The ridiculousness of the new Socratic ideas; The Clouds, Aristophanes

 Why you might read The Clouds?

The Clouds is a fun look at the idea of the Old and the New way. The uncertainty that it brings and focuses on the worries of the traditionalist. It takes a look at how Socrates' school was seen at least by some as a threat to their way of life.

In my Self Education project, it is a nice change from the super-serious greek plays we have encountered so far. It also gives insight into how dissent was portrayed in the ancient Greek world.

The story of The Clouds

The Clouds is a play in two acts. The first act is in three scenes while the second is a single scene. It is broadly about the folly of the, at the time new, Socratic thought.

The first act starts with Strepsiades failing to sleep because of the debts his son is racking up. These are coming due for interest that very day. Strepsiades wakes his son and tries to convince him to go to the school of Philosophy next door. His son won't and goes to race his horses instead. Strepsiades decides to go to the school himself. Here he meets the new gods the clouds. After a fairly brief time there leaves as Socrates cannot get him to remember anything. He returns having convinced his son to go to the school. He then asks Socrates to teach his son the arguments right and wrong. If he can only remember one let it be wrong so he can win the argument with those who hold his debt and get out of paying.

The second act starts with Strepsiades' son returning from school. Between him and his father, they argue their way out of the debts that were due. Strepsiades is then hit by his son who uses the wrong argumentation to justify his actions. He then goes on to justify that he should also hit his mother. Strepsiades takes a servant with tools and a torch and gets him to pull up the roof which he then sets on fire. He does this as vengeance for the corruption of his son.

Reflections on The Clouds

This is another satire. This time as a political narrative of the times in Athens. The Socratic way of thinking was new and untested. Many, including Aristophanes, wondered if it would corrupt the youth and threaten their way of life.

The fourth wall breaks with Socrates appealing to the audience is quite interesting. Aristophanes is the earliest in my list that we have seen characters break with the play and acknowledge the audience. It is a device we still see today in the tradition of pantomime. It is also occasionally seen in TV shows.

It is also of interest that Strepsiades is keen for his son to learn the way of wrong when it suits him. Showing that breaking a moral compass may have immediate returns but it always comes back to bite us. His son is neither moral nor immoral as a character before his education. It is his father's choice of education that sets him on this immoral path.

What others have to say about The Clouds

"The 'new education' that the sophists at the 'Thinkery' pioneer represents the first stirrings of scientific theories that were circulating in Athens at the time of the play's production in the fifth century BCE." From Spark Notes

"Aristophanes' comedies were seen as a masterful blend of wit and invention. Often criticized for their crude humor and suggestive tone, his plays were popular among the Athenian audiences. However, to his many critics, he brought Greek tragedy down from the high levels of such tragedians as Aeschylus with his use of parody, satire, and vulgarity. " From World History Encyclopedia

Comparisons with other texts

Like The Acharnians, The Clouds is mainly Satire. Here though the focus is on the fight between the old and the new. By contrast, The Acharnians is dissent against the war with Sparta.

By contrast one of Euripides' plays, for example, Orestes is a lot more serious and tragic. While both end with death the tone of The Clouds is a lot more jovial. It feels as if Aristophanes is having a lot more fun with his audience by not being so lofty with his storytelling.

Conclusion

The Clouds is a satirical play that explores the idea of the new way against the old way. It centers around a father and son. The son eventually goes to the Socratic thinkery. He comes out corrupted and argumentative. This is what the father wanted to escape his creditors. It is not long however until the son turns this against his father. 

Have you read The Clouds? If so what did you think of it? 
 
Want to read The Clouds but haven't? Please leave me a comment and let me know why you want to read it.

Hopefully, this post inspires you to take the time to look into it on your own journey of Self Education.

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Poking fun at the Peloponnesian war in Athens; The Acharnians, Aristophanes

Why you might read The Achanians?

The Achanians is the first political Satire on the list. As such it is both an interesting read and a step in the development of the play. As well as being the start of satire as a way to criticize the ruling powers.

For my Self Education project, it is a great stepping stone toward modern plays and modern satire.

