Impaired Consciousness in Ancient Medical Texts

Andrés Pelavski

doi:10.1017/9781009616577

Impaired consciousness is a topic lying at the intersection of science and philosophy. It encourages reflection on questions concerning human nature, the body, the soul, the mind and their relation, as well as the blurry limits between health, disease, life and death. This is the first study of impaired consciousness in the works of some highly influential Greek and Roman medical writers who lived in periods ranging from Classical Greece to the Roman Empire in the second century CE. Andrés Pelavski employs the notion and contrasts ancient and contemporary theoretical frameworks in order to challenge some established ideas about mental illness in antiquity. All the ancient texts are translated and the theoretical concepts clearly explained. This title is also available as open access on Cambridge Core.

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Contents

Impaired Consciousness in Ancient Medical Texts
pp i-i
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Cambridge Classical Studies - Series page
pp ii-ii
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Impaired Consciousness in Ancient Medical Texts - Title page
pp iii-iii
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Copyright page
pp iv-iv
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Contents
pp v-vi
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Preface
pp vii-viii
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Acknowledgements
pp ix-ix
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Abbreviations
pp x-xii
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Chapter 1 - Introduction: Many definitions of consciousness
pp 1-16
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Part I - Delirium
pp 17-82
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Chapter 2 - Definitions of delirium/wakeful impaired consciousness versus madness, and the concept of ‘disease’
pp 19-22
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Chapter 3 - Delirium versus madness and the notion of disease in the Hippocratic corpus
pp 23-35
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Chapter 4 - Delirium, madness and disease among post-Hellenistic authors
pp 36-56
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Chapter 5 - Galen’s delirium: hot and dry dusKrasia of the hêgemonikon
pp 57-75
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Chapter 6 - Final remarks about delirium and the notion of disease: a diachronic look
pp 76-82
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Part II - Sleep
pp 83-148
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Chapter 7 - A general glance at sleep
pp 85-87
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Chapter 8 - Sleep in the Hippocratic corpus
pp 88-109
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Chapter 9 - Sleep in post-Hellenistic sources
pp 110-132
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Chapter 10 - Sleep in Galen
pp 133-145
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Chapter 11 - Sleep and the mind: an overview of ideas that did not change
pp 146-148
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Part III - Fainting
pp 149-196
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Chapter 12 - General overview of total loss of consciousness
pp 151-153
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Chapter 13 - The Hippocratic corpus and total loss of consciousness
pp 154-161
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Chapter 14 - Total loss of consciousness in post-Hellenistic authors
pp 162-182
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Chapter 15 - Galen’s two ways of losing consciousness
pp 183-192
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Chapter 16 - Concluding reflections on the implication of the soul in total loss of consciousness
pp 193-196
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Conclusions
pp 197-204
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Bibliography
pp 205-223
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Index
pp 224-226
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