Leonid Zhmud The Origin of the History of Science in Classical Antiquity

Particularly interesting is the way Meno’s etiology of diseases was fitted
into the narrow space between ıatrik3 técnh, on the one hand, and physical
doxography, on the other. Meno completely ignores everything that concerns
the application of general regularities to particular cases or methods of treat-
ment.
42
Theophrastus, by contrast, pays particular attention to physiology and
psychology, whereas his work lacks a special section on the causes of dis-
eases.
43
The presence in Meno’s book of three natural philosophers – Hippon,
Philolaus, and Plato – who suggested their explanations for the causes of dis-
36
De sens. 436a 17–b 2; De resp. 480b 21–31. On medicine as ëpist2mh that investi-
gates the causes of health, see also
Met. 1026a 1f., 1064a 1f. In the passage describ-
ing how the ‘production’ of health takes place (1032b 2–22), the process is divided
into two stages. In the first, intellectual stage (nóhsi~), the doctor compares the pa-
tient’s condition with his knowledge about health (1 dè ûgíeia ô ën tÆ yucÆ lógo~
kaì 1 ëpist2mh) and selects appropriate methods of treatment. In the second, pro-
ductive stage, these methods are applied in accordance with the aim.
37
@rcaì (tõn nóswn) 4.28, 18.31, 18.47; aıtíai (tõn nóswn) 4.41, 5.35, 9.40, 33.8
Diels.
38
See below, 164. Cf. Manetti,
op. cit., 102.
39
Grensemann, H.
Knidische Medizin, T. 1, Berlin 1975, 197ff., suggests that Eury-
phon was born before 500 BC, but this seems to be too early (Zhmud.
Wissenschaft,
243 n. 67).
40
In the papyrus text, the last person mentioned is Plato’s contemporary Philistion of
Locri, but according to a very plausible reconstruction by Manetti (
op. cit., 118f.),
Plato came after him.
41
Although Alcmaeon did practice medicine (Zhmud.
Wissenschaft, 239f.), the con-
tent of his book corresponds generally to the Presocratic perì fúsew~ îstoría,
which rightly placed him among the physicists. On the other hand, his omission can
be explained by the highly lacunose state of the papyrus.
42
This restriction is obviously artificial and was not characteristic of the later medical
doxography. See Eijk, Ph. van der. The Anonymus Parisinus on “the ancients”,
AHM, 302f.
43
Aët. V, 29 on the causes of fever was added later; see below, 295f.

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2. Aristotelian theory of science and the Peripatetic historiographical project
129
eases, can be regarded as another example of similarity between physical and
medical theories. At the same time, this example shows that physicists could
encroach on the territory of medicine more easily than doctors could on the
field of physics. Although the doxographical work of Aëtius, which goes back
to Theophrastus, did include opinions of some early physicians, like Hippo-
crates and Polybus, it is after Theophrastus that these must have been added.
44
Turning to the mathematical division of theoretical sciences, let us notice
that not all the sciences regarded in the fourth century as
mathe¯mata became
subject matter for historical studies. In the case of optics and mechanics, the
reason is obvious: both disciplines were too young to have a history of their
own.
45
It is harder to say why the Lyceum, leaving a number of essays on the
history of music, never produced a history of mathematical harmonics. This
omission might be explained by the fact that Aristoxenus, the main expert on
music in the Lyceum, was highly critical of the mathematical harmonics the Py-
thagoreans developed.
46
Theophrastus also criticized the Pythagorean theory of
music, opposing to it a purely qualitative approach (fr. 716 FHSG). Aristotle,
by contrast, treated mathematical harmonics with due respect, never casting
doubt on its scientific status.
47
The disagreement between the experts on har-
monics could have made the history of this discipline problematic.
48
As for the characteristic features of the mathematical division of the project,
for the time being I only note that, in contrast to doxography, Eudemus’ materi-
al was not organized systematically. Strictly following the chronology, the