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Greek and Roman Medicine: Overview

to support research assignments for this course

Ancient Medicine

Sarcophagus with a Greek Physician

Sarcaphogus with a Greek Physician from the Metropolitan Museum of Art (Public Domain)

Resources for Primary Texts Available Online

Searching by title will take you to chapters and segments of texts. Go to the volume itself to see introductory material, bibliography, and other useful critical material. To do that you'll want to click on the green volume link in the upper right hand corner, which looks like this: LCL 516

Course texts at the Libraries

Encyclopedias for overviews and context

Additional Resources for Secondary Literature, Background and Context

Use keywords or subject terms to search article databases

These databases will also uncover book chapters along with articles in journals

Research Assistance


Schedule an appointment: Follow link select Humanities, and then scroll down to find my appointment calendar. 

Keywords and subject terms

Terms:

Hippocrates; Galen; Soranus; "ancient medicine"; "early greek medicine"; physiology; physicians; pharmacology; herbal; diseases; organs; anatomy; history; "therapeutic method"; women; children; birth; death; gynecology; Gynaecia; pharmacy; botany

Library of Congress Subject headings:

Diet -- history; Philosophy, Medical -- history.; Hippocrates. De diaeta; Medicine--philolosphy; Medicine, Greek and Roman; Medicine, Islamic; Medicine, Arab; Medicine, Persian; Medicine in the Qur'an; History of medicine; obstetrics; Fractures; Epidemics; Prognosis; Medicine, ancient [this phrase goes beyond Greek and Roman to include other countries and cultures]Traditional medicine; Medical archaeology; 

Subject terms for searching the Libraries' catalog and journal databases

  • Try using "keyword expert" which allows a statement such as (galen or hippocrates) AND (child* OR mother*)
  • or us "subject heading keyword" which allows you to search any term within an established subject heading. Looking for a text that is specifically in print or online? Under Access in the left hand column click on "Online" or "At the library"
  • * after a word truncates that word : thera* (could be therapy or therapeutic)
  • " " around words = a phrase: "history of medicine"
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