Machaon: the first trauma surgeon in Western history?

Homer's epics, the Iliad and the Odyssey, written between 800-700 BC, offer valuable information about what medical practice meant at that time. Descriptions of injuries and care given can be found among the 26,000 verses of these poems. During the Trojan War many warriors possessed empirical knowledge of wound care. However, Machaon and his brother Podalirius were the chief medical officers of the Greek army as it besieged Troy. Machaon was acting mainly as a trauma surgeon, while Podalirius was a physician. The original texts of the Iliad and Odyssey, as well as relevant literature and references, were methodically studied for extraction of adequate information about the life and work of Machaon. He provided medical care to injured soldiers and officers, and performed small operations. He treated the wound of King Menelaus of Sparta, the co-chief of the Greek army and many others. He was also a talented warrior, participating in many battles around the walls of Troy. When he was injured, the Greeks rallied around him so that he would not be taken or killed by the enemy. Since he had the knowledge and the ability to save lives, his life was considered equal to that of many men. Future generations would worship him as god protector of surgery. Machaon's techniques and skills can be considered to constitute the origins of modern surgery and trauma management at the dawn of western civilisation.

Trauma management in Homer's Iliad.

Homer's Iliad is one of the highest intellectual products of the early ancient Greek civilisation. A plethora of medical information lies within Iliad's 24 rhapsodies, and a total of 147 injuries are described. The present study records and evaluates all cases of trauma management included in this epic poem. Not only Iliad's original text but also all myths related to Iliad from the five-volume Greek Mythology by Ioannis Kakridis were meticulously studied to locate the injured person, the type of trauma, the care provider and the type of given care as well as the outcome of each case. A total of 21 cases were found and evaluated with a 5% mortality rate. The majority of these injuries were caused by an arrow (43%) and were located to the upper extremity (43%). Injuries of the head, neck and trunk were not treated as all of them were lethal. Many of the recorded trauma management techniques can be correlated to modern medicine. Furthermore, the role and skills of military doctors and paramedics, mentioned by Homer, is discussed.