Page:The growth of medicine from the earliest times to about 1800.djvu/194

 of ample means, well informed in philosophy, astronomy and geometry, and most liberal in providing for the thorough education of his son in every branch of useful knowledge. In two or three places in his writings Galen speaks of his father in terms of affection. On the other hand, he does not hesitate to state in the plainest language possible that his mother was a veritable Xanthippe. In her moments of bad temper she would not only shout and scream in a violent manner, but would sometimes go so far as to bite her serving-maids. Pergamum, at the time of which I am writing, offered unusually good opportunities for studying disease. Its Asclepieion, which was built during Galen's boyhood, had already become one of the famous temples of Asia Minor, and the sick and maimed flocked to it in large numbers. Then, in addition, the city was well equipped with able physicians, who appear, according to Neuburger, to have been on very friendly terms with the priests of the temple. It was under the guidance of such men that Galen—at the early age of seventeen, and after a careful training in philosophy, mathematics, etc.—began the study of medicine. He speaks with special interest and respect of one of his instructors, a certain Quintus, who had the reputation of being an excellent anatomist and at the same time one of the most distinguished practitioners of that day. Another anatomist, Styrus, was also one of Galen's teachers.

On the death of his father Galen left his home and devoted the succeeding nine years to visiting all the different cities in which he believed he might gain some additional knowledge in medicine and surgery. A large part of this long period was spent in Alexandria, which still retained much of its importance as a home of all the sciences. On attaining his twenty-eighth year he left that city and returned to Pergamum, evidently with the purpose of establishing himself there in the regular practice of his profession. Through the influence of the temple officials, and especially of the High Priest, Galen received the appointment of physician to the gladiators, a position which he held with credit for a period of four years, and