History of Science 2220 Chapter 1: HoM - Reading 1 +

• School: Western University
• Department: History of Science
• Course: History of Science 2220
• Professor: Dorotea Gucciardo

Document Summary

The discovery of the body: human dissection and its cultural contexts in ancient greece. Two greeks, herophilus of chalcedon and his younger contemporary erasistratus of ceos, became the first and last ancient scientists to perform systematic dissections of human cadavers. They also conducted vivisections of condemned criminals. Animals had been dissected by aristotle in the preceding century. But no ancient scientists ever seem to have resumed systematic human dissection. This paper explores the cultural factors-including traditional greek attitudes to the corpse and to the skin. This paper looks at cultural political and social circumstances in early alexandria that might have emboldened herophilus to overcome the pressures of cultural traditions and to initiate systematic human dissection is analyzed. Paper also looks at reasons for mysterious disappearance of systematic human dissection from green science after the death of erasistratus and herophilus. Herophilus and his younger contemporary erasistratus of ceos = first and last ancient scientists to perform systematic dissections of human cadavers.