herophilos

Herophilos

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Herophilos, sometimes Latinized Herophilus (335-280 BC), was a Greek physician. He was born in Chalcedon in
Asia Minor (now Kadiköy , Turkey ). Together with Erasistratus he is regarded as a founder of the great medical
school of Alexandria . He was the first to base his conclusions on dissection of the human body. He studied the
brain, recognizing it as the center of the nervous system and the site of intelligence. He also paid particular
attention to the nervous system, distinguishing nerves from blood vessels and the motor from the sensory
nerves. Other areas of his anatomical study include the eye, liver, pancreas, and the alimentary tract.

Herophilos is thought to be one of the founders of the scientific method. He had introduced the experimental
method to medicine, for he considered it essential to found knowledge on empirical bases. Herophilus had also
introduced many of the scientific terms used to this day to describe anatomical phenomena. He was among the
first to introduce the notion of conventional terminology, using terms he created to describe the objects of
study. He named many for the first time. A part of the skull torcular Herophili is named after him.