PubMed Health⌕ Search

SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “Greek World”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1988

The eighth-month fetus: classical sources for a modern superstition.

Among obstetric patients from diverse backgrounds, we found a superstition that the prognosis for preterm infants born at eight months' gestation is poorer than for those born at seven months. After several women on a high-risk inpatient unit spontaneously expressed fears caused by this belief, we investigated its origin. A treatise attributed to Hippocrates is devoted to the idea, which appears to have been current in the Greek world by the fifth century BC. The doctrine was elaborately developed by subsequent Greek physicians and philosophers. It appears in the Talmud and in medieval texts, as well as in early modern medical writings. The unquestioning citation of a dogma of the Ancients until modern times is a common phenomenon in medical history. The persistence of this ancient scientific doctrine as an "old wives' tale" causing inappropriate patient anxiety makes it interesting to the modern obstetrician.

Gestational Age↗
PubMed1997

Aging and the aged in Aesopic fables.

Little attempt has been made to re-assess the attitudes to aging and old age of the ancient-medieval Greek-speaking world on the basis of the literary remains (which are common to both) since Richardson (1933). There are however some collections (proverbs, sayings, "purple passages" from literature and so forth) which include material revealing attitudes which are in fact quite different from those of today and which can even be surprising. One such collection, the large number of fables which more or less conform to the genre associated with Aesop, is here analyzed to isolate the texts which have to do with aging and the attitudes they reveal. Of the surprisingly few fables which touch upon the matter, most are distinctly complimentary. In most instances the elderly are seen to increase, rather diminish, in certain powers other than physical strength. Fables are found which characterize them as being astute, intelligent, crafty, loyal and, above all, capable of giving sound advice and good leadership when the situation requires it of them. The celebrated Fable of the Tortoise and the Hare, although it was not specifically interpreted in this way in ancient times, best sums up the general attitude: that dogged persistence (the characteristic of the elderly) will ultimately prove superior to all the erratic bursts of youthful speed anytime. Hence Cicero: "Old age is more spirited than youth, and stronger!"

Aged↗
PubMed1997

The goddess and healing. Nursing's heritage from antiquity.

In prehistoric and ancient historical times, it was the Goddess who oversaw the health and well-being of human beings and women who controlled many healing processes, rituals, and practices. The professions of nursing and other health care fields owe much to this history yet have moved away from it in significant ways. Drawing on literary and archaeological sources, this study traces the history of healing in Graeco-Roman antiquity, describes the role of the Goddess and women in the healing function, discusses the communal aspects of healing both in the ancient world and in the modern West, and provides connections between the past and present that may empower today's nursing professionals.

Female↗
PubMed1998

A history of otology through the development of scientific and medical thought.

The story of the development of civilisation and of humanity is at the base of science, medicine and otology in particular. The evolution of knowledge is better understood by dividing the story into chronological periods. Through primitive, archaic, hellenistic, byzantine, arabian, monastic, scholastic, Renaissance, modern and finally contemporary medicine, otology has progressively found its way. The key to progress is within man, in his conception of life and of the world around him. Otology will be affected by these different trends of thought and will find its place in medicine during the XIX Century, the XX Century being its most prolific period.

Byzantium↗
PubMed1996

Mythos and logos in Hesiod's Theogony, circa 700 B.C.

Hesiod's Theogony, a completely preserved poem, is dated from about 700 B.C. It depicts partly a development, partly a situation that has arisen in the course of time in the world. It constitutes an attempt to understand the cosmos as the product of a genealogical evolution, which can be seen as a process of successive separation, differentiation, and hierarchization. In this attempted picture of the world myth and reality are inextricably interwoven. Observations of natural phenomena as far as of congenital malformations are accordingly exaggerated and undergone mythical transformation. Entities enumerated in this genealogical poem, no matter whether they stand for parts and concrete phenomena of the physical world or intellectual properties and abstract concepts, behave, think, and act, and are accordingly though of, in anthropomorphic terms. Monogamy, polygamy, endogamy, exogamy, asexual and sexual reproduction, multiple conceptions and births, dominantly and recessively inherited traits, normal and abnormal offspring, and perceptions and notions on cosmogony, isogamy, and teratogenesis could be observed in the writing of the Theogony and interpreted by rational modern concepts.

Genetics↗
PubMed1997

The rules of drug taking: wine and poppy derivatives in the Ancient World. IX. Conclusions.

Evidence of a ritual use of poppies becomes more and more rare during the late Roman age, until only the medical usage of poppies seems to survive. In the meantime, a complete lack of evidence of a hedonic use of opium persists. As a whole, this study shows a remarkable continuity in the modalities of wine and poppy derivative use from the Ancient World to the present, particularly in that the hedonic use of psychoactive drugs remained restricted to alcoholic beverages. This observation challenges the opinion that drug-taking behavior is under the control of transient cultural contingencies. In addition, it imputes that the attribution of any documented prehistoric or historical nonmedical use of psychotropic drugs for the aim of experimenting with their pleasant effects is a stereotype.

