One of the great delights in reading ancient medical literature is realizing just how similar the authors’ concerns, sentiments, methods, and treatments can be to their modern counterparts.  Simultaneously, assertions are at times so bizarre and other-worldly as to inspire wonder that there is any continuity at all between ancient and modern medicine.  The excerpts below illustrate this tension over a range of topics.

On the Medical Art
Gynecology, Fertility, Abortion, and Childbirth
Creation, Evolution, and the Environment
Cures and Remedies
Asclepius and Healing Sanctuaries
Pathology and Other Ailments
Epilepsy
Physiognomy
Exercise and Athletics
Surgery and Anesthetics
Incantations, Amulets, and Spitting
Astrology
Pharmacology
Diet
Jokes, Wit, and Sarcasm
Quacks and Charlatans
The Ancient Doctor
Anatomy
Miscellaneous