Hacettepe Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Pediatri Profesörü

The significance of Byzantine medicine is great because the physicians of that era preserved the knowledge of ancient Greek medicine while usually adding their own personal experience, and this constitutes the vital link with Western European medicine. The first hospitals were organized during the Byzantine period, and the practice of Byzantine medical science and its social applications were regulated by a special medical legislation and deontology. Byzantine medicine was fruitfully connected with the Christian faith. Famous Byzantine physicians such as Oribasius of Pergamum, Aetius of Amida, Alexander of Tralles and Paulus Aegineta showed interest in perinatal medicine, breastfeeding, and pediatric diseases, such as exanthemic diseases, hydrocephalus, ocular diseases, otitis, diabetes mellitus and epilepsy. In this article, these thoughts are summarized.