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SUMMARY:Herophilus of Chalcedon on the soul and the nervous system - David
  Leith (Faculty of Classics)
DTSTART:20130228T163000Z
DTEND:20130228T180000Z
UID:TALK42168@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Helen Curry
DESCRIPTION:Herophilus of Chalcedon\, working in Alexandria in the early 3
 rd century BC\, is probably best known for his discovery of the nervous sy
 stem\, that is\, for his anatomical isolation of the nerves as a distinct 
 structure within the body\, and his recognition of their function in media
 ting sensation and voluntary motion. In antiquity\, his research was taken
  by many\, including Galen\, to have established the brain as the seat of 
 the so-called hegemonikon\, or ruling part of the soul. Yet it has often s
 eemed surprising to historians\, or at least regrettable\, that the domina
 nt Hellenistic philosophical schools failed to take account of this major 
 advance made by Herophilus\, given that the Epicureans\, Stoics and Aristo
 telians stubbornly continued to regard the heart\, or chest\, as the centr
 al organ of the soul. This paper will argue that in fact Herophilus' own c
 laims as to the brain's importance were much more limited than is usually 
 assumed\, and that the primarily Aristotelian framework within which he ap
 proached the question of the soul's functioning led him to a more complex 
 view\, one that preserved an important role for the heart.
LOCATION:Seminar Room 2\, Department of History and Philosophy of Science
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