Culture↗
PubMed1997

The rules of drug taking: wine and poppy derivatives in the ancient world. II. Wine-induced loss of control and vigilance.

The loss of control, the misjudgment of events, and the lack of vigilance were among the effects of drunkenness that the Ancients perceived as being particularly harmful. The sexual behavior was mainly affected by the loss of control: rape, incest, and fulfillment of a tragic oracle were examples of the ruinous outcome of drunkenness. Excessive drinking, besides the intervention of a good, was considered responsible for a temporary loss of judgment, which could be fatal for the drinker. Finally, several mythological examples were provided to support the view that drunk people were harmless in front of the enemy.

Alcoholic Intoxication↗
PubMed1998

Illness and health in the ancient world.

This is the first in a series of vignettes about health, disease and care giving practices in the ancient worlds of Greece (1000 BC-100 BC) and Rome (1st AD-500 AD). Attention is directed to what the better known conditions were, what structures existed for the delivery of care, what the commonly held health beliefs were, who the most likely care attendants were and what psych-cultural changes occurred which brought about improvements in health care. Thus the series is about the early origins and development of the Western cultural tradition of health care practices. They demonstrate that there was a recognised community need for health care structures to exist and that the association between healing and religious belief began very early.

Attitude to Health↗
PubMed1999

From Horus the child to Hephaestus who limps: a romp through history.

The question of why Hephaestus, the Greek god of smiths, limped has been the subject of much debate, mainly on mythological grounds. This debate extended also into the field of medical diagnosis, with attempts at defining the nature of the deformity that made the crippled Hephaestus the buffoon of the other Olympic gods. One problem encountered in these debates was the changes to which the ugly young Hephaestus was subjected with the passing of time-from a limping deformed youth to the later dignified and normal man. While some authors, largely influenced by poetic Greek texts and vase paintings, attributed the limp to talipes (club-feet), others pointed to certain features suggestive of achondroplasia. Since the image of the early Hephaestus is based mainly on the much earlier concept of the Egyptian god Ptah, who as the triune god of the resurrection sometimes is depicted as an achondroplastic dwarf (Ptah-Pataikos), the suggestion of the possible achondroplastic dwarf-like nature of the early Hephaestus is not implausible. It is supported by similarities in the image of Hephaestus to some features in other Egyptian gods, such as the domestic god Bes, the guardian of the new-born, and the Horus the Child or Harpocrates (Greek), yet another protector of youth and "the symbol of everything that is young and vigorous" [Budge, 1969: The Gods of the Egyptians, or Studies in Egyptian Mythology. Volume I.]. The characteristic feature of this child-god is the "lock of Harpocrates" on the right side of his head. That this lock can sometimes also be seen not only on the head of Ptah-Pataikos and of Bes but also on the young Hephaestus is highly suggestive of the Egyptian influence on his image. Recently, however, another interesting explanation of Hephaestus's limp has been suggested that may explain why the Egyptian influenced image of the early achondroplastic Hephaestus changed to the later, more Grecian view of the smith-god who hobbled because of club-feet. Improvements in composition-analysis of samples from antique statues and various utensils have led to the suggestion that the introduction of new smelting techniques in antique times may have exposed ancient metal workers to the effects of various toxic metals causing, for instance, chronic lead poisoning or, more relevant here, chronic arsenic poisoning causing peripheral neuritis with weakness and lameness of one or both lower extremities. Later changes in smelting technique, and recognition or guess-work of a possible connection between these techniques and toxic effects, may explain the change from the buffoon-like achondroplastic walk to the club-footed limp and eventual normal behaviour of Hephaestus, the Smith. In other words: Did Hephaestus limp because of his arsen-neuritis?

Achondroplasia↗
PubMed1994

Enigmatic statue.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Greek World↗
PubMed1995

A classical view of the theory-practice gap in nursing.

The perceived problem of the theory-practice gap is built upon the assumption that theory can and must be directly applied to nursing practice, otherwise it is irrelevant. Whilst the spirit in which this claim is made is healthy, the assumption is false. An examination of the Greek origins of theory and practice show that the ancient Greeks had different terms for the different types of knowledge contained within theory and within practice. The type of knowledge associated with practice could not be taught through theory, nor well represented in theoretical terms. The knowledge of the bicycle rider and the piano player illustrate this well. If this is correct then simplistic notions of 'applied theory' are nonsensical. The knowledge of the practitioner is not theory, but something else. However, there is a proper relationship between theory and practice, and there are clear examples of this in the way science informs nursing practice. The problem is that much of this is obscured by the false claim of theorists that nursing theory (such as normative models) is also science. In fact, what it represents is inadequate attempts by theory to represent knowledge which cannot be represented in that form. Nursing is practice, not theory. If so, then the term 'nursing theory' seems to be oxymoronic.

Education, Nursing↗