Return to Galen

AT THE BEGINNING of the previous century, the English editor of a minor work by Galen called for a return to that ancient scholar after centuries of neglect. The appeal did not meet with success. Galen's reputation is currently based on renown arising from tradition, rather than an awareness of his actual contributions to medical science. His methodological approach to experimental medicine seems to have fallen into obscurity, although it anticipated modern principles. This report reviews the rise and fall in popularity of Galen's medical works, in an attempt to highlight the circumstances that still prevent a full appreciation of those writings.