Bathing as a means of therapy in the Byzantine Era
Journal Title: Αρχεία Ελληνικής Ιατρικής - Year 2016, Vol 33, Issue 3
Abstract
During the Byzantine Empire one of the best known methods of health care used as ancillary treatment for various illnesses was bathing. This form of treatment was adopted from ancient Greek medicine and applied in exactly the same ways in Byzantine medical practice. The reasons for the approval by the Byzantines of these methods were, firstly, the general acceptance of traditional ancient Greek medicine and, secondly, the fact that the renowned physician-writers of that period reproduced almost everything that their predecessors had suggested for the treatment of various diseases. Bathing as means of therapy was therefore used widely and applied to everyone in need in the Byzantine Empire, in spite of the extreme views of some erimites and clerics against the practice. According to the supporters of bathing, the skin as a route of expulsion of waste matter from the human body was essential for balanced bodily function. The most widely accepted way to succeed in this was induction of perspiration by bathing or steam baths. The Byzantine physician-writers report that the therapeutic use of the spa was predefined according to the methods of use and frequency. They also list the indications and contra-indications of bathing for every known disease of that period. For this reason therapeutic baths were an integral part of the facilities of every hospital.
Authors and Affiliations
N. STAVRAKAKIS
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP143792
- DOI -
- Views 102
- Downloads 0
Coinfection with hepatitis E virus and Salmonella typhi
A case is reported of coinfection with two infections rare in Greece, typhoid fever and hepatitis E. A 32 year-old man was admitted with high temperature, chills, diarrhoea and jaundice. He had arrived in Greece one week...
Morphological and morphometrical study of the human muscle spindle<br /> in diseases with denervation
OBJECTIVE Investigation of the involvement of the muscle spindle in the pathological process of neurogenic diseases, and description of the morphological and especially the morphometrical features of muscle spindle and t...
Infections in pediatric patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia during the entire course of treatment
OBJECTIVE To assess the type, frequency, severity and outcome of all infectious episodes in a cohort of pediatric patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), during the entire course of leukemia treatment. METHO...
Επίδραση της χρονίας άσκησης στον τροχό στη σύσταση<br /> σε λιπαρά οξέα των φωσφολιπιδίων και των τριακυλογλυκερολών<br /> στο σκελετικό μυ και στην καρδιά επιμύων
ΣΚΟΠΟΣ Ο σκοπός αυτής της μελέτης ήταν να εξετάσει τις επιδράσεις της χρονίας άσκησης στον τροχό στη σύσταση σε λιπαρά οξέα των φωσφολιπιδίων και των τριακυλογλυκερολών στο σκελετικό μυ και στην καρδιά επιμύων. ΥΛΙΚΟ...
Delirium in the intensive care unit patient: A review of the current approaches to diagnosis and treatment
Delirium is an organic psychosyndrome which commonly develops in patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). Older patients suffer more often from the syndrome. It is recognized that delirium has a great impact on the dis...