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Knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of the spleen throughout Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages

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Abstract

The evolution of knowledge regarding the anatomy and physiology of the spleen throughout Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages is described, and general perceptions about this organ during different eras along this time line are presented. The original words of great physicians from the period of time stretching from Ancient Egypt to the Avicennan era are quoted and discussed to demonstrate how knowledge of the spleen has evolved and to present the theories that dominated each era. Furthermore, theories about illnesses relating to the spleen are reported, which show how this organ was perceived—in terms of its function and anatomy—during each era.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, PO Box 300, 54124, Thessaloniki, Greece

    George K. Paraskevas, Konstantinos N. Koutsouflianiotis & Zoi Nitsa

  2. Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian, University of Athens, Athens, Greece

    Theano Demesticha & Panagiotis Skandalakis

Authors
  1. George K. Paraskevas
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  2. Konstantinos N. Koutsouflianiotis
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  3. Zoi Nitsa
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  4. Theano Demesticha
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  5. Panagiotis Skandalakis
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Correspondence to George K. Paraskevas.

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The content has not been published or submitted for publication elsewhere. All authors have contributed significantly, and all authors are in agreement with the content of the manuscript. The authors declare that they have not received any funding support and they do not have any conflict of interest.

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This review is dedicated by all authors to the memory of Nikolaos K. Koutsouflianiotis, general surgeon in “Papageorgiou Hospital”, who initiated and advised us for writing this study.

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Paraskevas, G.K., Koutsouflianiotis, K.N., Nitsa, Z. et al. Knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of the spleen throughout Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages. Anat Sci Int 91, 43–55 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12565-015-0305-y

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