MIHAELA POP
Abstract
Medical knowledge is one of the most interesting domains of intellectual history. In Europe its development and evolution is based mostly on the Greek contribution, especially on Hippocrates’ and Galen’s works. Our intention is to get a synthetic image of medical thought during the Middle Ages and to show how Galen’s contribution was interpreted over a time span of more than 1200 years. In this article we will make some introductory remarks on Hippocrates’ and Galen’s thought and then will try to review some main aspects of the medical thought and institutions in the Byzantine Empire. We shall examine medical theories, physicians and their works, hospitals and medical instruments, as well. In a later article we hope to show some Jewish and Arab influences on the medical thought of the Western Medieval life.