Story of The Achanians

The Achanians is a two Act play with two distinct scenes. The first is in the Pynx where the Assembly meets in Athens. The second is in front of our main character Dikaiopolis' house. 

The first act starts with Dikaiopolis sitting in the Pynx waiting for everyone to show up. He waits even though he arrived on time. He laments how no-one seems to take it seriously.  The others, including the council, arrive and the session is started. There are delegates from Persia who Dikaiopolis speaks against. Then delegates from Thrace are seen and again Dikaiopolis speaks against them.

The scene shifts to in front of Dikaiopolis' house. Here Dikaiopolis gets a friend to go to Sparta and sue for a personal peace. The friend returns with three different wineskins representing three different durations of peace. He chooses the longest one. He is then accosted by the chorus as a traitor but talks his way out of being stoned to death.

The second act starts with  Dikaiopolis setting up a market outside his house. In his market, there is only one exemption that the hero Lamachus cannot buy. He allows Boethians and Megarians to trade though they are banned in the rest of Athens. He sells first to a Magarian who sells him, two girls. He then sells an Informer to a Boethian. Both times Informers try and disrupt the sale and confiscate the goods. Both times Dikaiopolis sends them on their way. The play ends with Lamachus being called to war and Dikaiopolis being called to a feast. Lamachus returns injured and dismayed. While Dikaiopolis returns full of wine having triumphed in the drinking contest.

Reflections on The Achanians

It is interesting to read the first real piece of satire and dissonance. Here we have one old man going against the mainstay of Athens during the Peloponnesian war. He even sues for his own peace and argues for the Spartan side of the war as valid. He just wants to live the simple life and the war to go away.  The whole thing seems to be, especially the end part, a stick in the eye for anyone thinking this time was about glory in Athens.

Our main character is a nobody, he is just a farmer stuck in Athens. All of Attica was in Athens as the Spartans were raiding around the countryside for years on end. Aristophanes puts this nobody up against the assembly. And then against other Athenian citizens who were for the war. Yet he and his personal peace with Sparta come through intact. Everything comes out rosey for our nobody.

From a little digging, it looks like this was actually written at the time of the war. It was also performed at the time. As such it really is a political Satire of the war.

What others have to say about The Achanians

"Produced at the Lenaea in 425 BC, The Acharnians is the third play composed by Aristophanes, his earliest extant work, and the earliest Ancient Greek comedy that has survived entirely intact to this day." From Greek Mythology

"The play is notable for its absurd humour and its imaginative appeal for an end to the Peloponnesian War against the Spartans, which was already into its sixth year when the play was produced." From Ancient Literature

Comparisons with other texts

Unlike the History of the Peloponnesian War, this text is a commentary aimed at putting an end to the war. The history of the Peloponnesian war covers the entire war. By contrast, this text captures a snapshot after 6 years. They clearly cover the same event but in various styles. Thucydides is trying to report true history. Aristophanes on the other hand is conveying dissent to the war as it is going on. 

We can also look at The Suppliant Women by Euripides. This was a far more serious play and a tragedy. By comparison, The Acharnians is a comedy in both the traditional and modern sense. Its absurdist humor shines through every stage of the play. And as such, it was an interesting read.

Conclusion

The Acharnians is a play in two acts. It is a piece of satire and political dissent. As such it is a much easier read than some of the plays covered so far. It pokes fun at the first six years of the Peloponnesian war. It even takes shots at the leaders and generals of the war. 

Have you read The Acharnians? If so what did you think of it? 
 
Want to read The Acharnians but haven't? Please leave me a comment and let me know why you want to read it.

Hopefully, this post inspires you to take the time to look into it on your own journey of Self Education.

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Treating ulcers in various ways; On Ulcers, Hippocrates

 Why might you read On Ulcers?

On Ulcers is the last of the Hippocratic Corpus. As such it rounds out our knowledge of what Hippocrates knew, which was put into writing. It gives us our last glimpse into ancient Greek Medicine for the time being.

In my Self Education project, On Ulcers stands as another piece in the greater puzzle of the corpus.

