The Complete Works of Galen, Vol. 1

of [most famous] physicians, none b) [was more fortunate in his parentage than Galen]. He was the son of Nicon, a philosopher and architect. Nicon was a man of great learning and possessed a very calm character. In contrast, Galen’s mother was extremely hot-tempered and harsh toward those in her household c).

Regarding Galen, his teachings, and his writings, see Gerardus Johannes Vossius in On Philosophy, chapter 12, section 19, page 99. Also see Johannes Jonsius, book 3, chapter 11, section 3, page 62. Sir Thomas Pope Blount discusses him in Censure of the More Famous Authors, page 163 and following. Johann Jakob Brucker includes him in Critical History of Philosophy, volume 2, period 2, part 1, book 1, chapter 2, section 3, section 13, page 183 and following, as well as in the appendix on page 359.

Especially important is Christian Kramp in his work Critique of Practical Medicine with Regard to its History original: "Kritik der praktischen Arzneykunde mit Rücksicht auf die Geschichte derselben", published in Leipzig, 1795, in octavo. In chapter 12, pages 454 to 675, he sets forth the praises of Galen. This note was added by Beck.

For the literary history and the writings of Galen, Georg Abraham Mercklin’s Lindenius Renovated is useful, book 1, page 183 and following.

However, the works of Albrecht von Haller are the most useful of all. They help in understanding the life and doctrine of Galen. They also provide a history of the books written by him and information on their various editions. This most famous author on medical literature discussed Galen's botanical and pharmaceutical writings in his Botanical Library, book 1, chapter 51, volume 1, page 111 and following. He discussed the anatomical writings and Galen's discoveries in anatomy in his Anatomical Library, book 1, section 59, volume 1, page 82. He also covered the external medicine Galen practiced and the books related to it in the Surgical Library, book 1, section 39, volume 1, page 85. Finally, Haller treated Galen most extensively in his Library of Practical Medicine, book 1, section 80, volume 1, pages 228 to 273. In that work, he exhausted almost every piece of material regarding the literary history of Galen.

b) In writing this biography of Galen, I have chiefly followed Galen himself. He recorded many details about his own life in his books. I have also used Philippe Labbe. Johann Albert Fabricius had previously placed Labbe's chronological tribute to Galen before the chapter on Galen's writings in the earlier edition of his Greek Library. I did not order Labbe’s entire book to be printed here. Instead, I have selected the useful parts from it and added my own notes.

c) Galen mentions this in On the Diagnosis of the Diseases of the Soul, chapter 8, volume 6 of the Chartier edition, page 531. He wrote that he had original: "ἔχων μητέρα ὀργιλωτάτην, ὡς δάκνειν μὲν ἐνίοτε τὰς θεραπαίνας, ἀεὶ δὲ κεκραγέ-ναι τε καὶ μάχεσθαι τῷ πατρὶ μᾶλλον, ἢ Ξανθίππη Σωκράτει." a mother so hot-tempered that she would sometimes bite her maidservants. She was always screaming and fighting with his father even more than Xanthippe fought with Socrates Xanthippe was the wife of the philosopher Socrates, traditionally remembered in history as a difficult and argumentative spouse.