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Harvey's discovery of the circulation in 1628 until a more
complete picture of how blood travelled around the body
was discovered.
Whilst more of his theories would eventually become
challenged, Galen still remains an important part of the
history of Medicine.
Restricted to animal dissection his anatomical knowledge
could only ever go so far but Galen did have some
opportunities to see many wounds during his time as a
physician for gladiatorial combat. It was a position he held
for four years in his hometown of Pergamon.
Here he put the four humours theory into practice and in
doing so focused on the diet and hygiene of the gladiators.
He would also treat fractures and trauma wounds. During
his time the gladiators only five died as a result of his
treatments. His predecessor saw sixty die. For Galen, it was
a massive success.
Whilst many of his
theories would
eventually become
challenged, Galen still
remains an important
part of the history of
Medicine.
Galen's theories would eventually become dismissed as
the renaissance continued but it would be wrong to
discredit him entirely. His theories on diet and hygiene still
hold today as does his detection of the pulse.
Others used his work not with the intention to discredit
him but for the same reason that he held the ideas of
Hippocrates so dear. For Galen, it was about proving
theories to be right or wrong. He tried them and for him,
they worked. His quest for knowledge during a time of
anatomical restriction laid the foundations for others to
take his work even further and although he was ultimately
proven wrong on a number of issues, he had inspired the
medical renaissance for the better.
It is for this reason that Galen is often seen as the
Godfather of Medicine. A man who helped many during
his time but also hugely significant to those who aimed to
understand the human body even further.