Complete Record - Heirs of Hippocrates No. 34

OF EPHESUS SORANUS (ca. 98-ca. 138) Rouphou Ephesiou Peri ton en kystei kai nephrois pathon. Peri ton pharmakon kathartikon. Peri theseos kai onomasias ton tou anthropous morion Soranou. Peri metras kai gynaikeiou aidoiou [Greek title transliterated]. Ruffi Ephesii De vesicae renum Apud Adr. Turnebum 1554 [4] 60 pp. 15.9 cm.

Born at Ephesus, Soranus was educated in Alexandria and practiced and taught medicine in Rome during the reigns of Trajan and Hadrian. He wrote more than thirty treatises on nearly every branch of medicine as well as on philosophy and philology but few have survived. Soranus was considered to be the greatest practitioner of the Methodist doctrine and was highly respected by Galen; although Galen intensely criticized the Methodist school. His gynecological work--On diseases of women--is his best known and most famous work and was the standard text on the subject for over fifteen centuries. A comprehensive work, it was written chiefly for midwives and marks the highest level of development of obstetrics and gynecology in the early Christian era. Soranus described the anatomy of the female genital system, discussed menstruation, virginity, contraception, fertility, pregnancy, infant care, procedures for difficult as well as normal births, and fully described a wide variety of gynecological disorders such as uterine hemorrhage and dysmenorrhea. He was opposed to abortions unless for reasons of the mother's health and eschewed mysticism and superstition in his writing. Soranus introduced podalic version, referred to the obstetrical chair, described use of the vaginal speculum, and gave an excellent description of dystocia. The present work is an extract from the early chapters of On diseases of women and is concerned with the anatomical description of the uterus and vagina. His descriptions were quite accurate and he was well aware that the uterus lacked horns as was believed by many later authorities.

See Related Record(s): 35

Cited references: Durling 3990; Wellcome 5623

Gift of John Martin, M.D.