Soranus of Ephesus: the first Greco-Roman perinatologist and pediatrician
- Authors: Jarman O.A.1, Mikirtichan G.L.1
-
Affiliations:
- St. Petersburg State Pediatric Medical University, Ministry of Healthcare of the Russian Federation
- Issue: Vol 9, No 6 (2018)
- Pages: 119-128
- Section: Articles
- URL: https://journals.rcsi.science/pediatr/article/view/11243
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.17816/PED96119-128
- ID: 11243
Cite item
Full Text
Abstract
Soranus of Ephesus, a famous Greek physician and polymath, one of the most lucid authors of so called ‘Methodist Sect’, who lived in Rome in the 2nd century, composed a treatise that was unique for his time, ‘Gynekology’ (“Gynaikeia”), in four volumes; that treatise had been a bible of obstetrics, gynecology, and pediatrics in Europe till 17th century. One third of this treatise is dealing directly with a child. Especially important and distinctive are the achievements of Soranus not only as an obstetrician but also as a unique Greco-Roman pediatrician, neonatologist and, in certain degree, as a perinatologist. Soranus expremely thoroughly for his time described case management from the conception until weaning (severing the navel cord, baby’s clothes, baby care, swaddling etc.), the rules of breastfeeding and symptoms of some diseases of newborn children. The attention he paid to the little child is unique for both Greco-Roman culture and medicine. Soranus might well have used the midwives’ lore and transformed it from the point of view of rational medicine into the medicine practiced by males, keeping the best of it. He described conception, prevention of spontaneous abortion, severing the navel cord, the first baby’s hygienic procedures, bath, massage, breastfeeding, some children diseases; he also gave the characteristics of newborn’s vitality, which can be compared with modern Apgar score, i.e. he was considering the problems that are nowadays in the focus of perinatologists and neurologists. In this respect, his gigantic figure stands alone not only in the field of Greco-Roman medicine, but also medieval medicine with no rivals.
Keywords
Full Text
##article.viewOnOriginalSite##About the authors
Olga A. Jarman
St. Petersburg State Pediatric Medical University, Ministry of Healthcare of the Russian Federation
Author for correspondence.
Email: glm306@yandex.ru
MD, PhD, Senior Lecturer, Department of Humanities and Bioethics
Russian Federation, Saint PetersburgGalina L. Mikirtichan
St. Petersburg State Pediatric Medical University, Ministry of Healthcare of the Russian Federation
Email: glm306@yandex.ru
MD, PhD, Dr Med Sci, Professor, Head, Department of Humanities and Bioethics
Russian Federation, Saint PetersburgReferences
- Аверинцев С.С. Античный риторический идеал и культура Возрождения. Риторика и истоки европейской культурной традиции. - М.: ЯКМ, 1996. [Averintsev SS. Antichnyy ritoricheskiy ideal i kul’tura Vozrozhdeniya. Ritorika i istoki evropeyskoy kul’turnoy traditsii. Moscow: YaKM; 1996. (In Russ.)]
- Джарман О.А., Микиртичан Г.Л. Судьба детей-подкидышей в античном мире // Медицина и организация здравоохранения. - 2018. - Т. 3. - № 1. - С. 49-59. [Dzharman OA, Mikirtichan GL. The fate of abandoned children in the Greco-Roman world. Meditsina i organizatsiya zdravookhraneniya. 2018;3(1):49-59. (In Russ.)]
- Ковнер С.Г. История древней медицины. Вып. 3. - Киев: Университетская типография, 1888. [Kovner SG. Istoriya drevney meditsiny. Issue 3. Kiev: Universitetskaya Tipografiya; 1888. (In Russ.)]
- Мейер-Штейнег Т. История медицины. - М.: Госиздат, 1925. [Meyer-Shteyneg T. Istoriya meditsiny. Moscow: Gosizdat; 1925. (In Russ.)]
- Троицкий И.В. Соран Эфесский как первый педиатр вечного города. Доклад XI Международному медицинскому конгрессу в г. Риме. - Киев: Типография Университета св. Владимира, 1895. [Troitskiy IV. Soran Efesskiy kak pervyy pediatr vechnogo goroda. Doklad XI Mezhdunarodnomu meditsinskomu kongressu v g. Rime. Kiev: Tipografiya Universiteta Sv. Vladimira; 1895. (In Russ.)]
- Bolton L. Patience for the Little Patient: The Infant in Soranus’ Gynaecia. In: Homo Patiens - Approaches to the Patient in the Ancient World, Studies in Ancient Medicine. Vol. 45. Ed. by G. Petridou, C. Thumiger. Leiden-Boston: BRILL; 2016. P. 265-284. doi: 10.1163/9789004305564_011.
- Dunn PM. Soranus of Ephesus (circa AD 98-138) and perinatal care in Roman times. Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed. 1995;73(1): F51-52.
- Hanson AE, Green MH. Soranus of Ephesus - Methodicorum princeps. In: Aufstieg und Niedergang der römischen Welt (ANRW). Ed. by H. Temporini, W. Haase. Berlin-New York: de Gruyter; 1994. P. 968-1070.
- Nutton V. Ancient Medicine. London; New York: Routledge; 2004.
- Temkin O, Guttmacher AF. Soranus’ Gynecology. Baltimore; London: The Johns Hopkins University Press; 1956.