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Herophilos

File:Zaragoza_-_Antigua_Facultad_de_Medicina_-_Medallón_-_Herófilo.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

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Herophilos

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Also known as Herophilus, Herophilus of Chalcedon, Herophilos of Chalcedon

Herophilos (; ; 335–280 BC), sometimes Latinised Herophilus, was a Greek physician regarded as one of the earliest anatomists. Born in Chalcedon, he spent the majority of his life in Alexandria. He was the first scientist to systematically perform scientific dissections of human cadavers. He recorded his findings in over nine works, which are now all lost. The early Christian author Tertullian states that Herophilos vivisected at least 600 prisoners; however, this account has been disputed by many historians. He is often seen as the father of anatomy.

Key facts

Person.name
Herophilos of Chalcedon
Person.image
Zaragoza - Antigua Facultad de Medicina - Medallón - Herófilo.jpg
Person.caption
Medallion with a relief depicting Herophilus in the Old Faculty of Medicine of Zaragoza.
Person.birth_date
BC
Person.birth_place
Chalcedon, ancient Greece
Person.death_date
BC(aged approximately 55)
Person.occupation
Physician
Person.era
Classical Greece

via Wikipedia infobox

~9 min read

Encyclopedic overview

6 sections
Contents
  • Biography
  • Medical knowledge
  • See also
  • References
  • Sources
  • Further reading

Herophilos (; ; 335–280 BC), sometimes Latinised Herophilus, was a Greek physician regarded as one of the earliest anatomists. Born in Chalcedon, he spent the majority of his life in Alexandria. He was the first scientist to systematically perform scientific dissections of human cadavers. He recorded his findings in over nine works, which are now all lost. The early Christian author Tertullian states that Herophilos vivisected at least 600 prisoners; however, this account has been disputed by many historians. He is often seen as the father of anatomy.

==Biography== 300px|thumb|right|Herophilos (right) teaching Anatomy, 1906, by Veloso Salgado (NOVA Medical School, [[Lisbon)]] Herophilos was born in Chalcedon in Asia Minor (now Kadıköy, Turkey), c. 335 BC. Not much is known about his early life other than he moved to Alexandria at a fairly young age to begin his schooling.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Herophilos” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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