Galen (Claudius Galenus, 129-c. 199 CE) is the most famous physician of the Greco-Roman world whose writings have survived. A Greek from a wealthy family, raised and educated in the Greek city of Pergamon, he acquired his medical education by travelling widely in the Roman world, visiting the famous medical centres and studying with leading doctors. His career took him to Rome, where he was appointed by the emperor Marcus Aurelius as his personal...