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Antiquity|17
Headvisedkeepinginmindtheshortnessanduncertaintyofhumanlife.
Hebelievedthatasickpersonsufferingfrompainstrugglestofulfilthe
functionsinherentinhumanbeings.Inhistreatise,OntheHappyLife,he
pointedouttheimportanceofahealthysoulthattakescareofthebody
andothermattershelpfulinlife.Heconsideredgoodhealthamongthe
mostimportantvalues,alongwithlife,beauty,strength,dignity,respect
andwealth.Hearguedthatawisemanfeebleinbody,ordeprivedofone
eye,willstillbestrong,butneverthelesshewouldprefertohavestrength
ofbody.Ifhishealthisbad,hewillendureit,buthewouldwishforgood
health18.
Theancientworldwasplaguedbynumerousepidemics.References
toplaguesarefoundinliteraryworks,chroniclesandmedicaltreatises.
Itwasnotedthatthespreadofdiseaseswasinfluencedbyfrequentand
closecontactbetweenpeople,aswellasbynaturaldisasters.PlinytheElder
(23-79AD),theRomanhistorianandwriter,authorofNaturalHistory,
mentioneddiseasesthatwerepainlessandnotfatal,butsodisfiguringthat
anykindofdeathwasmoredesirable19.
Inthe1stcenturyAD,MarcusManilius,theRomanphilosopher,poet
andastrologer,developed,inhispoemAstronomica,theconceptofthe
dependenceofindividualpartsofthehumanbodyontheZodiacsigns.
Ariesaffectedthehead,Taurustheneck,Geminitheshoulders,Cancer
thebreast,Leotheloins,Virgotheabdomen,Librathehips,Scorpiothe
genitals,Sagittariusthethighs,Capricorntheknees,Aquariustheshanks,
andPiscesthefeet.Thisledtothecreationofthezodiacman(homo
zodiacus),aconceptsupplemented,modifiedandmaintaineduntilmodern
times20.ThisideawasalsoemployedbymedievalArabicmedicine.The
18L.A.Seneka,Ożyciuszczęśliwym,translatedbyL.Joachimowicz,in:L.A.Seneka,
Dialogi,InstytutWydawniczyPAX,Warszawa1998,III,3,XXII,2.
19J.Krajewska,A.Głusiuk,Epidemie,pp.18-30.
20Maniliusz,Astronomica,ed.G.P.Goold,Cambridge,London1977,pp.119,
279,M.J.Geller,MelothesiainBabylonia.Medicine,MagicandAstrology
intheAncientNearEast,DeGruyter,Berlin2014,passim,Ch.Burnett,
AstrologyandMedicineintheMiddleAges,“SocietyfortheSocialHistoryof
MedicineBulletin”No.37,1985,pp.16-18,Ch.Clark,TheZodiacManin
MedievalMedicalAstrology,“JournaloftheRockyMountainMedievaland
RenaissanceAssociation”No.3,1982,pp.13-38,D.P.Walker,TheAstralBody
