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Erasistratus of Chios (304 BC- 250 BC) was a Greek anatomist and royal physician under Seleucus I Nicator of Syria. Along with fellow Greek Philosopher Herophilus, he founded a school of anatomy in Alexandria. Alexandria was an Egyptian city that fostered the expansion of medical research and knowledge. The library consisted of a collection of more than 700,000 manuscripts. Here, Erasistratus and Herophilus were permitted to perform human dissection and (and it was rumored vivisections that were allowed under the Ptolomy rulers) on criminals, and consequently, were able to solve some of the mysteries of the human body and its inner-workings. Prior to the anatomical research in Alexandria, all knowledge came from the dissections and vivisection of animals and has proved to be quite inaccurate.
Erasistratus considered atoms to be the essential body element, and he believed they were vitalized by external air (pneuma) that circulated through the nerves. He also thought that the nerves moved a “nervous spirit” from the brain. He then differentiated between the function of the sensory and motor nerves, and linked them to the brain. Also, Erasistratus is credited with one of the first in-depth descriptions of the cerebrum and cerebellum. There is a claim that he discovered the lymph vessels in the mesentery, in addition to devising a catherer and a calorimeter.
Cardiovascular medicine was also greatly expanded due to Erasistratus’ research. He is credited for his description of the valves of the heart, the tricuspid and the sigmoid. He also concluded that the heart was not the center of sensations, but instead it functioned as a pump. Erasistratus was among the first to distinguish between veins and arteries. Following his exploratory dissections, he believed that the arteries were full of air and that they carried the “animal spirit” from the heart. This suggestion went against the then current belief in the humors. From here, he developed a reverse theory of circulation.
Some consider Erasistratus the first cardiac arrhythmologist, studying the rhythms of the heart. He was given this title after curing Antiochus, son of Seleucus I Nicator. By measuring heart palpitations, Erasistratus observed the reactions that the ill-stricken Antiochus had towards his visitors. He recognized the trend that whenever his young and beautiful stepmother, Stratunice, visited, Antiochus developed heart palpitations. Erasistratus concluded that it was Antiochus’ love for his stepmother that was ailing him, and they were allowed to wed.
References
- Wright, John P. and Paul Potter, Psyche and soma : physicians and metaphysicians on the mind-body problem from antiquity to Enlightenment. Oxford: Clarendon Press 2000.
- Brain, Peter, Galen on Bloodletting: A Study of the Origins, Development and Validity of His Opinions. Cambridge University Press 1986.
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