Content of On Ulcers

On Ulcers is a short text that mainly details the many concoctions that can be put on ulcers to help them heal. Hippocrates starts with the general idea of drying out the Ulcer. As well as some discussion on how Ulcers occur. He recommends if they are new cutting them open to drain and bleed them. He does spend most of the work detailing different herbal mixtures that can be put on the ulcers. Again he starts in general and then moves to more specific. Not very specific but a little more. He has a section on different mixtures for the winter. They contain animal fat which the others have not. These seem to more of a kind that would set on a wound under the bandages.

Reflections on On Ulcers

The use of saffron in one of the remedies was a surprise. I don't think it has much in the way of medicinal properties. It is also expensive and the remedy called for quite a lot of it. That being said it was one of a list of possible remedies. Hippocrates was not specific about when to use it or the other options. Because of this, I would take it that the saffron remedy was an option. That other cheaper remedies could be used.

Some remedies seemed more likely to work than others. But that is because I bring modern general knowledge to the table. For example, a remedy with honey and white vinegar seem to me to have more promise than boiled olive leaves.

What others have to say about On Ulcers

This is another case where there is little on the internet about the work and many copies of the work. I found one paper but it was hidden behind a paywall.

Comparisons with other texts

On Fistulae also has plenty of remedies without too much clarity on when to use each. But, it does deal more specifically with a skin ailment in one place and is more specific in that way.

Unlike On the Surgery, there is little information about how to bandage the treated Ulcers. On the Surgery by contrast is nearly entirely about how to bandage wounds.

Conclusion

On Ulcers is a short work detailing many possible treatments for Ulcers. Though cutting and bleeding are prescribed in all cases where the sore is new. What to then add to the wound as a treatment is varied without too much description on when to use what. From that, we can gather that a great many of the treatments are interchangable.

Have you read On Ulcers? If so what did you think of it? 

 
Want to read On Ulcers but haven't? Please leave me a comment and let me know why you want to read it.

Hopefully, this post inspires you to take the time to look into it on your own journey of Self Education.

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Treating Anal Fistulae; On Fistulae, Hippocrates

 Why you might read On Fistulae?

On Fistulae is a very specific work, it covers exactly what it says. Its interest value though is still there for those interested in early greek medicine.

In my Self Education project, this is a work that, while informative, is mainly there to round out the corpus.

Content of On Fistulae

Hippocrates barely deals with what is a Fistulae. Instead, he spends this short work detailing many cures for it. These start with when to cut it open before treating and when to treat it as it is. Generally, he recommends not to cut if it has gone septic. All his remedies include some sponge or other foreign object being introduced. This is either with or after a wash or tincture has been applied.

Reflections on On Fistulae

I had never heard of the term Fistulae before and as Hippocrates does not seriously define the term. I found I needed to google it just to understand what he was treating. If your wondering it is a tube that forms between two hollow organs or one hollow organ and the skin. In this case, he is only dealing with tubes from the anus to the skin. Hippocrates does mention that untreated they can cause death.

What others have to say about On Fistulae

"Hippocrates was the first to use this technique where he inserted horsehair with lint in the fistula tract and then periodically tightened it. It is used almost for all types of anal fistulae and is showing a high healing rate between 80–100%." From Longterm outcome of anal fistula – A retrospective study

Comparisons to other texts

It reminds me of On Hemorrhoids. The treatments are similar, while not the same. Hippocrates generally packs the anus with a sponge or other object.

Unlike Instruments of Reductions, this text only mentions death once in passing. By contrast, Instruments of Reductions, details how lack of reduction can cause maiming or death.

Conclusion

On Fistulae is a short text covering many ways to treat anal fistulae. Hippocrates does not do a good job at defining his terms. He is, however, thorough in covering possible treatments. Some of his techniques still have cognates today. Also, this is the second time we have dealt with issues of the anus and how to treat them. 

Have you read On Fistulae? If so what did you think of it? 

 
Want to read On Fistulae but haven't? Please leave me a comment and let me know why you want to read it.

Hopefully, this post inspires you to take the time to look into it on your own journey of Self Education.

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Arcite is untrue to queen Anelida; Anelida and Arcite, Geoffrey Chaucer

 Why you might read Anelida and Arcite?

