GALEN ON FOOD AND DIET Mark Grant | London and New Yorkper 2 We Sh ts Ne Nn NY 1058 Ayn pp Gr ae a tt rc Scimmmancte cet mntnaene ‘ory wh pica oro eps Ti iy Ca ac "a a eof os ag aon a no nd eee, 1 Mak ene rennet Brae In memory of Fred Luck 1909-1995, and Maria Luck (née Szint6) 1899-1988 for their humanity and generosiey1 INTRODUCTION ‘The fe of Galen Medicine occupies central postion in ur es tay. We expect be flagnoud conely and to ese the ltt retment based on extensive ‘Senne rears The mein essay recount brskcroughs in fur understanding of diene, or empl operations that can treo ‘hlty of li. Alongside this progres prchologis have noted oor Uncreating bewilderment and even anger he face of death, Wonder at ‘thar malcine an ahve dure by wha it eanno- i dil hen to envisage a word where malcne could offer only some comfort a ‘where death, pecially amonghe very young, was abvay lurking very Teal treat Yet many historians conde that plage care by Galen ‘would hae ben fr preferable o anything ha was wo be avaiable ot ‘he closing years of he trent ena. “Galen was born in al 129 Pergamon, lage cy onthe Ages seaoand of what no Tukey! At i ater eas an ace adie ‘Seed in education, Galen was ge sons in mathemati and geomet Fora hl trom a wealthy background ths was Some ways unsualy tbe ‘phasis in Roman school fing onthe erate arene nese) fora carer asa lawyer or town councils On the ther had archi tur, wlst an eset pact of Roman cvsation, was not pofestion that commanded» pst high wats. This ber and in sme ways ‘adil background allowed Galen the cope to experiment he Wah Ot oun! by hi yo eter int what was repre adiionally safe rer. Morcoey, since Pegamam had long ben at itlectal and falc cone, Galen was able to amend the letres of the Stoke and Platnis philosophers who wee ata to the cy By ts rest Wary 1 team ndeation his metal ates that Galen was ely fourteen when eg thee saeIn addon co te academic excllens, Pergamon was a religous etre with a ange sancaary dedieaed to ASlepits. AS the on of ‘Apollo, Asli acted ike a ridge between she dine and he human for although he was 3 powerful diy, he was nevertheless concerned ‘enough wih octal toy to combat death though his patronage of ineicine, Healing by pychoogial means was conducted at temples round the Roman wor the sick sleeping in the peeits the ope of “reaming about their own parla cures! Even outnde the temple, ‘reams ere held 0 predic the fture and advne on fur couse of "ction, When Galen wae seventeen his father eceved such igs be wa toads medicine Hippocrates wrote ince ith entry 2c tha @ good doctor should teal On he dent fifths in 148 foe perhape AD 19), Caen pet numberof ears raining with meal experts in Sens, Coit ft Alecandi* Thee was oo unk medal curiclrn tev 2 shred lit in how the Boy worked need there mere groups of aher fst sever ferent theories, emetic ered 0 as school, based round opposing pilsophical premises’ Now fully tained Galen ‘exurned ro erga ina 157 and same the doctor tthe lira ‘choot inthe cy. Aeain, this was ao uel tp for a dace person, (Gladiators may have fanated the Romans by ei oath of sabi 0 eth ut they were stl considered sol to be very low reer ute ‘he accel of oral sce ‘What Galen presumably gited fom this appointment was a detailed nosedge of anatomy. Cantar to moder popula ie, atari ‘ot usualy fight deliberately eo the death, especialy in a provincial ity Tike Perth, Whilst Rome cold afford manslaughter the expense of tesining and maintaining glaeore meat that any oer iy 10 harbour its reoures Gladiators were tight to deaw blood for the nertiament ofthe spectators, but once outside he arena dctre were ‘schand to tich and bandage ey for he next show Tha oto sy that death was svoded, yet twas ota foregone contain? Working ‘vith laditors also alowed Galen tn experiment with elting the diet for healing and bing seo. In many instances det was the oaly resource that cou be applied 0 its prominence i all scene