Ludwig Edelstein – författare

A classic study of medicine in antiquity, Ancient Medicine brings together much of Ludwig Edelstein's most important work on a subject that occupied him throughout a distinguished career. Included is his widely known translation of and commentary on the Hippocratic Oath, as well as his other writings on the oath which demonstrate how atypical it is of Greek medical thought. The book also explores the influence of empiricism and skepticism on Greek and Roman medicine, the practice of anatomy and dietetics in antiquity, and the relation of ancient medicine to ancient philosophy.

Throughout nearly all of antiquity, the legendary Greek physician, Asclepius, son of Apollo and Coronis, was not only the primary representative of divine healing, but also so influential in the religious life of later centuries that, as Emma J. Edelstein and Ludwig Edelstein point out, "in the final stages of paganism, of all genuinely Greek gods, [he] was judged the foremost antagonist of Christ." Providing an overview of all facets of the Asclepius phenomenon, this book, first published in two volumes in 1945, comprises a unique collection of the literary references and inscriptions in ancient texts-given in both the original and translation-to the deity, his life, his deeds, his cult, and his temples, as well as an extended analysis of them.