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)
Sleep is nature's soft nurse.
The physician must be a master of diagnosis.
Exercise is vital for maintaining health.
The physician must be compassionate and empathetic.
The physician must be skilled in both theory and practice.
The kidneys purify the blood.
The physician must be a careful interpreter of signs.
Moderation in all things, including medicine.
The physician must be a master of the art of healing.
The nerves transmit sensation and motion.
The physician must be a diligent student of nature.
The eye is the window to the soul.
The physician must be a guardian of public health.
The brain controls all voluntary actions.
The blood carries nourishment throughout the body.
The physician must be a beacon of knowledge and wisdom.
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.
Many physicians are like bad pilots: they know how to steer in fair weather, but are lost in a storm.
Some physicians, when they cannot cure, at least manage to kill with dignity.
I have never seen a physician who did not think himself the best, nor a patient who did not think himself the most ill.
Contemporaries of Galen of Pergamon
Other Medicines born within 50 years of Galen of Pergamon (129–216).