Galen Bloodletting Therapy Research

Bloodletting therapy is a common treatment in ancient and even medieval times.In ancient civilizations,through accumulating observations of nature and treatment experience,people especially ancient Egyptians,who had the earliest record or use of blood-letting based on the primitive aura-balance theory,gradually used bloodletting therapy.The ancient Babylonians might be the first to use leeches to exsanguinate.The two nations,observing nature and concerning about human anatomy,have influenced the development of ancient Greek medicine.Many uses of bloodletting therapy are recorded in the Hippocratic Anthology.However,the Hippocratic physicians are prudent in the use of bloodletting due to lack of medical knowledge and anatomical experience.Until Greek and Roman times,inheriting the knowledge of the predecessors and learning from the anatomical experience of Alexandria times,Galen broadened and systematized the ancient bloodletting therapy to establish his own therapy.Finally he became the epitome of this field,which exercised far-reaching impacts on the later generations and even the entire Middle Ages.During the historical periods from Hippocrates to Galen,naturalism is the main principle of doctors practicing medicine,and also the ideological basis of Galen's bloodletting therapy.Its theory is based on Hippocrates' humoral pathology and Plato's humoral theories fusing with four-element theory.More significantly,Galen never sorted himself as a specific faction.Learning from predecessors,he drew on past experience and was equipped with a more systematic knowledge of pathology and anatomy.In comparison with the Hippocratic medicine,Galen paid more attention to local pathology.The theory of bleeding specific parts is based on local pathology and influenced by previous anatomical experience.From the perspective of social reality,Galen began to use bloodletting therapy partly because the defects in traditional treatment methods resulted in the death of patients,partly because it is a theoretical need to establish his medical status.At the beginning of his stay in Rome,his unique bloodletting therapy could help him occupy the medical status of Rome.In the meantime Galen deemed that some traditional therapies were extremely inappropriate and witnessed a lot of patients dying from poor treatments.In medical practice,Galen regarded bloodletting as an effective,quick and convenient therapy.Moreover,his bloodletting treatment didn't stay still.With the growth of medical experience,Galen's use of blood-letting was gradually becoming milder.He didn't consider it was sole or irreplaceable,even put forward some contraindications for blood-letting.Bloodletting therapy broadened and systematized by Galen exerts a profound influence on the treatment of Roman medicine and the later ages.At the beginning,the Roman doctors represented by Erasistrateans,had fought against bloodletting.Nevertheless,Galen's potent theory and effective medical practices had greatly changed their attitudes toward bloodletting,and they even were eager to use it.His bloodletting therapy has indirect impacts on medieval medicine,mainly because doctors were unable to obtain the accurate medical works of Greek physicians.Although doctors knew his bloodletting therapy through some residul manuscripts or bad translations,Galen was still influential in medieval ages.His medical system is not perfect and has many limitations and shortages.Therefore,his bloodletting therapy is inadequate.From the perspective of modern medicine,Galen's bloodletting therapy may have the impacts on preventing or treating some diseases in ancient times,and its benefits might be greater than its disadvantages.However,it is difficult for doctors to master the exact amount of bloodletting.In addition,the abuse of bloodletting in medieval times makes it inevitable to result in death.On the whole,Galen's bloodletting therapy embodies the progress of ancient medicine and plays a positive role in a long period of time.