124?-40? B.C.

Greek Physician and Philosopher

Asclepiades was born in Prusa, Bithynia (in modern Turkey), in about 124 B.C. Bithynia was part of Greece at that time and Asclepiades went on to become one of the most influential Greek physicians in history. Like many of the Greek physicians, he also worked extensively in the areas of science and philosophy. As a predecessor of Galen (129-199?), Asclepiades exerted considerable influence over his peers until Galen began to dominate Greek medicine in A.D.164.

Asclepiades was a follower of the philosopher Democritus (460?-370? B.C.), who had developed the atomic theory during the fifth century B.C. Atomic theory attempts to explain complex phenomena, including many aspects of nature, in terms of combined units of fixed particles. Asclepiades extended this basic concept to medical thought and his views on medicine were diametrically opposed to those...