scribed rust, probably the earliest use of
iron as a drug, and he also used hellebore root as a purgative. He
married a princess and was given part of a kingdom as a reward for his
services. After his death he was awarded divine honours, and temples
were erected for his worship. The deification of AEsculapius and of
Melampus added much to the prestige of doctors in Greece, where they
were always held in honour; but in Rome the practice of medicine was not
considered a highly honourable calling.

Something can be learned from the writings of Homer of the state of
medicine in his time, although we need hardly expect to find in an epic
poem many references to diseases and their cure. As dissection was
considered a profanation of the body, anatomical knowledge was
exceedingly meagre. Machaon was surgeon to Menelaus and Podalarius was
the pioneer of phlebotomy. Both were regarded as the sons of AEsculapius;
they were soldiers as well as doctors, and fought before the walls of
Troy. The surgery required by Homer's heroes was chiefly that of the
battlefield. Unguents and astringents were in use in the physician's
art, and there is reference to "nepenthe," a narcotic drug, and also to
the use of sulphur as a disinfectant. Doctors, according to Homer, were
held in high esteem, and Arctinus relates that two divisions were
recognized, surgeons and physicians, the former held in less honour than
the latter--"Then Asclepius (AEsculapius) bestowed the power of healing
upon his two sons; nevertheless, he made one of the two more celebrated
than the other; on one did he bestow the lighter hand that he might draw
missiles from the flesh, and sew up and heal all wounds; but the other
he endowed with great precision of mind, so as to understand what cannot
be seen, and to heal seemingly incurable diseases."[2]

Machaon fought in the army of Nestor. Fearing for his safety, King
Idomeneus placed him under the charge of Nestor, who was instructed to
take the doctor into his chariot, for "a doctor is worth many men." When
Menelaus was wounded, a messenger was sent for Machaon, who extracted
the barbed arrow, sucked the wound and applied a secret ointment made
known to AEsculapius by Chiron the Centaur, according to tradition.

[Illustration: From Wellcome's Medical Diary (Copyright) By permission
of Burroughs Wellcome & Co.

MACHAON (SON OF ASKLEPIOS),

The first Greek military surgeon, attending to the wounded Menelaus.]

[Illustration