How to Be Healthy : An Ancient Guide to Wellness / Katherine D. Van Schaik.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Van Schaik, Katherine D., author.

Series:

Ancient wisdom for modern readers.

Ancient Wisdom for Modern Readers Series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Galen--Translations into English.

Galen.

Medicine, Greek and Roman--Early works to 1800.

Medicine, Greek and Roman.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (273 pages)

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Princeton, New Jersey : Princeton University Press, [2024]

Summary:

Timeless wisdom about how to be healthy in body and mind from one of the greatest physicians of the ancient worldThe second-century Greek physician Galen-the most famous doctor in antiquity after Hippocrates-is a central figure in Western medicine. A talented doctor, surgeon, writer, philosopher, teacher, pharmacologist, and inventor, Galen attended the court of Marcus Aurelius, living through outbreaks of plague (likely smallpox) that devastated the Roman Empire. He also served as physician for professional gladiators, boasting that only two fighters died during his first year (his predecessor had lost sixteen). In writings that provided the foundation of Western medicine up to the nineteenth century, Galen created a unified account of health and disease. In How to Be Healthy, practicing physician and classical historian Katherine Van Schaik presents a collection of Galen's enduring insights about how we can take care of our bodies and minds, prevent disease, and reach a healthy old age.Although we now know that many of Galen's ideas about physiology are wrong, How to Be Healthy shows that much of his advice remains sound. In these selections from his writings, presented in fresh translations, Galen discusses the art of medicine, exercise and diet, the mind-body connection, the difficulty of applying general medical principles to individuals, and much more. Featuring an introduction, brief commentaries that connect ancient medical practices to modern ones, and the original Greek on facing pages, How to Be Healthy offers an entertaining and enlightening new perspective on the age-old pursuit of wellness, from the importance of "the exercise with a small ball" to the benefits of "avoiding distress."

Contents:

Frontmatter

CONTENTS

PREFACE

INTRODUCTION

TEXTS AND TRANSLATIONS

1 The Mind-Body Connection

2 Exercising the Body

3 Individual Physiologies

4 Nourishing the Body

5 Definitions of Health and Disease

NOTES

SOURCE TEXTS

FURTHER READING

Notes:

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

Description based on print version record.

Other Format:

Print version: Van Schaik, Katherine D. How to Be Healthy

ISBN:

9780691242897

0691242895

OCLC:

1401057646