Views on ocular cancer in Arabo-Islamic medicine and the leading influence of the ancient Greek medicine.

In the ophthalmological treatises of the medieval Arabo-Islamic physicians such as al-Mawsili (9th-10th century), al-Kahhal (ca. 940-1010), Haly Abbas (10th century) and al Sadili (14th century) we may find references about ocular cancer, focusing on eyelid tumors and cancerous ulcers of the cornea. These references are similar to the analogous ones of ancient Greek physicians as these are preserved in the medical texts of the most famous Byzantine doctors, indicating the influence of ancient Greek medicine in the Arabo-Islamic one.

Glaucoma and the Origins of Its Name.

PURPOSE: To identify the origins of the name of the disease Glaucoma. METHODS: Ancient Greek medical literature, Homeric poems, and ancient Greek religion and art were examined. RESULTS: The roots of the name Glaucoma could be traced back to Homeric times. Ancient Greek physicians following the Hippocratic tradition preferred the use of the terms Hypochysis or Hypochyma for the same disease. This fact indicates that the older term Glaucoma did not fulfill strict medical criteria, but had a long history connected to superstition, which the rational ancient Greek physician tried to overcome using terms derived from their fundamental principal of humoral pathology. CONCLUSIONS: In ancient Greek medical literature, Glaucoma had a significant place among ocular diseases. The origin of its name could be traced back to Homeric times and could be connected to the ancient belief of a primitive folk about the apotropaic role of animals against diseases, which in this case is represented by the superstitious role of the owl.

The Forgotten Asclepieion of Peparithos and the Islander Worshippers of the Snake God.

The ancient Asclepieion of the island of Peparithos, modern Skopelos, had been build in an ideal position, one kilometer from the ancient city of Peparithos. The angry north Aegean Sea brought in the surface its north wall at the beginning of the 60s decade. The monument was identified as an Asclepieion from one partially saved ceramic inscription "ASCL…" (Greek: ΑΣΚΛ…). The sanctuary was surrounded by covered walkway (Greek: στοά) and it is dated at the early years of the fourth century BC. It is possible that god Apollo and goddess Artemis were worshiped in parallel. The monument reflects the culture of Peparitheans and the importance given toward the holistic treatment for the patients.

Electromagnetic machines in cancer treatment: The "Priore affair".

In the 1960s and 1970s the Italian born scientist Antonio Priore, working in France, amazed the public and divided the scientific world with his invention, a machine which could cure a variety of illnesses, including cancer. Gaining the support of the French government and several scientific organizations, Priore received a great amount of money in funds to sustain his research. Without exposing his exact method, the scientific world questioned the legitimacy of Priore's research. For almost two decades scientists, institutes, journalists and cancer patients were implicated in a sensational case, known as the "Priore affair".

Uterine cancer in the writings of Byzantine physicians.

Byzantine physicians recognized uterine cancer as a distinct disease and tried to suggest a therapeutic approach. The work of Oribasius, Aetius of Amida, Paul of Aegina, Cleopatra Metrodora and Theophanes Nonnus reflects the Hippocratic-Galenic scientific ideas as well as their own concept on this malignancy. According to their writings uterine cancer was considered an incurable disease and its treatment was based mainly on palliative herbal drugs.

The "torpedo" effect in medicine.

The natural electrical phenomena fascinated humans since antiquity. The electrical discharges produced by the torpedo fish were highly appreciated among ancient physicians as Hippocrates, Scribonius Largus and Galen and were prescribed for headache, gout and prolapsed anus. In the medieval period, torpedo's electrical properties were attributed to occult powers, while Renaissance physicians' and scientists' studied the anatomy and mechanical nature of the provoked shock paving the way for the discovery of the electrical nature of torpedo's activity and the evolution of electrotherapy.

The effect of Soranus of Ephesus (98-138) on the work of midwives.

BACKGROUND: In the Roman period, midwives continued to play an important role in female health care primarily in the attendance of women birth. In the second century AD, midwives' education received a significant boost thanks to the distinguished physician Soranus of Ephesus. AIM: To reveal the work and important contribution of Soranus of Ephesus in the practice of midwifery. METHODS: The main bibliographic sources concerning Soranus' work on midwifery have been investigated and analysed. FINDINGS: In his work, Soranus described the main characteristics and skills of a midwife. In the practice of obstetrics, he performed the manoeuvre which was later called "turning the foot" and introduced the birth chair. His contribution in neonatology is also of a great importance as he provided the earliest newborn assessment. CONCLUSION: Soranus' work contributed in the education of midwives and influenced the practice of obstetrics till the Middle Ages.

From miasmas to germs: a historical approach to theories of infectious disease transmission.

From miasma to germ theory we trace the evolution of conceptions in infectious disease transmission. Starting from the unproved theories of contagiousness we move on to miasma theory, contagion theory and spontaneous generation theory up to the revolutionary germ theory of disease transmission.

Scotland's "wooden operator" William Smellie (1697-1763) and his counterpart in France André Levret (1703-1780): two great obstetricians and anatomists.

During the eighteenth century two great physicians, William Smellie and André Levret, instated maternity as a medical procedure. Although they had to face the negative criticism from women midwives of their time, nonetheless, through their work, they were recognized by the medical community as prominent obstetricians. With the expertise they gained they improved the forceps, while they thoroughly studied the anatomy of the pelvis. They passed their skills to their students who became the successors of their toil. Starting from two different countries and schools they both managed to shine within their science and leave behind a rich path.

Charcoal: from antiquity to artificial kidney.

According to Herodotus, the use of charcoal was introduced in ancient Egypt; however only in 1773 Carl Willhelm Scheele utilized it for adsorbing gases. Finally, Hippocrates Yatzidis in 1963 demonstrated its binding capacity for toxic substances of endogenous or exogenous origin and used it for hemoperfusion systems.