Galen was a Greek physician and philosopher who lived during the Roman Empire in the 2nd and 3rd centuries CE. He was born in the city of Pergamon in 129 CE. After a broad education in philosophy, he studied medicine across the eastern Mediterranean, including at the famous center in Alexandria. He served as a doctor for gladiators in Pergamon before moving to Rome, where he became a celebrated physician and eventually served as a court doctor to several Roman emperors. He died in Rome around the year 216 CE, though the exact date is uncertain.
Galen was an exceptionally prolific writer who produced works on medicine, anatomy, and philosophy. He sought to create a unified medical system by combining the practical tradition of Hippocrates with ideas from philosophers like Plato and Aristotle. His major surviving works include detailed studies on anatomy, the functions of the body, and methods of treatment. A significant amount of his writing was lost over time, but much of what survives comes to us through later translations into Arabic and Latin.
According to modern scholars, Galen’s historical importance is immense. His synthesized theories, including the system of the four humors and a teleological view of the body’s design, became the foundation of medical science in Europe and the Islamic world for more than a thousand years. His anatomical descriptions, though based primarily on animal dissections and containing errors, were considered authoritative until the Renaissance. His vast body of work ensured his influence persisted through the Middle Ages and fundamentally shaped the history of medicine and biology.
Available Works
Advice for an Epileptic Boy
Συμβουλή πρὸς παιδὶ ἐπιληπτικῷ
22 passages
Against Lycus
Κατὰ Λύκου
50 passages
Against Those Who Wrote-Types or Circuits
Κατὰ τῶν γράψαντων περὶ τύπων ἢ κύκλων
36 passages
Against What Julian Said-Hippocrates' Aphorisms
Κατὰ τῶν ὑπὸ Ἰουλιανοῦ περὶ Ἱπποκράτους
54 passages
Commentaries-Hippocrates Book VI of Epidemics
Ὑπομνήματα εἰς Ἱπποκράτους Ἐπιδημιῶν Ϛ'
559 passages
Commentaries-Hippocrates' Book III of Epidemics
Ὑπομνήματα εἰς Ἱπποκράτους Ἐπιδημιῶν Γ'
295 passages
Commentaries-Hippocrates' Prognostic I
Ὑπομνήματα εἰς Ἱπποκράτους Προγνωστικὸν Α'
352 passages
Commentaries-Plato's Timaeus Fragments
Σχόλια εἰς τὰ ἀποσπάσματα τοῦ Πλάτωνος Τιμαίου
37 passages
Commentaries-Plato's Timaeus Fragments
Ὑπομνήματα εἰς τὰ τοῦ Πλάτωνος Τιμαίου ἀποσπάσματα
21 passages
Commentary-Hippocrates or Polybius' Work-the Healthy Diet of Individuals
Σχόλια εἰς Ἱπποκράτους ἢ Πολυβίου Περὶ ὑγιεινῆς
49 passages
Exhortation to Learn the Arts
Παραίνεσις πρὸς τὴν τῶν τεχνῶν μάθησιν
19 passages
Explanation of Obsolete Words of Hippocrates
Ἐξήγησις τῶν παλαιῶν λέξεων τοῦ Ἱπποκράτους
96 passages
Galen
Γαληνὸς περὶ δίαιτας ἀδυνατίζουσας
98 passages
How Those Feigning Illnesses Should Be Detected
Πῶς δεῖ τοὺς νοσοῦντας προσποιουμένους ἐλέγχειν
9 passages
Logical Instruction
Λογικὴ Διδασκαλία
118 passages
Medical Art
Ἰατρικὴ Τέχνη
107 passages
On Affected Places
Περὶ τῶν τόπων τῶν πεπονθότων
446 passages
On Anatomical Procedures
Περὶ τῶν ἀνατομικῶν ἐπιτηδευμάτων
514 passages
On Antidotes
Περὶ ἀντιδότων
208 passages
On Barley Drink
Περὶ τῆς πτισάνης
16 passages
On Black Bile
Περὶ μέλαινας χολῆς
45 passages
On Bones for Beginners
Περὶ τῶν ὀστέων τοῖς νεοφύτοις
46 passages