Anelida and Arcite is a quick read and a lot easier than previous works of Chaucer. None the less it is still part of the works of Chaucer. It is worth a read especially as it is a little more straight forward. 

In my Self Education project it helps to form a rounded understanding of Chaucer. It also serves as a lesson in Middle English before the pronunciation shift.

Story of Anelida and Arcite

Anelida and Arcite is a poem that ends abruptly and is likely to be incomplete. Anelida is the queen of her town and Arcite is a traveling Knight of Thebes. She falls in love with him and he acts like he loves her too. But he is false and quickly leaves her for other women. She is heart broken but he just laughs at her when she confronts him. The poem then goes on to detail he complaint against him in the form of a strophe and anti strophe. The poem returns to the story for a few lines and then ends.

Reflections on Anelida and Arcite

It is interesting that Chaucer chooses a story from around the time of Thebes as a great city. Yet his characters are more Italian or French that Greek. His knights are from his own period as is his understanding of a queen. She is cast as more helpless than we see the queens be in the Greek plays set at similar times.

The basic deception of Arcite is quite intense. He never loves her and you have to wonder if he only was with her to be with a queen. That being said he doesn't seem to take power over the city as we would expect in Greek times.

What others have to say about Anelida and Arcite

"The simple story tells of the faithlessness of Arcite to Queen Anelida." From Oxford reference

Comparisons with other texts

This is the first work of Chaucer so far that has not included dream sequences. We see these dreams in the House of Fame and The Book of Duchess. This poem therefore feels much more solid and set in reality. Even if it is still a story. 

While it is set at the height of Thebes' power it is a very different story than what we see in the Iliad. This is also in poetic form but it is a very different style. Th Iliad focuses on the men and the daring deeds where as here Chaucer is focused on a woman and her mans lack of virtue.

Conclusion

Anelida and Arcite is a short poem that is most likely incomplete. It covers the courtship of the two and the subsequent unfaithfulness of Arcite. It is the first work we have seen without a dream sequence. It also is very different from the likes of the Iliad. Though they are set in similar time periods. They treat there subject matter very different. 

Have you read Anelida and Arcite? If so what did you think of it? 

 
Want to read Anelida and Arcite but haven't? Please leave me a comment and let me know why you want to read it.

Hopefully, this post inspires you to take the time to look into it on your own journey of Self Education.

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A more comprehensive run through of dislocations and some other injuries; On the Articulations, Hippocrates

 Why you might read On the Articulations?

On the Articulations is a more in-depth form. We have previously seen dislocations treated but this is a more comprehensive volume. As such it gives even greater insight into how crippling dislocations could be and how they could be sometimes treated.

In my Self Education project, it starts to fill that gap of how injuries were treated. Injuries being the other part of medicine. It also gives insight into how dangerous a dislocation was at the time.

Content of On the Articulations

On the articulations works its way through dislocations an injuries of the joints. These range from shoulder to hip, from elbow to knee and also include the spine. All of these include discussions on mechanical aids and devices. For the hip, Hippocrates spends a lot of time on the deformations that will occur if the joint is not reduced. He does eventually get onto the difficulties and ways to reduce the joint. He does point out with the hip that it really needs to be done immediately. Because otherwise, the inflammation will make it impossible.

With all the joints he points out that you should not reduce the injury if the skin is broken. Reducing at that point is likely to kill the patient. It does mean however that they will be crippled by the injury. He also states that if the inflammation had come in the joint can only be reduced once the inflammation starts to come down. Reduction at this point will be a lot harder.

Reflections on On the Articulations

As I have said in other words, it strikes me how much easily injuries could cripple someone. Hippocrates spends a lot of time on this with the hip joint and the hand. It makes me thankful for modern medicine. Though I haven't broken or dislocated a joint, the thought that just that could make me a cripple is sobering.

Hippocrates treatment of club foot is interesting. He simply states that a lot can be done by slowly bringing the foot back into the right position. He does so with bandages. I do not know if this treatment actually fixes the problem or just gives a cognate to normal function.

