Resumen

GONZALEZ, José E  y  CAMEJO M, Zoraida. Mythology and medicine I: Original greek gods of Western Medicine . Salus [online]. 2014, vol.18, n.3, pp.33-40. ISSN 1316-7138.

Medical practice in the ancient Greece was carried out in two ways: a mystical religious medicine, rooted in the polytheistic beliefs, where healing gods flocked to shrines (asclepiads) to help the sick; and a medical concept of naturalistic, empirical and rational character, performed by physicians trained in medical schools. These two practices are not at odds with themselves, the first opens the door to the second way of confronting the health-disease process, since it is based more on practices of sutures of superficial wounds, sprinkling of natural substances healing the analgesic, and application of herbal concoctions, but is a medicine, whose mythological narrative is already away from religious magic practices or miracles of spontaneous healing; while the attitude of the scientific physicians is one of respect for the religious restoration of health practices, even though they offer limited services to the prognosis of the patient and secular nature and without religious rituals. This article aims to explore the primordial deities of health (Chiron, Apollo and Asclepius) and how the rituals, the symbols and religious meanings assigned to their religious ceremonies, artistic depictions, and theological concepts, are still influencing the conception, socio-cultural expression and ethical practice of the medical science in the Western world today. The mythological conception of medicine permeates modern practices, in its socio-cultural, symbolic and ethical expressions, while retaining respect for the autonomous, secular, apolitical and rational action.

Palabras clave : Gods of health; history of medicine; medical ethics; medical symbols; mythology and medicine.

        · resumen en Español     · texto en Español     · Español ( pdf )