The Alcmaeon’s School of Croton: Philosophy and Science

Authors

  • Luigi Santacroce Microbiology & Virology Lab - Policlinico of Bari, Bari, Italy; 2Polypheno Academic Spin Off - University of Bari, Bari, Italy http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5671-8124
  • Ioannis Alexandros Charitos Emergency Service, Ospedali Riuniti, Foggia, Italy
  • Skender Topi Faculty of Technical Medical Sciences, “Alexander Xhuvani” University of Elbasan, Elbasan, Albania
  • Lucrezia Bottalico Polypheno Academic Spin Off - University of Bari, Bari, Italy

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3889/oamjms.2019.072

Keywords:

Pre-Hippocratic medicine, Pithagorism, Encephalocentric theory, Human development, Empirical research

Abstract

Among the first physicians and physiologists at the pre-Hippocratic medicine with contradictions and oscillating doctrines was Alcmaeon from Croton in the 6th century BC. For many, he shared as the father of scientific medicine. Unfortunately, we have only eighteen texts written for him and only five fragments of texts written by him. This saved extracts and testimonies they refer mostly to physiology, epistemology and psychology. Was born in the city of Croton (ΚÏότων) in Magna Graecia (southern Italy) was a reference point for the activity of physicians and philosophers over the years. Furthermore, Herodotus tells us about the excellent practice quality of the physicians, “compared to all the others known in that periodâ€, among which Alcmaeon. But Croton is also famous as the centre of thought and activity of the philosopher Pythagoras of Samos (ΠυθαγόÏας ὠΣάμιος, 580-500 BC) through his Pythagorean school around 530 BC.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

Plum Analytics Artifact Widget Block

References

Jardé A. The formation of the Greek people. Routledge, 2013. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315005355

Herodotus. The Histories. Pinguin Classics, 2014:226. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/oseo/instance.00271223

Astour MC Ancient Greek Civilization in Southern Italy. The Journal of Aesthetic Education. 1985; 19(1Special Issue: Paestum and Classical Culture: Past and Present):23-37. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/3332556

Longeway J, Book I. Greek and Roman Thought I. Beginnings-Philosophy and the Scientific World View, Preliterate Thought, Spirits and Magic. (https://longeway.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/i-01-beginnings-philosophy-and-science-rev1.pdf)

Huffman, C. A., Two Problems in Pythagoreanism, in P. Curd and D. W. Graham, (eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Presocratic Philosophy, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008:284–304. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195146875.003.0010

Santacroce L, D’agostino D, Charitos IA, Bottalico L, Ballini A. A short review about electrophysiology and bioimpedance: History and perspectives. Indian J Public Health Res Dev. 2018; 9:11; 587-591. https://doi.org/10.5958/0976-5506.2018.01521.8 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5958/0976-5506.2018.01521.8

Huffman CA, editor. A History of Pythagoreanism. Cambridge University Press; 2014. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139028172 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139028172

Smith W. A Classical Dictionary of Biography, Mythology and Geography: Based on the Larger Dictionaries. J. Murray, 1891.

Curd P, McKirahan RD. A Presocratics reader: selected fragments and testimonia. Hackett Publishing, 2011.

Cornelli G, McKirahan R, Macris C, editors. On Pythagoreanism. Walter de Gruyter, 2013. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110318500 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110318500

Laertius D. Lives of the Eminent Philosophers: by Diogenes Laertius. Oxford University Press, 2018.

Zhmud L. Pythagoras and the early Pythagoreans. Oxford University Press, 2012. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199289318.001.0001 PMid:23289235 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199289318.001.0001

Codellas PS. Alcmaeon of Croton: His life, work, and fragments. Proc R Soc Med. 1932; 25:1041-1042. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/003591573202500759

H. Diels and W. Kranz, Die Fragmente der Vorsokratiker. 3 vols, 6th edn. Dublin/Zurich: Weidmann, 1954.

Triarhou LC. Democritean Conceptions in Brain Research. Archives of Neuroscience. 2016; 3(2). https://doi.org/10.5812/archneurosci.35877 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5812/archneurosci.35877

Foca A. The Origin of Experimental Medicine in the School of Alcmaeon from Croton and the Diffusion of his Philosophy within the Mediterranean Area.

Debernardi A, Sala E, D'aliberti G, Talamonti G, Franchini AF, Collice M. Alcmaeon of croton. Neurosurgery. 2010; 66(2):247-52. https://doi.org/10.1227/01.NEU.0000363193.24806.02 PMid:20087125 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1227/01.NEU.0000363193.24806.02

Miller J. An Introductory on Pictorial Anatomy, Art.VIII, Monthly Review for August, Vol.2,No IV, 1842

Franco N. Animal experiments in biomedical research: a historical perspective. Animals. 2013; 3(1):238-73. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani3010238 PMid:26487317 PMCid:PMC4495509 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ani3010238

Panegyres KP, Panegyres PK. The Ancient Greek discovery of the nervous system: Alcmaeon, Praxagoras and Herophilus. Journal of Clinical Neuroscience. 2016; 29:21-4. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jocn.2015.10.047 PMid:26898584 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jocn.2015.10.047

Celesia GG, Alcmaeon of Croton's observations on health, brain, mind, and soul, Hist Neurosci. 2012; 21(4):409-26. https://doi.org/10.1080/0964704X.2011.626265 PMid:22947382 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/0964704X.2011.626265

Santacroce L, Bottalico L, Charitos IA. Greek medicine practice at ancient Rome: The physician molecularist Asclepiades. Medicines. 2017; 4(4):92. https://doi.org/10.3390/medicines4040092 PMid:29231878 PMCid:PMC5750616 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/medicines4040092

Published

2019-01-30

How to Cite

1.
Santacroce L, Charitos IA, Topi S, Bottalico L. The Alcmaeon’s School of Croton: Philosophy and Science. Open Access Maced J Med Sci [Internet]. 2019 Jan. 30 [cited 2024 Apr. 26];7(3):500-3. Available from: https://oamjms.eu/index.php/mjms/article/view/oamjms.2019.072

Issue

Section

Medical History

Most read articles by the same author(s)