Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 9, 2026

Measurement of Healthy and Injured Triceps Surae Morphology
Published on: October 27, 2023
Upper extremity injuries in Homer's Iliad
Richard L Hutchison1, Maureen A Hirthler
1Section of Hand Surgery, Division of Orthopaedic Surgery, Children's Mercy Hospitals and Clinics, Kansas City, MO 64108, USA. rlhutchison@cmh.edu
Abstract:
Homer's Iliad remains a fascinating source of medical history. This epic poem, compiled around 800 BCE, describes several weeks of the last year of the 10-year siege of Troy (Ilion) by the Achaeans. Homer composed the epic by combining and formalizing oral poems, legends, customs, and experiences that originated in the later Mycenaean age (1600-1100 bce). The story centers on the rage of the great warrior Achilles. The Iliad remains the oldest record of Greek medicine and a unique source of surgical history. This study examines the upper extremity injuries described in the Iliad and compares them to those other sites of injury.
Related Concept Videos
Bones of the Upper Limb: Humerus
Bones of the Lower Limb: Femur and Patella
Bones of the Upper Limb: Ulna
Arteries of the Upper Limbs
Arteries of Lower Limbs
Bones of the Upper Limb: Radius
The radius has a nail-shaped head, and a short...
