Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University of Crete School of Medicine, University Hospital of Crete, Heraklion, Crete, Greece.
Rhinology. 2010 Sep 1;48(3):265-72. doi: 10.4193/Rhino09.211.
The manuscripts of eminent Byzantine physicians from the 4th to the 14th century contain extensive information on various otorhinolaryngological issues. In their work, the early knowledge of rhinological disease from definition and symptoms to conservative treatment and surgical intervention is intriguing. Most of this meticulous knowledge was developed through time, beginning mainly from Hippocrates and the Hellenistic period. Thereafter, medicine developed through Roman and Byzantium times to finally influence European medicine and later the rest of the Western world. History of medicine reflects the history of mankind itself, and otorhinolaryngology follows closely this path. Our goal is to slim down and illuminate the most challenging of the vast amount of information on rhinological issues contained in the original Greek text of Hippocrates, and mainly in the hagiographical texts of Byzantine medical writers. In particular, we focus on rhinological diseases from antiquity till the time being, following the journey of evolution of topical and nebulizer therapy for sinonasal inflammatory diseases in Greece, from "milothris" to modern nasal sprays, leading to an understanding of the philosophy of our predecessors and the roots of modern rhinology.
从 4 世纪到 14 世纪,著名拜占庭医生的手稿中包含了大量有关耳鼻喉科问题的信息。在他们的著作中,从定义和症状到保守治疗和手术干预,对鼻科学疾病的早期认识令人着迷。这些细致的知识大多是随着时间的推移发展起来的,主要始于希波克拉底和希腊化时期。此后,医学经历了罗马和拜占庭时代的发展,最终影响了欧洲医学,进而影响了西方世界的其他地区。医学史反映了人类自身的历史,耳鼻喉科学紧随其后。我们的目标是精简并阐明希波克拉底希腊文原著和拜占庭医学作家的圣徒传集中大量有关鼻科学问题的信息中最具挑战性的部分。特别是,我们专注于从古代到现在的鼻科学疾病,探讨希腊局部和雾化治疗鼻腔鼻窦炎症性疾病的演变历程,从“milothris”到现代鼻腔喷雾剂,从而了解我们前辈的哲学和现代鼻科学的根源。