On Crises
Περὶ κρίσεων
219 passages
On Critical Days
Περὶ τῶν κρισίμων ἡμερῶν
173 passages
On Customs
Περὶ ἐθῶν
25 passages
On Diagnosing and Treating Each Mind's Emotions
Περὶ διαγνώσεως καὶ θεραπείας ἑκάστου τῶν τοῦ
57 passages
On Diagnosing Pulses
Περὶ τῆς διαγνώσεως τῶν σφυγμῶν
194 passages
On Diagnosis from Dreams
Περὶ τῆς διγνώσεως ἐξ ἐνυπνίων
4 passages
On Difficulty of Breathing
Περὶ δυσπνοίας
208 passages
On Divination from Pulses
Περὶ τῆς μαντικῆς ἐκ τῶν σφυγμῶν
223 passages
On Emaciation
Περὶ μαρασμοῦ
39 passages
On Fullness
Περὶ πληρότητος
71 passages
On Good Condition
Περὶ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ ἕξεως
11 passages
On Hair According to Hippocrates
Περὶ κόμης κατὰ Ἱπποκράτην
14 passages
On Hippocrates' Aphorisms
Περὶ Ἱπποκράτους Ἀφορισμῶν
737 passages
On Hippocrates' Epidemics I
Περὶ Ἱπποκράτους Ἐπιδημιῶν Α'
292 passages
On Hippocrates' Prognostic
Περὶ Ἱπποκράτους Προγνωστικοῦ
316 passages
On Hippocrates'-Fractures
Περὶ Ἱπποκράτους περὶ καταγμάτων
311 passages
On Hippocrates'-Joints
Περὶ Ἱπποκράτους περὶ ἄρθρων
391 passages
On Hippocrates'-the Diet of the Acutely Ill
Περὶ Ἱπποκράτους περὶ δίαιτας τῶν ὀξέων
501 passages
On Hippocrates'-the Doctor's Workshop
Περὶ Ἱπποκράτους περὶ τοῦ ἰατροῦ ἐργαστηρίου
297 passages
On Hippocrates'-the Nature of Man
Εἰς Ἱπποκράτους Περὶ φύσεως ἀνθρώπου
173 passages
On His Own Books
Περὶ τῶν ἰδίων βιβλίων
40 passages
On Leeches, Revulsion, Cupping, Incision and Scarification
Περὶ βδελλῶν
6 passages
On Medical Experience
Περὶ τῆς ἰατρικῆς ἐμπειρίας
11 passages
On Melancholy
Περὶ μελαγχολίας
3 passages
On Natural Faculties
Περί φυσικῶν δυνάμεων
214 passages
On Personal Doctrines, Unpublished Fragments
Περὶ τῶν ἰδίων δογμάτων
7 passages
On Preserving Health
Περὶ τῆς ὑγιείας διατηρήσεως
455 passages
On Prognosis to Epigenes
Περὶ προγνώσεως πρὸς Ἐπιγένη
75 passages
On Pulses for Beginners
Περὶ τῶν σφυγμῶν πρὸς νεοφύτους
40 passages
On Sects for Beginners
Περὶ τῶν αἱρέσεων τοῖς εἰσαγομένοις
43 passages
On Seed
Περὶ σπέρματος
138 passages
On Seven-Month Birth
Περὶ ἑπταμηνίας
4 passages
On Sexual Matters
Περὶ τῶν ἀφροδισίων
3 passages
On Sophisms or Verbal Fallacies
Περὶ σοφισμάτων ἢ λογικῶν παγίδων
17 passages
On Substances of Good and Bad Juice
Περὶ τῶν ὑλῶν τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ καὶ κακοῦ χυμοῦ
67 passages
On Temperaments
Περὶ τῶν κράσεων
186 passages
On the Best Constitution of Our Body
Περὶ τῆς ἀρίστης τοῦ σώματος κατασκευῆς
13 passages
On the Best Doctrine
Περὶ τῆς ἀρίστης διδασκαλίας
14 passages
On the Causes of Diseases
Περὶ τῶν αἰτιῶν τῶν νόσων
40 passages
On the Causes of Pulses
Περὶ τῶν αἰτιῶν τῶν σφυγμῶν
203 passages
On the Causes of Respiration
Περὶ τῶν αἰτιῶν τῆς ἀναπνοῆς
5 passages
On the Causes of Symptoms
Περὶ τῶν αἰτιῶν τῶν συμπτωμάτων
187 passages
On the Composition of Drugs by Places
Περὶ συνθέσεως φαρμάκων κατὰ τόπους βιβλία Ι
991 passages
On the Composition of Drugs by Types
Περὶ συνθέσεως φαρμάκων κατὰ γένη
697 passages
On the Constitution of the Medical Art to Patrophilus
Περὶ τῆς κατασκευῆς τῆς ἰατρικῆς τέχνης πρὸς
80 passages
On the Diagnosis and Treatment of Any Soul's Sins
Περὶ διαγνώσεως καὶ θεραπείας τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων
45 passages
On the Differences of Diseases
Περὶ τῶν διαφορῶν τῶν νόσων
45 passages
On the Differences of Fevers
