GALEN (Greek, c. 129-216 CE)
Aelius (or Claudius) Galenus, called Galen or Galen of Pergamon, was a Greek physician, surgeon and philosopher from Pergamon (now in Turkey) in the days of the Roman Empire. He was one of the greatest medical researchers of antiquity, influencing anatomy, physiology, pathology, pharmacology, and neurology, as well as philosophy and logic. After receiving an education as a physician and philosopher, he traveled widely to study the medical lore of various places. He then settled in Rome, where he became personal physician to several emperors. Like Hippocrates, Galen based his practice on the theory of the "four humors," that the body had four "juices" (black bile, yellow bile, blood, and phlegm) that must be kept in balance. His studies in anatomy were based mainly on animal dissection, and were not seriously challenged until Vesalius in 1543.
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