The Holistic Health Philosophy and Influence of the Byzantine Physician Oribasius

Author(s)	Dr. LUNG-TAN LU
Country	Taiwan
Abstract	This study aims to examine the holistic health philosophy articulated by the Byzantine physician Oribasius (320–403 CE) in his Synagogae Medicae and to analyze its position within the intellectual history of medicine. Using documentary analysis and a comparative historical approach, the study juxtaposes Oribasius’s work with that of Hippocrates, Galen, and later Arabic and Western medical texts. The findings indicate that Oribasius developed an integrated conception of health encompassing physiological, psychological, spiritual, and social dimensions through the frameworks of humoral theory and the six non-naturals. Moreover, he was the first to incorporate medical ethics and public hygiene into the scope of health. This research suggests that the Synagogae Medicae not only preserved classical medical knowledge but also initiated a paradigmatic shift from curative medicine to preventive medicine and virtue-based health cultivation. Its academic contribution lies in revealing the mediating role of Byzantine medicine in the formation of the holistic health ideal and in reassessing Oribasius’s significance within the medical and cultural traditions of late antiquity.
Keywords	Oribasius, Byzantine medicine, holistic health, history of medical thought
Field	Medical / Pharmacy
Published In	Volume 7, Issue 5, September-October 2025
Published On	2025-10-31
DOI	https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2025.v07i05.59157

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