Περὶ τῶν διαφορῶν τῶν πυρετῶν
131 passages
On the Differences of Pulses
Περὶ τῶν διαφορῶν τῶν σφυγμῶν
270 passages
On the Differences of Symptoms
Περὶ τῶν διαφορῶν τῶν συμπτωμάτων
43 passages
On the Dissection of Muscles for Beginners
Περὶ τῆς τῶν μυῶν ἀνατομῆς πρὸς τοὺς νεοφύτους
101 passages
On the Dissection of Nerves
Περὶ τῆς νεύρων τομῆς
25 passages
On the Dissection of the Uterus
Περὶ τῆς μήτρας τομῆς
22 passages
On the Dissection of Veins and Arteries
Περὶ τῆς φλεβῶν καὶ ἀρτηριῶν τομῆς
51 passages
On the Doctrines of Hippocrates and Plato
Περὶ τῶν δογμάτων Ἱπποκράτους καὶ Πλάτωνος
70 passages
On the Elements from Hippocrates
Περὶ τῶν στοιχείων ἐξ Ἱπποκράτους
95 passages
On the Exercise of the Small Ball
Περὶ τῆς μικρᾶς σφαίρας γυμνασίας
12 passages
On the Formation of Fetuses
Περὶ τῆς τῶν ἐμβρύων διαπλάσεως
50 passages
On the Instrument of Smell
Περὶ τοῦ ὀργάνου τῆς ὀσμῆς
76 passages
On the Method of Healing
Περὶ τῆς μεθόδου θεραπείας
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On the Method of Healing by Venesection
Περὶ τῆς θεραπευτικῆς μεθόδου διὰ φλεβοτομίας
66 passages
On the Movement of Muscles
Περὶ κινήσεως μυῶν
97 passages
On the Order of His Books to Eugenianus
Περὶ τῆς τάξεως τῶν βιβλίων πρὸς Εὐγενιανόν
13 passages
On the Power of Purgative Medicines
Περὶ τῆς δυνάμεως τῶν καθαρτικῶν φαρμάκων
20 passages
On the Powers in Foods
Περὶ τῶν ἐν ταῖς τροφαῖς δυνάμεων
296 passages
On the Shoulder Dislocated in Ways Hippocrates Did Not See
Περὶ τοῦ ὤμου τοῖς τρόποις ἐκπεπτωκότος οὓς
77 passages
On the Substance of Natural Faculties
Περὶ τῆς οὐσίας τῶν φυσικῶν δυνάμεων
10 passages
On the Temperaments and Powers of Simple Medicines I-VI
Περὶ τῶν τῶν ἁπλῶν φαρμάκων κράσεων καὶ δυνάμεων
891 passages
On the Times of Diseases
Περὶ τῶν χρόνων τῶν νόσων
65 passages
On the Times of the Whole Disease
Περὶ τῶν χρόνων τοῦ ὅλου νόσου
43 passages
On the Use of Parts of the Human Body
Περὶ χρείας τῶν τοῦ ἀνθρωπίνου σώματος μορίων
1305 passages
On the Use of Pulses
Περὶ χρείας σφυγμῶν
32 passages
On the Usefulness of Breathing
Περὶ τῆς ὠφελείας τῆς ἀναπνοῆς
42 passages
On Theriac to Piso
Περὶ θηριακῆς πρὸς Πείσωνα
85 passages
On Tremor, Palpitation, Convulsion and Rigidity
Περὶ τρόμου
58 passages
On Tumors Contrary to Nature
Περὶ τῶν ὄγκων παρὰ φύσιν
28 passages
On Types
Περὶ τῶν τύπων
11 passages
On Unequal Intemperance
Περὶ ἀνισοῦ ἀκρασίας
20 passages
On VenesectiErasistrateans Living in Rome
Περὶ φλεβοτομίας κατὰ Ἐρασιστρατείους Ῥώμῃ
63 passages
On VenesectiErasistratus
Περὶ φλεβοτομίας κατὰ Ἐρασίστρατον
40 passages
Synopsis of His Books-Pulses
Σύνοψις τῶν βιβλίων περὶ σφυγμῶν
103 passages
That Qualities are Incorporeal
Ὅτι τὰ ποιοῦντα ἀσώματα
22 passages
That the Best Doctor is Also a Philosopher
Ὅτι ὁ ἄριστος ἰατρὸς καὶ φιλόσοφος ἐστίν
11 passages
That the Mind's Morals Follow the Body's Temperaments
Ὅτι οἱ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τρόποι τοῖς τοῦ σώματος
55 passages
Thrasybulus or Whether Hygiene Belongs to Medicine or Gymnastics
Θρασύβουλος ἢ πότερον ἰατρικῇ ἢ γυμναστικῇ ὑγιεινή
93 passages
To Glaucthe Method of Healing
Πρὸς Γλαύκωνα περὶ τῆς μεθόδου θεραπείας
146 passages
Whether Blood Is Contained In Arteries
Εἰ ἐν ταῖς ἀρτηρίαις αἷμα περιέχεται
34 passages
Whom to Purge with Which Purgative Medicines and When
Ποιοὺς τίνι καθαρτικῷ καὶ πότε καθαίρειν δεῖ
3 passages