Learning Family learns about Greek Science

Our modern science got its start in Ancient Greece, though it was much different than it is today. Without the curiosity and study of many Greek scholars, the advancements in medicine, technology, astronomy and mathematics that we benefit from today wouldn't exist.

It's surprising to realize how advanced some of the concepts these men and women of science were even two thousand years ago. Things like atoms, the shape and size of the earth, the movement of planets and the purpose of the brain. We are so much better off because of their work.

Harrison Learned about Greek Mathematicians

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I learned about the mathematicians of Greece and what they discovered. Here are a few of them:

I. Pythagoras
Pythagoras made a school for men and women where he and his "Pythagoreans" discussed mathematics. They made a theory that "all things are numbers". They may have gotten the idea by observing the patterns of music and nature. Pythagoras also found a mathematical fact about traingles now called the Pythagorean Theorem, which states: "The sum of the squares of the legs of a right triangle is equal to the square of the hypotenuse." Or, for any right traingle with legs a and b, and a hypotenuse c, a^2+b^2=c^2 ("^" means "raised to the power of")

II. Euclid
Euclid wrote a series of books about basic geometric principles caled Elements. He based them on five postulates, that basically say that you can do anything you want with a ruler and compass. His book is very famous and you can find it here.

III. Eratosthene
Eratosthene measured the circumference (distance around a circle or sphere) of the earth, by using only poles for making shadows or gnomons. He put them in different cities and measured the length of the shadows they cast at a certain time. He used this information, including the distance between the two poles, to get an estimate of the circumference of the earth, which was surprisingly close to what mathematicians of today have found.

10/02/01

Amanda learned about Greek Medicine

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I was interested in how ancient Greek scientists learned about medicine.

Early Greeks thought that getting sick was a punishment from the gods. Things like seizures were believed to be demons controlling their bodies. Patients were often treated by bleeding, or with herbs, special diets, and exercise. Very ancient Greeks didn't know a lot about the human body because they thought studying dead bodies would offend the gods. [The truth was that dead bodies often got living people sick, so it makes sense to avoid them. Maybe that's how people came to think that studying dead bodies would offend the gods?] Scientists learned about muscles and bones from healing athletes and soldiers. They even discovered anestetics over 2000 years ago, and ways to unpoison people.

One Greek ruler, named Pericles, thought science was important and had four medical school built. Hippocrates ran one of the schools and looked for logical reasons for sicknesses. He started the Hippocratic Oath that is about honesty, and protecting the life and privacy of patients. Its ideas are still used by doctors today.

Many centuries later, after superstitions died, a man named Herophilus started studying dead bodies. He named many parts of the body and discovered how they worked. Later, Erasistratus did more research and did autopsies, dissections on recently dead bodies to find out why they died.

Another important ancient Greek medical scientist was Galen. He wrote hundreds of medical books and gathered discoveries and information from past scientists. His books were translated into many launguages, so lots of doctors could help their patients.

Without these ancient Greek scientists, medicine would be different today. I think it is very interesting how these people learned about all these important things to protect and heal bodies.

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