pothos.org

I'm lying here with the flu for what feels like forever! I was wondering, on that day that Alexander jumped into the Cygnus, I recall reading that what Philip gave him made him go into convulsions, and then he got better. Is there any source that says what it was that Philip gave him? And does anyone know where I can find a copy of Hippocrates' work on health, I know there's something like that somewhere, I bumped into it one day at an online books site.

Poor you - you have my sympathies.I'm not sure about Hippocrates, although I'm sure it is possible to get a copy.As for what Philip gave Alexander, unfortunately we don't know. Of course, if we knew exactly what Al's ailment was we might be able to guess, from what we *do* know about Greek medicine. But the sources are silent on both.Personally, I favour warm milk with a tot of whiskey - it is, by far, the most effective medicine known to man. :-)ATBMArcus

It was probably hellbore and almost killed him. The ancients had little understanding of disease and many people perished from treatment.I would not, naturally, suggest that for your flu.Regards,Tre

Do you know the name of the work?

So far I haven't found an explanation as to why they would have used a purgative to cure a fever, though they obviously did. I did read in some ancient source that hellebore was also used to treat madness, which is equally strange, but for the life of me I can't locate the reference. Anyway, I'm not familiar with the work of Hippocrates, but there's this on hellebore from Pausanias: Pausanias 10.36.7 Chapter: Phocis and Ozolian Locri.
[7] The mountains beyond Anticyra are very rocky, and on them grows hellebore in great profusion. Black hellebore sends those who take it to stool, and purges the bowels; the nature of the other, the white kind, is to purge by vomiting. It is the root of the hellebore which is used as a purging drug.Amyntoros

Hey all!Thanks for the well wishes!The texts I was talking about on Hipocrates, I found at http://classics.mit.edu/Hippocrates/ancimed.1.1.htmlI just wanted to know if anyone has seen these as a published book, available to be purchased. If anyone is inclined, I suggest reading the piece on curing hemorrhoids...quite interesting!I haven't yet had the time to read his entire work on medicine, and injuries to the head, which should shed some light on how Alexander might have been treated at certain times. Cheers!Luc

Okay, apparently Loeb Classics does publish the works on Hippocrates, although he probably didn't write any of it.