Reproductive BioMedicine Online
Volume 19, Supplement 2 , Pages 51-54, 2009

The breast: from Ancient Greek myths to Hippocrates and Galen

  • CR Iavazzo

      Affiliations

    • Alfa Institute of Biomedical Sciences (AIBS), 9 Neapoleos Street, 151 23 Marousi, Athens, Greece
    • ,
  • C Trompoukis

      Affiliations

    • Department of History of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Crete, P.O. Box 2208, 71003, Heraklion Greece
    • ,
  • II Siempos

      Affiliations

    • Alfa Institute of Biomedical Sciences (AIBS), 9 Neapoleos Street, 151 23 Marousi, Athens, Greece
    • ,
  • ME Falagas

      Affiliations

    • Alfa Institute of Biomedical Sciences (AIBS), 9 Neapoleos Street, 151 23 Marousi, Athens, Greece
    • Department of Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorrespondence

Received 16 October 2008; accepted 20 June 2009.

Abstract 

This is a historical article about Ancient Greek literature from mythological times until the first centuries AD with regard to the female breast. We endeavoured to collect several elegant narratives on the topic as well as to explore the knowledge of Ancient Greek doctors on the role, physiology and pathology of breast and the treatment of its diseases. We identified such descriptions in myths regarding Amazons, Hercules, Zeus, Hera and Amaltheia. Furthermore, descriptions on the topic were also found in the work of Hippocrates, Aristoteles, Soranos, Alexander of Aphrodisias, Celsus, Archigenis, Leonides, Galen and Oribasius. We may conclude that some of today's medical knowledge or practice regarding the breast was also known in the historical period.

Keywords:  Ancient Greece , Galen , history of medicine , Hippocrates

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 Declaration: The authors report no financial or commercial conflicts of interest.

PII: S1472-6483(10)60277-5

doi:10.1016/S1472-6483(10)60277-5

Reproductive BioMedicine Online
Volume 19, Supplement 2 , Pages 51-54, 2009

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