The Surgery of Celsus’ De Medicina

Celsus’ De Medicina (first century ce) is the first comprehensive treatise on medicine and surgery to survive from antiquity. Bridging the gap between the Hippocratic Corpus and the works of Galen, it documents the important advances in anatomy and surgery of the Alexandrian school during the Hellen...

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Main Author: James W. Blatchford, III, MD
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wolters Kluwer Health 2024-09-01
Series:Annals of Surgery Open
Online Access:http://journals.lww.com/10.1097/AS9.0000000000000482
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author James W. Blatchford, III, MD
author_facet James W. Blatchford, III, MD
author_sort James W. Blatchford, III, MD
collection DOAJ
description Celsus’ De Medicina (first century ce) is the first comprehensive treatise on medicine and surgery to survive from antiquity. Bridging the gap between the Hippocratic Corpus and the works of Galen, it documents the important advances in anatomy and surgery of the Alexandrian school during the Hellenistic era. De Medicina contains an anatomically based system of surgery and strikingly modern concepts of wound management, as well as the first accounts of hemostasis by ligature, per primam healing of wounds, amputation, and complex, elective operations, including lithotomy and inguinal herniotomy. The possibility (and desirability) of per primam healing, thereby permitting elective surgical procedures, was ignored until rediscovered in the 19th century; its recognition by Celsus prompts a re-evaluation of the excellence of ancient surgery.
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spelling doaj-art-727bd351e36f4795b9028fa99f5871b42025-01-24T09:18:49ZengWolters Kluwer HealthAnnals of Surgery Open2691-35932024-09-0153e48210.1097/AS9.0000000000000482202409000-00029The Surgery of Celsus’ De MedicinaJames W. Blatchford, III, MD0From the * Department of Surgery, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT.Celsus’ De Medicina (first century ce) is the first comprehensive treatise on medicine and surgery to survive from antiquity. Bridging the gap between the Hippocratic Corpus and the works of Galen, it documents the important advances in anatomy and surgery of the Alexandrian school during the Hellenistic era. De Medicina contains an anatomically based system of surgery and strikingly modern concepts of wound management, as well as the first accounts of hemostasis by ligature, per primam healing of wounds, amputation, and complex, elective operations, including lithotomy and inguinal herniotomy. The possibility (and desirability) of per primam healing, thereby permitting elective surgical procedures, was ignored until rediscovered in the 19th century; its recognition by Celsus prompts a re-evaluation of the excellence of ancient surgery.http://journals.lww.com/10.1097/AS9.0000000000000482
spellingShingle James W. Blatchford, III, MD
The Surgery of Celsus’ De Medicina
Annals of Surgery Open
title The Surgery of Celsus’ De Medicina
title_full The Surgery of Celsus’ De Medicina
title_fullStr The Surgery of Celsus’ De Medicina
title_full_unstemmed The Surgery of Celsus’ De Medicina
title_short The Surgery of Celsus’ De Medicina
title_sort surgery of celsus de medicina
url http://journals.lww.com/10.1097/AS9.0000000000000482
work_keys_str_mv AT jameswblatchfordiiimd thesurgeryofcelsusdemedicina
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