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Osleriana

The Asklepieion at Cos

The Asklepieion, or Health Temple of Cos, recently excavated, is of specialinterest, as being very probably the scene of the labors of Hippocrates, whowas always stated to be an Asklepiad. It is known that Cos was a greatmedical school. The investigations of Professor Rudolf Hertzog have shownthat it was very nearly the counterpart of the temple at Epidaurus.

Aesculapian temples must have furnished a rich field for clinical research,like our modern hospitals, and the larger one had rich libraries, full of

At last we can see the earth as it valuable manuscripts and records of cases. That there should have beenreally is. This small, pale ball secular Asklepiads connected with the temple, who were freed entirely from

floating in the vastness of space. its superstitious practices and theurgic rites, is very extraordinary; yetClearly with limits. Vulnerable, perhaps not so much so as one might think. How often have we physicians tofragile. bow ourselves in the house of Rimmon! It is very much the same today at

Tor almost 100 years the Sierra Lourdes, where lay physicians have to look after scores of patients whoseClub has been fighting to protect faith is too weak or whose maladies are too strong to be relieved by Our Ladythe earth s fragile systems. We have of this famous shrine. Even in the Christian era, there is evidence of the

successfully lobbied for laws to association of distinguished physicians with Aesculapian temples. noticelimit air and water pollution and to that in one ofhis anatomical treatises, Galen speaks with affection ofa citizenregulate poisonous toxic of Pergamos who has been a great benefactor of the Aesculapian temple ofchemicals. We have won protection that city. In "Marius, the Epicurean," Pater gives a delightful sketch ofone offor swamps and meadows, rivers those temple health resorts, and brings in Galen, stating that he had himselfand mountains, deserts and undergone the temple sleep; but to this can find no reference in the general

prairies. .those natural places index ofGalen's works.which permit the earth to heal and From the votive tablets found at Epidaurus, we get a very good idea of therenew itself. We have consistently nature of the cases and of the cures. A large number of them have now beenbeen an effective voice for a world deciphered. There are evidences of various forms of diseases of thejoints,healthful for all its inhabitants. affections ofwomen, wounds, baldness, gout; but we are again in the world of

The unique power of the Sierra miracles, as you may judge from the following: "Heraicus of Mytilene is baldClub springs from our active grass and entreats the God to make his hair grow. An ointment is applied over night

roots membership. .volunteers and the next morninghe has a thick crop ofhair."who give freely of their time and There are indications that operations were performed and abscessesexpertise. If you want to participate opened. From one we gather that dropsy was treated in a novel way:in this work, or share in the Asklepios cuts offthe patient's head, holds him up by the heels, lets the watersatisfaction of it through a sup-' run out, claps on the patient's head again. Here is one of the invocations:porting membership, contact the "Oh, blessed Asklepios, God of Healing, it is thanks to thy skill thatSierra Club, 730 Polk Street, San Diophantes hopes to be relieved from his incurable and horrible gout, nofrancisco, CA 94109, (415) longer to move like a crab, no longer to walk upon thorns, but to have sound776-2211. feet as thou hast decreed."

The priests did not neglect the natural means of healing. The inscriptionsshow that great attention was paid to diet, exercise, massage and bathing,and that when necessary, drugs were used. Birth and death were believed todefile the sacred precincts, and it was not until the time ofthe Antonines that

SIERRA provisionwas made at Epidaurus for these contingencies.

fCLUB From Sir William Osier's The Evolution of Modern Medicine, lecturesdelivered at Yale University on the Silliman Foundation, April 1913 (NewHaven, Conn, Yale University Press, 1921).

Edited by Charlene Breedlove, Assistant Editor.

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