The use of cauterisation to keep the joint from dislocating again is quite jarring. This is in the case of repeated dislocations. Hippocrates in one place rails against one location of cauterisation. He instead suggests the opposite because of the direction of the dislocation. These days while I know we do not do cauterisation but I do not know what we would do instead. I have known soccer players whose knee goes out easily. They were so used to it they just popped it back and kept going.

What others have to say about On the Articulations

"More than 2500 years ago Hippocrates (460-377 B.C.) described in detail various methods for reducing shoulder dislocations, and reduction with the heel has become the most famous one." From Neurovascular complications due to the Hippocrates method for reducing anterior shoulder dislocations

Comparisons with other texts

This is an expansion of the work Instruments of reduction. Instruments of reduction lays out the basics of treating dislocations. Whereas this text takes us right through the process and possible outcomes. 

On the articulations also drifts into the area covered by Fractures. It does so by dealing with some broken bones. Fractures is a lot more complete on the subject whereas this text just uses a few cases as they relate to the joints.

Conclusion

On the Articulations is an in-depth look at the injuries of the joints. It takes the work Instruments of reduction and expands on it to give a complete look. It covers all the joints of the limbs as well as those of the spine. Some of these reductions are still the bases of how we fix dislocations today. That being said we are not as limited as Hippocrates was by what he could physically manage.

Have you read On the Articulations? If so what did you think of it? 

 
Want to read On the Articulations but haven't? Please leave me a comment and let me know why you want to read it.

Hopefully, this post inspires you to take the time to look into it on your own journey of Self Education.

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Dislocations and how to treat them; Instruments of Reduction, Hippocrates

 Why you might read Instruments of Reduction?

Instruments of reduction is a complete work about dislocations of the joints and spine. Hippocrates also explains how the person will be lamed by the injury. Because of this it also gives us great insight into the risks of getting hurt in Greek times.

In my Self Education project, the Hippocratic corpus is of great import. It is the first real medicine books and gives a great foundation for medicine and the life sciences in books to come.

Content of Instruments of Reduction

First Hippocrates spends some time describing the skeletal system in depth. This includes which way the bones curve in the body. As well as a systematic description of what connects to what.

For the rest of the book, he works his way around the body. For each joint, he describes how it can be dislocated and how to return it to its position. He also details how it will heal and how lame it will be afterwards. He details this both for if it is relocated or reduced and if it is left untreated. In a couple of places, he describes how death will likely follow the injury. He does cover a little about what to do with treatment after reduction like restricting food and bandaging. He generally says no splints the exception being the fingers. This is a small part of the text as he is mainly focused on the dislocations themselves.

Reflections on Instruments of Reduction

The number of different ways you can dislocate a lot of your joints was surprising. Most can be dislocated in at least two different ways with some being able to be dislocated in up to four ways. This is of course on two planes of movement. When there is only two it is on the same plane. so backwards and forwards or inwards and outwards.

Again Hippocrates includes the use of mechanical devices to help reduce the joint. These need more understanding of his terms than I managed on a read through. He talks about using axels but not how they are used. His contraptions are generally based on these axels.

I found this book hard to read as I kept imagining the dislocations and reductions. The text itself isn't difficult, it made me squeamish.

What others have to say about Instruments of Reduction

The internet is quite again about this book. There are many places to find the text of it online but no-one has written much about it.

Comparisons with other texts

This book reminds me a lot of Fractures. That being said they are the reverse of each other. Fractures is about fractures with a slight deviation into dislocations. Whereas this text is dislocations with a slight deviation into fractures where relevant. As such while they cover some of the same material they complement each other.

Like Injuries of the Head, this is a practical work. They both start with a discussion of the relevant anatomy. They then continue on to specifics of injuries and how to treat them.

Conclusion

Instruments of Reductions is a text about relocating dislocated joints. It covers this in a systematic and complete way even detailing when death is likely to occur. It has a lot in common with Hippocrates other injury based books and complements them nicely.

Have you read Instruments of Reduction? If so what did you think of it? 

 
Want to read Instruments of Reduction but haven't? Please leave me a comment and let me know why you want to read it.

Hopefully, this post inspires you to take the time to look into it on your own journey of Self Education.

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