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Medicine in Homer

  • Book

  • August 2025
  • Elsevier Science and Technology
  • ID: 6051777
Medicine in Homer explores injuries in the great epic poems of Homer from the perspective of contemporary medical professionals. With a foundation of text describing those injuries included in both Odyssey and The Iliad, this text will draw connections to neurology, toxicology and genetics in ancient Greek times. As human anatomy remains unchanged, a careful study of trauma anatomy in Homer provides a unique window into the epics, their composition and into the development of medicine as is available today.

Table of Contents

Section 1 Introduction
1. Introduction, synopsis of chapters and the Homeric question
2. Homer and orthopaedics
3. Physicians and other medical personnel in Homer
4. Thersites’ cleidocranial dysostosis and the story of the Iliad and Odyssey
5. Which translation of Homer should you use?

Section 2 Trauma in Homer
6. A trauma registry of Homer’s Iliad
7. A trauma registry of Homer’s Odyssey
8. Trauma medicine in Homer
9. Upper extremity injuries in Homer
10. Chest trauma in Homer
11. Abdominal trauma in Homer
12. Lower extremity injuries in Homer
13. Maxillofacial trauma in Homer
14. Trauma in Homer: A classicist’s analysis and perspective

Section 3 Neurology, Toxicology, Infectious Disease and Genetics in Homer
15. Neurotrauma and other neurology in Homer
16. A Case of antisocial personality disorder in Home
17. Plants, poisons, potions and plague in Homer
18. Eight generation genealogy of Homer’s Trojans

Section 4 Further Perspectives on Medicine in Homer
19. Dating Homer’s linguistics with genetic methods
20. The Iliad’s and Odyssey's mythological networks
21. Did Homer write both the Iliad and the Odyssey?
22. Earthworks and geology in Homer
23. Women in Homer: A veteran’s perspective
24. War and medicine in Homer: a combat veteran’s perspective
25. Conclusion and future studies

Authors

Eric Altschuler Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Metropolitan Hospital; Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, New York Medical College, NY, USA. Eric Altschuler, MD, PhD is Associate Chief and Director of Clinical Research in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Metropolitan Hospital and Associate Clinical Professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine at New York Medical College. Dr. Altschuler is also an Associate Editor of the American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Dr. Altschuler is board certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Brain Injury Medicine, Neuromuscular Medicine and Electrodiagnostic medicine. In addition to clinical work in general PM&R and electro-diagnostics, Dr. Altschuler is a widely published and recognized expert in clinically applied and basic cognitive neuroscience. Dr. Altschuler was the first to report the use of mirror therapy for hemiparesis following stroke and for a combination amputation/orthopedic injury. Dr. Altschuler was the first to publish the use of animal assisted therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) now in wide use for patients across the world.