The Lost Theory of Asclepiades of Bithynia [Hardcover]

J. T. Vallance (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0198242484 | ISBN-13: 978-0198242482 | Publication Date: November 22, 1990

An ancient doctor who advocated the therapeutic benefits of wine and passive exercise was bound to be popular. But Asclepiades of Bithynia did far more than reform much of traditional Hippocratic therapeutic practice; he devised an extraordinary physical theory which he used to explain all biological phenomena in uniformly simple terms. His work laid the theoretical basis for the antitheoretical medical sect called Methodism. Though none of this work survives, Asclepiades was the subject of numerous ancient testimonia, from which this book attempts to reconstruct many details of his theory. His ideas offer a fascinating glimpse into the ways in which Hellenistic philosophy and medicine interacted, and provide an introduction to one of the most intriguing doctrinal disputes in Greek science.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An important milestone in the history of both ancient medicine and ancient philosophy."--Times Literary Supplement

"Where the medical context can guide us to new understandings of Aslepiades, Vallance points the way." Bryn Mawr Classical Review

About the Author

J. T. Vallance is at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 176 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (November 22, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0198242484
• ISBN-13: 978-0198242482
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,798,688 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars INFORMATIVE BUT BIASED, November 1, 2008

By 

Chr N. Giapitzakis - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Lost Theory of Asclepiades of Bithynia (Hardcover)

This book contains a wealth of information regarding Asclepiades and the philological and historical arguments that this exciting Greek doctor raised in the 20th century. Nevertheless, the book supports an obviously biased view that the origin of Asclepiades' ideas are ...platonic and not epicurean, mainly because of the wishful thinking of the author. The informed reader has to search some of the key references of this book (especially of people that have a different point of view) and form a more open-minded perception of Asclepiades.