The Prince of Medicine: Galen in the Roman Empire

This biography of Galen takes an often misunderstood figure and makes him a real human being. That sounds silly to say but I cannot count the number of times I have read where early modern medicine had to "overcome" Galen. There is a sense of course in which that is true. But "Galen" became synonymous in the popular mind with an image of entrenched dogmatism and wrong-headed theories in medicine. In some ways Galen has the same problem that Aristotle has. Both were wrong in many fundamental ways but, for their times, they laid the foundation for techniques that later would become standard, especially the technique of close observation of nature. What makes the cases of Galen and Aristotle especially ironic is that both these early thinkers who emphasized empirical observation became themselves the objects of stultified theories. Their most positive contributions - the technique of close attention to actual details and continuing to learn from observation - were ignored while their often wrong theories about what they saw and how to deal with it became deified. Susan Mattern brings Galen and all his strengths and weaknesses to life in a way that gets the modern reader to appreciate the historical facts about him. The book strikes a strong blow against the popular negative image of "Galen." It fleshes out the man, not what he became as an object of either worship or scorn from the Middle Ages into the modern world. Mattern is a gifted writer. Her prose flows easily and her ability to combine biographical information with the environment in which Galen lived is superb. This is a rare commodity - a highly readable book about an ancient figure that both keeps close to the data and reads as smoothly as the biography of a modern figure. Galen's oversized ego (and incredible memory), his detestation of opposing figures who often posed as physicians (and his public competitions with them), his personal caring for his patients (often of the lower classes or slaves), his voluminous writings - all are covered in this book. I highly recommend this biography for anyone interested in the history of medicine or the culture of ancient Pergamum and Rome. I thoroughly enjoyed the book.

Susan Mattern raises Galen to life with a full pharmacopoeia of information. Whether biographical, cultural, or professional, she animates a recognizable name and converts it into a reachable personality. We see the physician Galen as a workaholic devoted to medicine. We see him as a committed scholar, frequent lecturer, and prolific author whose work, according to Mattern, accounts for "one-eighth of all the classical Greek literature that survives." He is presented as the premier anatomist of his day (and many thousands of days to follow). And Mattern describes him as a showman reminiscent, perhaps, of some mix of Houdini and Jonathan Winters in his ability to improvise and dazzle in front of a fascinated audience watching him at work with his knife. Galen was remarkable in many other ways, including the fact that he did not accept fees but did make house calls. A physician to gladiators and to the household of Marcus Aurelius, he also ministered to the broad range of people in the street. Galen's treatments of more than 1,800 years ago naturally puzzle today, such as directing patients to urinate on their own wounds, or using dove dung, snake flesh and other exotic substances. One wonders what specific link Galen perceived between the rub of a bug and the cure of a rash, but that was a brand of reasoning centuries down the road. Mattern says Galen's "most relevant contribution" is his "clinical practice" and that he "never lost sight of the idea that medicine is about treating patients." This, then is a very good book. But it comes with a "tax" attached. At least 140 times, the author uses variants of the phrases "see below," "see before," or most annoying of all, "as I have mentioned." These intrude, distract, and ultimately aggravate in the same way TV screens temporarily freeze the pixels and interrupt the story. It is a flaw a more exacting editor might have corrected, an unfortunate shadow on an otherwise highly satisfying book.

The author has done a superb job of bringing to life in a credible way the world of Galen. This is the work of a tremendous scholar and the book reads easily without highlighting academic controversies. There are no unintelligible academic terms and she writes broadly, not focusing on a single object, building or personality. She brings her characters, such as Mithradates, to life. Her assessment of Galen is very fair and includes positives and negatives, which I did not expect after reading the title. Any doctor would recognize Galen type physicians in his colleagues' personalities. Some of their success is probably due to their bringing some of Galen's character traits to their patients. He is 100 percent clinician, yet lacking nothing of knowledge of the medical theories of the day, and he is a vigorous polemicist. It is fun seeing a doctor who has no computer, no DEA regulations, no Medicare incentives, no medical home, no malpractice insurance, not to mention no infomercials on the TV advising patients to consult their doctor for the latest treatment for incontinence, dementia or arthritis. There is no billing system with hundreds of rules, denials, precertifications. A physician who treats an emperor should be board certified. If you are a doctor, medical student, or pre med, take a look at the doctor you will wish you could be.

This book would benefit from a good editor to make the story more readable and engaging. The book contains some good insights concerning medicine as practiced in the time of Galen.

Absolutely riveting read about the second century AD Roman doctor Galen. Mattern gives all the most interesting parts of his life: his father's prophetic dream that he should become a doctor, his first challenge during an Anthrax outbreak, his studies in Alexandria, his four year stint as a gladiator doctor, his triumphant arrival in Rome, his appointment as imperial antidote preparer, another plague and the terrible fire that caused him more grief than anything else in his life. One of the most readable books on Ancient Roman life at that period, I found it un-put-downable.

Susan Mattern's writing is both scholarly and fluid. I loved her book on Rome and the Enemy (used it when researching my MA thesis), and this was a delightful turn from what I'm familiar with into the world of a man focused on discovery. If you ever want to know about ancient medicine, this is a great place to start!

Excellent and derailed coverage of the facts but there are numerous repetions of information throughout the book . Each chapter stands alone but there is considerable overlap amongst chapters . Reading this book simply for the information snd background I think the book would be much easier to read after a thorough editing . On the positive side this book exposes the reader I to invaluable information snd insights not only on Galen but the era surrounding his life

Susan Mattern has written a very interesting and informative book about a man too easily dismissed by modern scientists. She has restored a healthy measure of respect for an irascible, opinionated but highly skilled titan of ancient medicine. Galen had a level of expertise in every aspect of medicine known to the ancients. He was a shameless self promoter of his talents; he wrote voluminously and in detail about his opinions, his cases, his rivals and, of course, himself. He was doctor to the emperor Marcus Aurelius and to his son and successor, the `gladiator' emperor, Commodus. You will read here of the Roman east and Pergamum, Galen's home town; Rome itself and the illnesses rife in the city of the time; Galen's thoughts and practice of anatomy, bleeding, women's complaints, plagues, madness and all sorts of other medical matters. You will learn of his rivals and how he outsmarted them. There is much discussion of his method, what he got right as well as what he got wrong and why. There is also a good concluding chapter on his reputation in late antiquity and the early modern world, as well as the survival of his writings, which make up a full 20% of all that survives from ancient times. A good, readable, scholarly book - recommended. Post scriptum: for Galen in fiction, try Amanda Prantera's 'The side of the moon'

A excellent review of this towering figure in the history of medicine.