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Salus

versión impresa ISSN 1316-7138

Resumen

JOSE, E; GONZALEZ, L  y  CAMEJO M, Zoraida V. Esclepios  (Aesculapius)  and  his  family  in  mythology  and Western medicine.. Salus [online]. 2015, vol.19, n.2, pp.24-30. ISSN 1316-7138.

Medical practice in the imagination of Greek mythology developed characteristics that still can be found today in the scientific medical practice of Western medicine. In addition to the famous Asclepius, called by the Romans Aesculapius, and the mythological primordial deities of Medicine (Apollo and Chiron), we have the descendants of the God Asclepius and his mortal wife Epione, five (5) immortal daughters:  Hygeia,  Aceso,  Yaso,  Eglee  and  Panacea;  and  two (2)  mortal  sons,  Machaon  and  Podalirius.  Through  the  worship practiced by the sick (supplicants) in the different shrines of the gods Asclepiads, temples of Asclepius and his children, choral hymns were sung (peanes), dedicated to these deities, to make healing pleas. From the mythologic realm, the outlines of the organizational form of current Western medical practice could already be appreciated, with a naturalistic character, where the Greeks considered Aceso, Asclepius and Podalirius as the gods protectors of surgical domains; Yaso  and  Machaon,  under  whose  aegis  is  the  work  of  clinicians; the  important  area  of  human  care  (nursing),  practices  of  health programs  and  hygiene,  and  areas  supporting  diagnosis  and treatment (radiology, biomedical technicians, etc.) were attributed to Hygeia, the most famous daughter of Asclepius; the Romans called her  Salus.  From  her  name  the  terms  health  and  hygiene  derive. Eglee, is the goddess who gives doctors the social prestige and the right to charge fees; And Panacea, the one “who heals everything”. It is clear that mythology contains an essence of philosophy, and philosophy of mythology.

Palabras clave : Health  gods; history  of  medicine; medical  symbols; mythology and medicine.

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