From the Consortium for the Advanced Study of Brain Injury (CASBI) (Z.M.A., J.J.F.), Department of Neurology and Brain and Mind Research Institute (Z.M.A.), and Division of Medical Ethics (J.J.F.), Weill Cornell Medical College; and The Rockefeller University (J.J.F.), New York, NY.
Neurology. 2017 Aug 22;89(8):854-858. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000004267.
The cathedral ceiling located in the entrance hall of the Montreal Neurological Institute, planned by its founder Wilder Penfield, has intrigued visitors since it was erected in 1934. Central to its charm is a cryptic comment by the ancient physician Galen of Pergamum, which refutes a dire Hippocratic aphorism about prognosis in brain injury. Galen's optimism, shared by Penfield, is curious from a fellow ancient. In this article, we use primary sources in Ancient Greek as well as secondary sources to not only examine the origins of Galen's epistemology but also, using a methodology in classics scholarship known as , illustrate how an awareness of this ancient debate can illuminate contemporary clinical contexts. While Galen based his prognostications on direct clinical observations like the Hippocratics, he also engaged in experimental and anatomic work in both animals and humans, which informed his views on neurologic states and outcomes. Penfield's memorialization of Galen is representative of the evolution of the neurosciences and the ongoing importance of evidence-based prognostication in severe brain injury.
位于蒙特利尔神经学研究所入口大厅的教堂天花板，由其创始人怀尔德·彭菲尔德设计，自 1934 年建成以来一直吸引着游客。其魅力的核心是古代医生帕加马的盖伦的一句神秘评论，该评论反驳了希波克拉底关于脑损伤预后的可怕格言。盖伦的乐观主义与彭菲尔德的观点相同，这在古代同道中是很奇怪的。在本文中，我们使用古希腊的原始资料和二手资料，不仅考察了盖伦认识论的起源，还使用古典学术中一种称为 的方法，说明了这种对古代辩论的认识如何能阐明当代临床背景。虽然盖伦的预测是基于像希波克拉底人那样的直接临床观察，但他也在动物和人类身上进行了实验和解剖工作，这为他对神经状态和结果的看法提供了信息。彭菲尔德对盖伦的纪念代表了神经科学的发展以及在严重脑损伤中基于证据的预后的持续重要性。