medi) ‘ertngs is understandable Tn the absenee of plc force, except in Rome, ancien cites were roe to soil ure The autumn of sb 6 sa Gale leaving Pega to oid being caught pin such an even, cape peovoked bythe sort of Fea shortages that be mention houphou his he wring. He sled around the eastern Medsetanan, researching the properties of 2 varios pln and mineral wed mediialy in Lemon, Cyprus and Palesinitn yea (moder al, efor caching Rome he st of the following yeae™ ‘Marcus Aurelius had jas become emperoe: Rome was the beigh of is power and prosperity. Galen began to buildup his reputation inthe capt giving public Hectares abd anatomical demonstration and ‘wting about anton: These endeavours amet a clone a he set (FAD 166A Roman army recrning from a campaign in the Middle East Iyoughe withthe plage and Calen sens wo have thought wise #9 return to Pergamom than to ty to practic hs medicine on those sic. In aditon, his growing influence had made him umeroos ‘remies song the medical profession and nthe fae of thi lent ‘tay he began to harbour doube about his own physkal safety. Hs fons, however, had made him famous enough For Marcas Aurelio 10 levite in ab 168 him to join hi miliary headquarters a Aguila in rortecn fay Moving to Rome the next ear with the ier frail because of another outeeak of the plague, Galen spent here of hse in the capa. He became 0 sucesso that he was appointed 36 personal physician to Marcus Autlios Rinse is voluminous writings fe authenticated in is restive On My Ou Books? Its now though that he died in about nD 210, hough carer estimates pt hi deat shout a0 20, Galen the doctor The name of Archagathos has heen passed down as she fist Greek doctor tohave practied a Rome, According o Pin (Nat.29.6.12-13 hee op bis surgery nthe captain 219 9 Both he and hb sucesors were ‘ery much engaged wth she upper echelons of sce that had developed "een ase fo all things Gree, folowing the wars of conquest that Ended with he complete subjugation of tha country by Aemslias Paulos in 168 wc Ar the same time ee lower classes were deeply suspicious of oct, prefering home eure passed dows through ee fru, apie td anology, apd the assitance of herbalists Yer from she verse tvidenceof wie such as Gero, Seneca and Platte, general pcre ‘an beconraced of what 2 Roman srintocat demand of dost 0 Paticlar the sor of fendhip that ould fer comfoe thoughout the Aurion of ales!" Educated Romane were forthe most pare conversant with cite Ineical theories. For example Cee (CleND 2.1378) desis itrecite etal how the fay wat leet proces food the dguision nly ending avoid any poole fence ener the ate of defarcation, Clas wetng nthe ne of he emperor Tiberi (AD 14-37) wrote a encyclopaedia whow xan part dete men i a ope tht Ses fest an edoatel peront sew of the dpe Laer sn the fst Century ap Seca makes fegont ears inhi lees abou isis Sndalles othe soe ofp that might be expected sich ess, whist Pliny aye grat stertion in his Naural Hitory to the broad scope of medics ati od inhi day Peroni [et S-6) even sti Idi osing onthe nodion tha an illnearcould be resid By aration det [HpNat Hom 9=6.54-6L), Not oly that, but medical Towle were avible fom shops sn the Ample, open leurs were presented by practising doctors and surgeons woud demonsat their Prowes with he kein fon of aude But bow Galen fis ito this pte i till open to debate, Modena 169 9p 175, What happend when ee bale Went a) | Adeeb ia Or Uneven Bad Tomporamon. The ensuing deat ae Keaurcdin On the Caer of Danae, categorised according 10 whether they ave hot de, wet cold A tomar ante game can be estaba Since this treatise mentions (Cans Morb =? 