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Wolfgang Opel's avatar

There is definitely a clear intellectual lineage from Hippocrates (c. 460-370 BCE) to Galen (129-c. 210 CE) to Ibn Sina/Avicenna (980-1037 CE). This represents one of the most important chains of medical knowledge transmission in history.

The progression worked roughly like this:

1. Hippocrates established the foundational framework of humoral theory and empirical medical observation

2. Galen significantly expanded, systematized and added to Hippocratic medicine over 500 years later, including more detailed theories about physiology and treatment

3. Ibn Sina, working another 800 years after Galen, synthesized and further developed this Greco-Roman medical tradition while adding his own observations and theoretical refinements

This transmission was made possible by:

- The preservation and translation of Greek medical texts into Arabic, particularly during the Abbasid Translation Movement (8th-10th centuries)

- The Islamic Golden Age's emphasis on preserving and building upon classical knowledge

- Ibn Sina's exceptional ability to systematize and expand upon this inherited knowledge

The passage you quoted about colors and humors is a great example of how medical knowledge evolved along this chain.

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JJ's avatar

This is so fascinating. At USC Keck medical center the staff all wear red scrubs. I have had to undergo procedures there. That color bothered me. It concerns me even more now that I know that people often bleed out during and after surgery.

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