Economou N T, Lascaratos J
Department of the History of Medicine, Medical School, National Athens University, Athens, Greece.
J Hist Neurosci. 2005 Dec;14(4):346-52. doi: 10.1080/096470490889385.
The aim of this study is to present epilepsy according to the most famous and representative Byzantine physicians throughout the whole period of the Byzantine empire. Mainly Byzantine medical texts were used as sources. The Byzantine physicians considered epilepsy to be a serious medical problem and followed the Hippocratic tradition as far as the etiology of this disease is concerned. Their pathophysiological theories of epilepsy identified the brain as the site of the problem, but, based on the Hippocratic humoral theory, emphasized causes such as an excess of humors or insufficient circulation of phlegm in the brain. It is surprising to note the accuracy of the details they provide regarding the clinical description of the disease, especially the seizures; many of these are still accepted today. It is also surprising that there was a concurrent opinion during all this medieval period that epilepsy was strictly an organic disease of the brain and the demonic origin of it a prejudice of uneducated people.
本研究的目的是依据拜占庭帝国整个时期最著名且具代表性的拜占庭医生的观点来阐述癫痫。主要以拜占庭医学文本作为资料来源。拜占庭医生认为癫痫是一个严重的医学问题，就该疾病的病因而言，他们遵循希波克拉底传统。他们关于癫痫的病理生理理论将大脑确定为问题所在部位，但基于希波克拉底体液学说，强调诸如体液过多或大脑中痰液循环不足等病因。值得注意的是，他们在疾病临床描述方面提供的细节，尤其是发作情况，其准确性令人惊讶；其中许多内容至今仍被认可。同样令人惊讶的是，在整个中世纪时期都存在一种一致的观点，即癫痫严格来说是一种大脑的器质性疾病，而其恶魔起源说是未受过教育者的偏见。
