304?-250? B.C.

Greek Physician and Anatomist

Acelebrated physician and anatomist, Erasistratus is considered in some circles the founder of physiology for his advancement of anatomy as it related to medical knowledge during his time. He not only studied the structure of the body, but he also tried to explain it in terms of function. Among his many contributions were the ideas that sensory and motors nerves were functionally different and the identification of the proper operation of the epiglottis and the correct function of heart valves. Erasistratus was the first major proponent of a philosophy known as pneumatism. This idea was based on the premise that life depended on a subtle vapor, which was called pneuma. Along with Herophilus (335?-280? B.C.), Erasistratus is also considered to be the cofounder of autopsy, the science of studying human corpses.

Erasistratus of Ceos taking the...