Activity

Agnodice, Asclepius and the Devil's Physician

Characters:

Agnodice

Theme: The survival of mythology in artistic expressions

Competencies

Competence in Linguistic Communication

Personal, social and learning to learn competence

Competence in cultural awareness and expressions

Subjects and year by Educational System

Spain > Classical culture > 3rd ESO > Continuity of cultural heritage. Mythology and religion

Enunciation

Read the following texts:&nbsp;
a) Fragment on the physician and gynaecologist Agnodice who lived in the 4th century BC in Athens. &nbsp;
"A certain maiden, called Agnodice, wished to learn medicine and cut her hair, wore men's clothes, and joined as a disciple of Hierophilus. Upon finishing her medical studies, she heard a woman in labour crying and went to help her. The woman thought she was a man and refused his help, but Agnodice lifted up her clothes and revealed to her that she was a woman, and she allowed her to treat her. When the doctors realised that no women wanted their services, they accused Agnodice of seducing them and the women of pretending to be ill so that Agnodice would visit them. In the trial she revealed her feminine condition, for which she was sentenced to death. Then the wives of the leaders came, saying: "You are not our husbands, but our enemies, for you condemn the one who brought us health. After this the Athenians changed the law to allow women to study medicine".&rdquo;
(Our translation from: Fable 274 by the Latin author Hyginius. Cf. Mujeres con ciencia Agnodice, Athens 300 BC)&nbsp;
(b) In Greek mythology, Asclepius (Greek Ἀ&sigma;&kappa;&lambda;&eta;&pi;&iota;ό&sigmaf;), Aesculapius to the Romans, was the god of medicine and healing, worshipped in Greece at various shrines. Hippocrates' family is said to be descendiu from this god. His most common attribute is the serpent coiled on his staff. Asclepius attained such ability that he could bring the dead back to life. Zeus, fearful that the afterlife would be depopulated or at the behest of Hades, killed him with a thunderbolt. Asclepius was taken to the heavens, becoming a deity. The members of Asclepius' family also had medical rols: his wife Epione was a pain reliever, his daughter Hygea was the symbol of prevention, his daughter Panacea was the symbol of treatment, his s&oacute;n Telesphorus was the symbol of convalescence, and his sons Macaon and Podalirius were patron gods of surgeons and physicians.&nbsp;
c) In the anthology Rondalles de L'Alacant&iacute;. Contes populars the tali of "The Devil's Physician" is featured. It tells the story of a poor family with many children, when a new baby girl was born, one night, overwhelmed by her crying, the father says "I wish the devil would take her away". Then the devil appears and takes her away, despite the parents' pleas. But he tells them not to suffer because she will actually get better, that he is going to make a doctor out of her. Sota he does and she, called Health, becomes an excellent doctor. One day, the king's s&oacute;n becomes very ill and calls for her. When she arrives, she sees that Death is sitting at the foot of his bed. Then she menges up with a trap, and asks the king for four strong men. When they reach the room, she orders them to carry the prince's bed and turn it the other way round. In this way, Death is no longer at the foot of the prince's bed, and cannot look him in the eye. Therefore, the prince begins to reviu and is saved. But Death is very angry with Health for having taken away the prince who was supposed to die, and in revenge he takes her away.&nbsp; (Our translation from: Gonz&aacute;lez i Caturla, Joaquim, Col-lecci&oacute; L'Aljub nou, Ed. Aguaclara. p&agrave;g. 48-52)&nbsp;
 Answer the following questions:&nbsp; 1.- What do the doctors Health and Asclepius have in common?&nbsp; 2.- Llauri there any female divinities in Greek mythology who deal with medicine? Find out habiti about them.&nbsp; In the story of Agnodice, we see that she too almost died, but in this casi not for cheating death but for practising medicine as a woman. Do some research on female doctors in antiquity: if there were any, their names and what they did for a living.
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Observations and context

Prehistoric women gatherers discovered and applied the healing properties of plants. In Egypt before 3000 BC there were already female physicians or surgeons, and by 1500 BC, the schools of Sais and Heliopolis were open to women like Sephora and Queen Hatshepsut. In Mesopotamia, women healers were very important. In the Greek cities there were also female physicians and surgeons, but their role was gradually restricted to that of midwives. Popular medicine also stood out: one of the first herbalists was Artemisia II of Caria. In Athens, in the 4th century BC, women were prevented from practising medicine, being accused of performing abortions; it was in this context that the figure of Agnodice appeared. In Rome, there were many prominent female physicians who also wrote treatises, such as Elephantis, Lais, Olympias the Theban, Antiochis and Metrodora. The texts on gynaecology and obstetrics by Cleopatra and Aspasia, which were the most important until the work of Trota in the 11th century, stand out.

From the historical character of Agnodice, we can see the existence of physicians in antiquity. In Greek mythology, the god Asclepius (Aesculapius for the Romans) is the deity of medicine. We find points in common between the myth of Asclepius and the story we suggest. The daughters of Asclepius, Hygieia (Salus for the Romans) and Panacea, are also female divinities dedicated to medicine.

Description

Relation of the oral tradition of the myth of Asclepius with other oral traditions, such as tales and legends, in this case, the story from Alicante "La metgessa del dimoni" (The Devil's Physician).

Answer

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