Galen of Pergamon
A prominent physician and surgeon in the Roman Empire whose extensive writings dominated Western medicine for over a millennium.
Most quoted
"I have done as much for medicine as Trajan did for the Roman Empire when he built the bridges and roads through Italy. It is I, and I alone, who have revealed the true path of medicine."
— from On My Own Books
"All who drink of this remedy recover in a short time, except those whom it does not help, who all die. Therefore, it is obvious that it fails only in incurable cases."
— from On the Therapeutic Method
"I have often seen physicians, when they have failed to cure a disease, blame the patient's constitution, or the stars, or anything but their own ignorance."
— from On the Natural Faculties
All quotes by Galen of Pergamon (337)
The soul is the principle of life.
I have often found that the most effective remedies are those that work with nature, not against it.
The physician must be a man of wisdom, for he will often have to make judgments that affect the lives of others.
The body is a vessel, and the soul is its contents.
I have often found that the best way to prevent disease is to live a healthy lifestyle.
The soul is the essence of the body.
I have often found that the most important thing in medicine is to never give up hope.
The body is a temporary dwelling, and the soul is its eternal inhabitant.
The physician is the servant of nature, not its master.
Health is a state of equilibrium, a balance of the humors.
To understand the body, one must understand its parts and their functions.
Experience is the foundation of all medical knowledge.
Observe, experiment, and reason – these are the pillars of medicine.
Food is medicine, and medicine is food.
Ignorance is the greatest enemy of the physician.
Pain is a warning from nature.
The physician must be a keen observer of symptoms.
Temperance in all things is the key to health.
The body is a complex machine, fearfully and wonderfully made.
Logic and reason are essential tools for the physician.
Contemporaries of Galen of Pergamon
Other Medicines born within 50 years of Galen of Pergamon (129–216).