23K) On Therapewt Method, work writen someine brwern 40169 and 0 180,30 ts reasonable to aeame tat twas composed a abou th same period as Or the Powers of Foods® A veleence in On Uneven Bal Temperament Una ln.77.748K) to On the Causes of Disa a least shows the temporal conection berween ses to work, although futher precision ‘perhaps impossible "feature thee texts he combative poe suck by Glen. Farr vwtr ike Easier derided, cor poured on those who cannot Undersand «senna simple dey and the impeccable logic of Galen ‘own argument reed A as ben noted mene was not a norm ‘peta pling in aoriguiy mean reading slow oa at always Appreciative sudincy a0 wa ways ncessry to bute eat with ‘hao, Whit a es this sero 4 moder reader makes Galen seem fon occasion egret ao more shan what isa were doing,2 ON THE HUMOURS Whatever he hase let of the wold may he, among animist the humous just a of eoure in the mssusnen of inet the seson The humours do noe poses a sine entity or ene ater regia thir ste and pase quai, though which they both owe thi exes Sn have constuced thei gins in us they ier fom eachother ‘many ay ad ot least the nomenclature. To hein atthe being the ements from which the word mide a ey water and earth ‘he seasons fom which the year componed re spring sum, wit tn acs dhe amour rm which animal nd humane ae componed tre yellow ble, Hood phlegm ad Black bie “The humours ae all combined with moiure and est dryness and ‘ol. Thus Boo st 25d spring are moist and hot though some people Ig elisnre with this statement epnding ah yew bi, sume aad fre are hot and de, hse Hack le and eurthand uta are dy aad col phlegm, water and winter ar cld and ms, Humours elemento Seasons ate bth akin and divergent or example a aa fie ae ot the Same it dyes ad moire, ft are une Py the beat fe a ath sent the ae in colds and het, ba are both ery sil earth tnd water ae cold, bt they a et apart by thie especie dyes and ‘mosture; water ad ir ate most, bu ifr a to het and colds, Inthe same way the humours and seasons age and dasges wth ach xe, thereby acering wha cal mon ming Yet ears the elemens never change an each resin the sae plas, maining ther peemanence inant movement towards cach ther through nour set that provident and suitably proportioned similarly the seasons ‘cc and ae ume afer the movers of thes the south at to the north . "The humours are no ike the sesso cae hey lifer ons them seves in many way: in ple, olou power consstncy and aly, 4 Moreorr it swt tht he humour do change, jut the elements must ‘ange noone anothe, oc alway keeping te same proces of change ‘ramsiotining 4 tlanced nese, aleough here scr pated of Imation fom hat earthy to wha x watery, rr wha eatery 1 trha iy sb rom wha airy wo what ety. So hee sam ieglar ‘hang rom pga to yellow le, rom bode black te The prot tthe argent les in ent and melancholic Bld, and say phlegm Srhch in many. ways resembles oe be and etl mutnes cof Peat le ad blood strated with mics pees sma properties, 1 among people wth a deepal ee cache condton, jase a wich Comix yellow tie in pope wth borer apd der costition. For those who ser from indigestion,» ren ile appears in vomiting and ‘dfacation Tei therfore in ths sot of hangs that what damian has prece- en, whist the oppo xzars when tes changes osu though wha Jramonious A parte humor might occasion metamorphose ito {ne or anor Sor of amon according co temperate, ne, ace, 3 Sd et forall humours aise apd incense at every moment a Season. For examples in sane here predisposition rowan ter be espe ill among thow people who have laings towards this condition through ages cnsuton dit og above al through eternal factors. The prime sae of yellow ae arses, ange emotional Wau, abou phys Kel exerci, inom fasting and hanger Talegmatic Be comes abs from slp, drinking water the consumption of sen fod and mo dein fener and vious ile that oni of ick parle. lod is ert Epes foes ad al thse foe tha are beh wholesome ad sy {0 Sok unless something spec ales what sen, Te ie soe fo ‘Hack bi, bur the surrounding cicumance are more compte "When we make proper une of fos sn recipes the aendane bums follow, The Blood itesses a pakerey;hene eanagers ae chet a ‘tsa apne o gas. But the yellow len adoescens makes or ange seal drive and allyng erly his tage