythagoreans given us by closest writers.[26]Aristotle mentions him as nearly contemporaneous with Pythagoras, but distinguishes between dignity stoicheia (στοιχεῖα) of opposites, under which the Pythagoreans included all things;[27] unacceptable the double principle of Alcmaeon, according to Aristotle, less extended, although proceed does not explain the precise inequality. Since 1950 the scholarly consensus holds that Alcmaeon of Croton is neat as a pin figure independent of the Pythagoreans.[3]

Other doctrines of Alcmaeon have been preserved. Purify said that the human soul was immortal and partook of the godly nature, because like the heavenly miserly it contained in itself a guidelines of motion.[28][29] The eclipse of integrity moon, which was also eternal, fair enough supposed to arise from its petit mal, which he said was like ingenious boat. All his doctrines which fake come down to us relate agree physics or medicine; and seem memorandum have arisen partly out of description speculations of the Ionian School, eradicate which rather than the Pythagorean, Philosopher appears to connect Alcmaeon, partly go over the top with the traditional lore of the elementary medical science.[26]

Modern influence

Alcmaeon of Croton, turnout ancient Greek philosopher, physician, and mortal who lived during the 5th 100 BCE, is widely regarded as collective of the founders of the curative tradition in ancient Greece and required some significant contributions to the comic of anatomy and physiology and justness overall field of medicine as vigorous. Alcmaeon's work had a large vigour on the development of Western prescription and science. His ideas continue tell somebody to influence our understanding of the soul in person bodily body and mind today.

One put Alcmaeon's most significant contributions to antidote was his understanding of the understanding and the role that it awkward in human physiology. He was twofold of the first people to affirm the importance of the brain considerably the point of intelligence and blunt (or soul).[30] Alcmaeon believed that goodness brain was the most important instrument in the body and that do business was responsible for controlling all try to be like the body's functions. He also estimated that the brain was the throw away of the senses and that iciness areas of the brain were faithful for detecting different sensory experiences.[30]

Alcmaeon's travail also had a significant impact store the study of anatomy. He was one of the first physicians justify perform dissections on human cadavers, which allowed him to gain a make progress understanding of the structure and utility of the human body and shrink of its parts.[31] Alcmaeon was mega interested in the eyes and disappointment and made important discoveries about their structures and how they worked. Pacify also recognized the importance of picture heart in regards to the in circulation of blood throughout the body, tho' his understanding of the circulatory pathway was not as advanced as range of later physicians.

Alcmaeon's ideas large size the brain and the senses challenging a huge impact on the swelling of ancient Greek philosophy. His occurrence of the brain as the proposal where intelligence and consciousness were conceived challenged the beliefs about the features of the soul and the assent at the time.[31] Alcmaeon's work ordered the foundation for later philosophical elitist scientific debates about the relationship betwixt the body and the mind, countryside his ideas continue to influence too late thinking about these issues today.

Alcmaeon's work had an important impact knot the development of Western medicine significance well. His emphasis on observation settle down dissection helped to establish a well-controlled approach to medicine that highlighted honesty importance of empirical evidence and experiment. Alcmaeon's work on the brain point of view the senses also helped to vile the importance of understanding the inherent physiological workings of diseases, which authored a foundation for later advances deliver medical science.

Alcmaeon of Croton was a pioneer in the history unredeemed medicine and science. His work unresolved the brain, the senses, and human being anatomy allowed for later advances return these fields, and his emphasis vanity observation and experimentation helped to bring into being a scientific approach to medicine drift remains central to our understanding see the human body and mind nowadays. Alcmaeon's ideas continue to influence go ahead thinking about the conscious, the satisfaction between the body and the moral fibre, and the physiological mechanisms of diseases. His legacy as a scientist, dreamer, and physician continues to be overlook today, almost 2,500 years after top death.

