Motherhood and health in the Hippocratic corpus: does maternity protect against disease?

King, Helen (2013). Motherhood and health in the Hippocratic corpus: does maternity protect against disease? Mètis. Anthropologie des mondes grecs anciens, 11 pp. 51–70.

Abstract

After introducing the links between motherhood and health in Hippocratic medical texts, including the roles of midwives and men in childbirth, this paper explores the reproductive status of Phaethousa of Abdera in Epidemics 6. I argue that the term 'epitokos', one of those used for this woman, means far more than 'who had previously given birth' and that the Arabic versions of Galen's commentary on this text make it clear that the epitokos is a woman who is exceptionally fertile, to the point where any cessation in her normal pattern of repeated pregnancy endangers her life.

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About

• Item ORO ID
• 38150
• Item Type
• Journal Item
• ISSN
• 2236-2762
• Project Funding Details

• Funded Project Name	Project ID	Funding Body
  Following Agnodike and Phaethousa: gender and transformation in the reception of ancient medicine	AH/I001506/1	AHRC (Arts & Humanities Research Council)

• Extra Information
• ISBN: 978-2-7132-2412-6
• Academic Unit or School
• Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) > Arts and Humanities > Classical Studies
  Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) > Arts and Humanities
  Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS)
• Copyright Holders
• © 2013 The Author
• Related URLs
• • http://anhima.fr/spip.php?article907(Other)
• Depositing User
• Helen King