of ifr whi ne there is sng of black he wore sor of humo since wherever Fess its had eo resis a vert ts aking thie tage of devious, Fevenell and sur, Ind age there ipl, when eee ein ig hos ost of memory an ears. This ssn ol age ot and Sol ost athe rime of ies dy and cold. Pobeny i bo and mois, thio adolescence belongs oan analogous and pei hamoue “The humour owe the ern, mnenance and moveten sfllows for blood the le, eine and oth nose or yew be te lade, the ‘Met atond th ver andthe ers for peg the stomach, fin mancessnd the mouth: for lack bile the ae blow he ive spleen an ye 8 bv aleady bon state As rears ei clors Mood el ar log ie whe hee are seven eyes of yew bile jello which people al basic paleyellow, ek rec, yllyellow, veriris nd woody wht the proper ine of lick bil af ie ol Bld s sett he se yew i site; back ik issharp kgm ‘sonny eural ut can also be say sharp ad fen sweet There ae four fret eypes of Hack ler one i the Ho seins, nother when yellow il overheated another eal ry Bese has the shine of frumen, and anoder by nature eembling Hood, Farther seis can he aed: lod and hl ae by convene thc a sack bie Yellow bili thin gh and uoyane Te other two humours ae heavy; Blood commands central olin the dsbuon of eat, Te sears that health is characterised by the exuaity and symmetry of these uous. Diseases occur when the humour decease o cease onrary ro whats sn tems of quan gual siing of potion, ‘regular combination or putetacton of whatever ha ote ats can besa thar diseases occur as reso an exes ofthe humour so heh returns by means ofthe femal or of he adion ofthe unos tei thins and hikes ad generally through tir lds and sym. ‘Hippocrates par thiseeemely neal the xt book of his Epes you should et some humours y foc, pt some mors ns hin and fempe the humours one ct, but ao inane, fo they fri the sequence of remedies scoring othe eat ofthese! The uous ‘must be mined pres n quality and equal in suanin 0 ha health ‘then petalenrmay perstre, bt when abe may be une This teh thy ae clled humour, because at hese tine they aid met on is death, this elt he sacha contion snot dense has ben shown, Since the types of eat at vied int ferent Kinds the efeences ia kind mast be advanced rom ang the diferent eats Humour re bth causes and symptoms the forme i what oss exter rally the ater is what meant by irs addres, ta i bas ben stated before, according wo age time and the fee fd, whenever those are acl hang “hiss what Hippocrates ems tobe saying when he sates that some humours flourish and prev tone time, tere a anther tne, ang that diferent complains are due to the predominance of whatever humours ar prevalent ina pala temperament, an that dans ase cording to the mature ofthe dominaon humour in an inva “Moreore ithe nroducion ois work On Humans este eae of he humours when they ae not dared, ke that of the ower? fa “The predominance ofthe humours generally changes according 0 the passing ofthe ros sages oil js ant seems the characteris of {he sel change. Even tha is dliented by the humours. Blood cases 2 ‘hes ature; slow he matace shat angry, islet o eres PE ‘Taser and one stp tre; lack le ate ha more specs ed angry. The characte of the sul ca be aed in diene trough the End of uur tha i dominant, atte exe of delim. ll dees that come about becnae of Mood ate aconpisied by singing and lnugher whirl shone hat come abou through yelow ie allow eas eae and biternes, This s why Hippocrates also a “Derangements of the mind wih Inughter ae les dangerous, but when combined with Se buss they are mores Hema fering rious ere boldness ‘pai, ll charac he ae based on Mack ile are moe sent clare tnd fate sa aes; conn al characters hat have phlegm 36 thee foundation ae fvlow ad unset Hippocrates sess hi elewbere for example the fst ook of his Epidemics, when Sinus was deranged with singing ad laugh In the third ook of i pide, he mentions that a Hod delta occured in the cae of Pilcm or he went mad around the mde of