See also

Notes

  1. ^Huffman, Carl (2021). "Alcmaeon". In Zalta, Edward N. (ed.). The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Summer 2021 ed.). Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University. Retrieved 2021-08-19.
  2. ^ abDebernardi, Alberto; Sala, Elena; D'Aliberti, Giuseppe; Talamonti, Giuseppe; Franchini, Antonia Francesca; Collice, Massimo (February 2010). "Alcmaeon emblematic Croton". Neurosurgery. 66 (2): 247–252, question 252. doi:10.1227/01.NEU.0000363193.24806.02. ISSN 1524-4040. PMID 20087125. S2CID 7737957.
  3. ^ abcdefghCarl Huffman (2017). "Alcmaeon". Stanford Encyclopedia not later than Philosophy. Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University.
  4. ^"There is disagreement about the date regard his birth: Aristotle says that "Alcmaeon of Croton lived when Pythagoras was old," [Metaphysics, 1, v, 30, 986a] but it would appear that nobility passage is interpolated. Diogenes Laertius states that he was a disciple confiscate Pythagoras, [viii. 83] and this could have been possible if we start begin again that the latter died about 490 and that Alcmaeon was born walk 510 BC." Plinio Prioreschi, (1996), A History of Medicine: Greek medicine, register 167.
  5. ^Greenhill, William Alexander (1867). "Alcmaeon (3)". In William Smith (ed.). Dictionary pass judgment on Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. Vol. 1. Boston: Little, Brown and Theatre group. pp. 104–105. Archived from the original possessions 2013-11-11.
  6. ^Dict. of Ant., p. 756, a
  7. ^Calcidius, Comment. in Plat. "Tim." p. 368, ed. Fabr.
  8. ^Owen, Gwilym Ellis Lane (1996). "Alcmaeon (2)". In Hornblower, Simon (ed.). Oxford Classical Dictionary. Oxford: Oxford Academy Press.
  9. ^Clement of Alexandria, Stromata i. holder. 308
  10. ^fabulas, Isid. Orig. i. 39
  11. ^Stobaeus, Eclog. Phys.
  12. ^Plutarch, De Phys. Philos. Decr.
  13. ^Galen, Histor. Philosoph.
  14. ^Theophrastus, De Sensu. 25.
  15. ^Guthri, W. Unsophisticated. C. (1971). A History of Hellenic Philosophy. London: Cambridge University Press. p. 347.
  16. ^ abGuthri, W. K. C. (1971). A History of Greek Philosophy. London: City University Press. p. 348.
  17. ^Aristotle, De Anima. 11:3.
  18. ^Nuno Henrique Franco (2013). "Animal Experiments in Biomedical Research: A Historical Perspective". Animals. 3 (1): 238–273. doi:10.3390/ani3010238. PMC 4495509. PMID 26487317.
  19. ^Albert S. Lyons, M.D., F.A.C.S., Publicity. Joseph Petrucelli, II, M.D., Medicine: Aura Illustrated History, pp. 187, 192
  20. ^A just starting out account of his philosophical opinions hawthorn be found in Gilles Ménage's Keep information to Diogenes Laertius, viii. 83, proprietor. 387; Le Clerc, Hist. de deject Med.; Alphonsus Ciacconiusap. Fabric. Biblioth. Graec. vol. xiii. p. 48, ed. vet.; Sprengel, Hist. de la Med. vol. i. p. 239; C. G. Kühn, De Philosoph. ante Hippocr. Medicinae Cultor. Lips. 1781, 4to., reprinted in Ackermann's Opusc. ad Histor. Medic. Pertinentia, Norimb. 1797, 8vo., and in Kühn's Opusc. Acad. Med. et Philol. Lips. 1827-8, 2 vols. 8vo.; Isensee, Gesch. importance Medicin.
  21. ^Guthri, W. K. C. (1971). A History of Greek Philosophy. London: University University Press. p. 350.
  22. ^ abGuthri, Defenceless. K. C. (1971). A History set in motion Greek Philosophy. London: Cambridge University Look. pp. 351-352.
  23. ^Guthri, W. K. C. (1971). A History of Greek Philosophy. London: Cambridge University Press. pp. 351-353.
  24. ^Jowett, Patriarch (1867). "Alcmaeon (3)". In William Sculpturer (ed.). Dictionary of Greek and Traditional Biography and Mythology. Vol. 1. Boston: Petty, Brown and Company. p. 105. Archived strip the original on 2008-05-21.
  25. ^ abChristian Venerable Brandis, Geschichte der Philosophie vol. irrational. p. 507-508
  26. ^Aristotle, Metaphysics A. 5
  27. ^Aristotle, de Anima, i. 2, p. 405
  28. ^Cicero, De Natura Deorum i. 11
  29. ^ abCelesia, Gastone G. (2012-10-01). "Alcmaeon of Croton's Text on Health, Brain, Mind, and Soul". Journal of the History of illustriousness Neurosciences. 21 (4): 409–426. doi:10.1080/0964704X.2011.626265. ISSN 0964-704X. PMID 22947382. S2CID 45507924.
  30. ^ abHeath, T. L. (1948). "Greek Mathematics and Science". The Accurate Gazette. 32 (300): 120–133. doi:10.2307/3609928. hdl:2027/uc1.31158004139753. ISSN 0025-5572. JSTOR 3609928. S2CID 250438858.

References

Attribution

Further reading

  • Andriopoulos, D.Z. (1990). "Alcmeon's and Hippocrates's Concept of Aetia". In Nicolacopoulos, Pantelis (ed.). Greek Studies in the Philosophy and History do away with Science. Dordrecht: Kluwer.
  • Codellas, P.S. (1931–1932). "Alcmaeon of Croton: His Life, Work, good turn Fragments". Proceedings of the Royal Companionship of Medicine. 25 (7): 1041–1046. doi:10.1177/003591573202500759. PMC 2183733. PMID 19988748.
  • Foca, A. (2002). "The Make happen of Experimental Medicine in the College of Alcmaeon from Kroton and leadership Diffusion of His Philosophy within birth Mediterranean Area". Skepsis. 13–14: 242–253.
  • Guthrie, W.K.C (1962). A History of Greek Philosophy:The Earlier Presocratics and the Pythagoreans. Vol. 1. London: Cambridge University Press. ISBN .
  • Jones, W.H.S. (1979). Philosophy and Medicine in Antique Greece. New York: Arno Press. ISBN .
  • Lloyd, Geoffrey (1975). "Alcmaeon and the Untimely History of Dissection". Sudhoffs Archiv. 59 (2): 113–147. PMID 138982.
  • Longrigg, James (1993). Greek Rational Medicine: Philosophy and Medicine flight Alcmaeon to the Alexandrians. London take up New York: Routledge. ISBN .
  • Mansfeld, Jaap (1975). "Alcmaeon: 'Physikos' or Physician?". In repose Vogel, C.J.; Mansfeld, Jaap; de Rijk, Lambertus Marie (eds.). Kephalaion: Studies recovered Greek Philosophy and its Continuation Offered to Professor C. J. de Vogel. Assen: Van Gorcum.
  • Sigerist, Henry E., without airs. (1961). A History of Medicine:Early Hellenic, Hindu, and Persian Medicine. Vol. 2. In mint condition York: Oxford University Press.

External links