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Otolaryngological treatments in hagiographical Byzantine texts (324–1453 A.D.): miracles or reality?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 June 2007

John Lascaratos ,
E. Poulacou-Rebelacou  and
John Yiotakis
John Lascaratos*
Affiliation:
Departments of History of Medicine and Otorhinolaryngology, Medical School, University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
E. Poulacou-Rebelacou
Affiliation:
Athens Spata National Medical Centre, Athens, Greece.
John Yiotakis
Affiliation:
Departments of History of Medicine and Otorhinolaryngology, Medical School, University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
*
Address for correspondence: Dr John Lascaratos, M.D., Hippocratous 164b str., Athens 11471, Greece. Fax: 00301 7796745
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Abstract

Hagiographical texts of the Byzantine period contain a significant number of miraculous treatments of several diseases of the ear, nose and throat. The comparison of the conservative treatments referred to as well as the often concealed surgical interventions of these texts with those known from the medical texts of the eminent Byzantine physicians, lead the writers to conclude that a series of real treatments were carried out in the churches or in the Xenones (hospitals) of Byzantium.

Keywords

History of medicine, ancientOtolaryngology

Information

Type
Historical Article
Information
The Journal of Laryngology & Otology , Volume 112 , Issue 1 , January 1998 , pp. 25 - 30
Copyright
Copyright © JLO (1984) Limited 1998

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