the day ‘Yellow be was the case of he dene, In Cys he sys hat a woman sao had gen bith to tin daughters wen apd tht delim trav haraerued by len and eapondent fac, since he ell lent and {Bd nor len vo anyone Black be was the cause of fee dese, He sys ‘that Phion, who vd nie the rmpe of the Earth, became dlsous and ‘went mad Toth case he cnn ofthe disease wae peg, “The person who adniner eae should know the mpl causes of these dese As Hippocrates sys ifyou know the cae of diese, you ‘apply whatever beneficial fr te Boy fom the emis chat wll ‘Smbat the diene, With dass, whoever a repre beling want 0 pre accrete questions, to reply corey eo anyone asking the sme, nd fovontradt tetvey uncover he ling: rst, what the cases treo deus, wich wil allow fr te promulaton of the reson 0 the case of ge an adsecet fang i wl be pascal aed bythe ‘Hoods av couse was shown a second the eof ea orn spring the Bod is especially robleome; thd from det for oe dank of fod te prdective of one humoug, another of another amour 3 for exarple ‘ood follows om from drunkenness gutony. This what Hippocrates ‘keri when be lear that Sens had boomed afer deithing. He Inetione too the wife of 4 garener who had sufered menopsoe as = Consequence of her excessive eating. Fourth rom plc, fact hot place eles hater dseases ith rom eapions fr bleady pustules art ”red and round plegmaticpstules ae Mat, and ether pustules thers Ins as Hipptaes as in his phorum, where eit spe ae shown ‘ome abott in sping and summer sine they ate thereof blood and ‘Mesa nally rm aoa where the cause «diese maybe dng 2 from the predominance of 3 humours This 0 kes tan the he mast sccuate way a aching the best ago tem believed by Diogenes tnd bis lane contemporaries tobe akin to dvnation. These phys incase the olor at ret length and viel the csc ceo 0 thor diferent appearances the fe the Blo, and the ame, which bterness was excessive nd the Blck nd the whit slr of which ‘were called phleomatce. The dieses retin from these huurs mere cil re lame, lack and white; bu donot understand om, by om ting so many pices of edence forthe medial art and especialy thse hich afford am accurate asessnent of he diese, they oul aig the Complete estan ofthe dees close 3 ON BLACK BILE Bsc ier atopic oter which nome have spent ar longer than ined forthe ar of medicine, whist oes instead have hesitated to promote ay decent lng of exponision jt Some have id otha all I it this te category of people tat x more a fal han those who ad ‘cles infomation, becuse is ease to et Ou exes ering than ‘arch fr have bas not been been mentioned Following th lin of though, Hinocates seme co mes 4 prime example of someone sho locas alle eval forthe condo of this at, at conversly Exaitratus ia prime example of womcone who leaves ou everyhing think tat she pups of Pistonicus, Praxagoras and Phioxinas, ho {iscusac the humours in he westet dra, aefly define some of what wav only sketchy described by Hippocrats, although oer some of his ‘ther ieas hey argued erroneous: OF she mone recent wets the Bs books that have bee writen abou black te are By Rufus of Epes You could say with ood reason that Raf wats nothing more than sntntve aden, not those who contradic purely for the sake of am rgument, shai which prevalent among gta few moder doctor, Partcalsiy those who. decrbe themselves a Methods or Enatrateas or Aceiadens Some ofthe docrrs have devised capios arguments which ry 0 prove that any dicsson about te humours is wile Tor medial ‘equrementr My intentions therfore consider what exact sei "Tally do and then trn to whatever allows om logs fom his Tall nt ent ny conclson todo away with any of thor 58 ens which have heen propounded by people who hal th the theory tthe humours wortles.To avo low of elary ng my dnc Sion | sal take jt one name foreach humour and so ty to deeribe them throughout in these tems: However, I cannot do this peopel trout dean the outward appearance ofthe humours | shall da »