User:Jsdento/Herodicus

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Herodicus (Greek: Ἡρóδιĸος) was a 5th century BC Greek physician, dietician, sophist, and gymnastic-master (παιδοτρίβης). He was born in the city of Selymbria, a colony of the city-state Megara, and practiced medicine in various Greek cities including Selymbria, Megara, Athens, and Cnidos (also use existing reference from Plato). Herodicus believed that exercise and a good diet are key foundations of health, and emphasized the use of both to treat various ailments. He may have also been one of the tutors of Hippocrates. He also recommended massage using beneficial herbs and oils. His theories are considered the foundation of sports medicine.

Identity

 * There is some controversy surrounding the Identity of Herodicus. An ancient text called the Anonymus Londinensis mentions both a Herodicus of Selymbria and a Herodicus of Cnidos. This has led some historians to believe that there were two physicians named Herodicus.

Medical Theories and Practices

 * First Greek physician to study "therapeutic gymnastics"
 * Herodicus observed that weak wrestling and boxing athletes subjected to rigorous exercise gained strength.
 * Exercise was used by Herodicus as a preventative measure against disease. It was just as important to him to maintain health as it was to restore it from sickness.
 * Hippocrates was influenced by Herodicus as is evident by the attention Hippocrates gives to hygienic exercise.
 * Herodicus authored the Ars Gymnastica, a series of gymnastic exercises he used to treat febrile conditions and other illnesses.
 * In Classical Greece, physicians were seldom allowed inside gymnasiums. Lack of exposure left most Greek physicians of the time unknowledgeable of the effects of exercise. Being both a gymnastics master and a physician gave Herodicus unique insight into the medical applications of exercise.
 * Euryphon, a mentor of Herodicus at the medical school of Cnidos, emphasized the importance of diet in maintaining health. He theorized that wastes created through bad digestion spread through the body and caused illness. Herodicus contributed to this theory by adding that proper digestion of food only occurs with subsequent exercise.
 * A failure to move after eating could cause a humoral imbalance between what Herodicus called "sharp and bitter" liquids. Herodicus believed that disease was caused by an imbalance in these two liquids in one or more internal organs.
 * This theory is similar to and may have influenced Hippocrates' humoral theory.
 * Many contemporaries of Herodicus criticized his methods as being to harsh and unpleasant.
 * Herodicus was accused by the author of Epidemics of killing patients with the intensity of his exercise routines.

He was specific in the manner that a massage should be given. He recommended that rubbing be initially slow and gentle, then subsequently faster, with the application of more pressure, which was to be followed by more gentle friction.

Herodicus is also described as a gymnastic-master (παιδοτρίβης) and a sophist. According to Plato, Herodicus recommended that his patients walk from Athens to Megara, a distance of a little more than 20 miles.