List of ancient physicians

The following is a list of ancient physicians who were known to have practised, contributed, or theorised about medicine in some form between the 30th century BCE and 4th century CE.

30th century to 1st century BCE Name Century Ethnicity Known forImhotep27th century BCEEgyptianOne of the first recorded physiciansBogar3rd century BCEIndian The Pharmacognosy is the best known of his treatisesTirumular2nd century BCEIndian Aegimus 5th century BCE Greek first person who wrote a treatise on the pulseKorakkar2nd century BCEIndian His works include Korakkar Malai Vagatam (Korakkar's Mountain Medicines)Patanjali2nd century BCEIndianFounder of Yoga School Amenhotep 13th century BCE Egyptian chief physician of the early 19th Dynasty Androcydes 4th century BCE Greek Antipater 1st century BCE Greek author of a work titled On the SoulKashyapa8th century BCE Indian wrote Kashyap Samhita Apollonius Glaucus 3rd century BCE Greek On Internal Diseases Apollonios of Kition 1st century BCE Greek Cypriot most important work is On JointsAgnivesha8th century BCEIndian wrote Agnivesha Samhita considered foundational text of the Agnivesha school of early Ayurveda Bharadwaja12th century BCEIndian He stated that embryo is caused from union of man's sperm and menstrual blood of womanAtreya6th century BCEIndian Instructor of the compiler of the Bhela Samhita Aristotle 4th century BCE Greek Asclepiades of Bithynia 2nd–1st century BCE Greek built a new theory of disease Bian Que 4th century BCE Chinese earliest known Chinese physician Bolus of Mendes 3rd century BCE Greek Cato the Elder 2nd century BCE Roman Charaka 6th–2nd century BCE Indian one of the principal contributors to Ayurveda Ctesias 5th century BCE Greek Demetrius of Apamea 2nd century BCE Greek studied sexual organs Dexippus of Cos 4th century BCE Greek pupil of Hippocrates Dieuches 4th century BCE Greek Dogmatic school of medicine Diocles of Carystus 4th century BCE Greek practical medicine, especially diet and nutrition Erasistratus 3rd century BCE Greek founded a school of anatomy in Alexandria Heraclides of Tarentum 2nd century BCE Greek physician of the Empiric school Herophilus 3rd century BCE Greek deemed to be the first anatomist Hicesius 1st century BCE Greek head of a medical school established at Smyrna Hippocrates 5th century BCE Greek "Father of Medicine", wrote the Hippocratic Corpus Irynachet 22nd century BCE Egyptian senior physician of the great house Jivaka Komarabhacca 5th century BCE Indian personal physician of King Bimbisara and Gautama Buddha Madhava-kara 8th century BCE Indian listed diseases along with their causes, symptoms, and complications Meges of Sidon 1st century BCE Greek/Roman surgeon Mnesitheus 4th century BCE Greek classification of diseases Sextius Niger 1st century BCE Roman pharmacology Penthu 16th century BCE Egyptian Chief Physician to Akhenaten Peseshet 25th century BCE Egyptian one of the earliest known female physiciansHarita 8th century BCEIndianpupil of Atreya and composed samhitaJatukarna8th century BCEIndianpupil of Atreya and composed "Jatukarna Samhita" Philinus of Cos 3rd century BCE Greek reputed founder of the Empiric school Philistion of Locri 4th century BCE Greek physician and writer of medicine Philoxenus (physician) 3rd century BCE Greco-Egyptian wrote several volumes on surgery Plistonicus 4th–3rd century BCE Greek wrote a work on anatomy Posidonius 2nd–1st century BCE Greek polymath Praxagoras of Cos 4th century BCE Greek theory of circulation Qar 23rd century BCE Egyptian Chief Physician during the Sixth dynasty Rabâ-ša-Marduk 13th century BCE Kassite Serapion of Alexandria 3rd century BCE Greek member of the Empiric school of medicine Shepseskaf-ankh 25th century BCE Egyptian Chief Physician during the Fifth dynasty Sushruta 7th century BCE Indian author of the treatise The Compendium of Suśruta Themison of Laodicea 1st century BCE Greek founder of the Methodic school of medicine Theophrastus 4th–3rd century BCE Greek

1st century to 4th century CE Name Century Ethnicity Known for Abascantus 2nd century CE Greek invented antidote against serpent bitesFabiola4th century CERomanFirst hospital in Latin Christendom was founded by Fabiola at Rome.Ephrem the Syrian4th century CERomanOpened a hospital at Edessa They spread out and specialized nosocomia for the sick, brephotrophia for foundlings, orphanotrophia for orphans, ptochia for the poor, xenodochia for poor or infirm pilgrims, and gerontochia for the oldBasil of Caesarea4th century CERoman Founded at Caesarea in Cappadocia an institution (hospital) called Basileias, with several buildings for patients, nurses, physicians, workshops, and schools. Aemilia Hilaria 4th century CE Roman female physician. Wrote books on gynecology and obstetrics. Aeschrion of Pergamon 2nd century CE Greek pharmaceutist Agathinus 1st century CE Greek founder of the Eclectic school of medicine Albucius 1st century CE Roman wealthy physician, with annual income of 250,000 sesterces Alcon (classical history) 1st century CE Greek surgeon Andromachus 1st century CE Greek Anonymus Londinensis 1st century CE Greek author of the physiological work On Medicine Antipater 2nd century CE Greek gave an account of the morbid symptoms that precede death Antiphanes of Delos 2nd century CE Greek "the sole cause of diseases in man was the too great variety of his food" Antonius Castor 1st century CE Roman herbal remedies Antyllus 2nd century CE Greek surgeon, treatment of aneurysms became standard until the 19th century Apollonius Claudius 2nd century CE Greek Apollonius Cyprius 1st century CE Greek Apollonius Organicus 2nd century CE Greek Apollonius Pergamenus 3rd century CE Greek Apollonius Pitaneus 1st century CE Greek Apollonius Senior 1st century CE Greek Apollonius Tarensis 1st century CE Greek Apollonius Ther 1st century CE Greek Dridhabala2nd century CE India edited the Charaka Samhita Archigenes 1st–2nd century CE Greek very high reputation for his professional skill Arcyon 1st century CE Greek surgeon Aretaeus 1st century CE Greek general treatise on diseases Asclepiades Pharmacion 1st–2nd century CE Greek skill and knowledge of pharmacy Aspasia the Physician 4th century CE Greek Female gynecologist Athenaeus of Attalia 1st century CE Greek founder of the Pneumatic school of medicine Cassius Felix 3rd century CE Roman African medical writer Aulus Cornelius Celsus 1st century CE Roman De Medicina Charmis 1st–2nd century CE Greek Physician active in Rome Saints Cosmas and Damian 3rd century CE Arab persecuted by Diocletian Crinas 1st–2nd century CE Greek Physician active in Rome Criton of Heraclea 1st–2nd century CE Greek Chief physician of emperor Trajan Damocrates 1st century CE Greek wrote pharmaceutical works in Greek iambic verse Demosthenes Philalethes 1st century CE Greek author of the Ophthalmicus, the most influential work of ophthalmology in antiquity Saint Diomedes 3rd century CE Greek arrested by Diocletian Pedanius Dioscorides 1st century CE Greek De Materia Medica Dong Feng 3rd century CE Chinese Erotianus 1st century CE Greek Collection of Hippocratic Words Eudemus (physician) 1st–2nd century CE Greek two persons, the first the poisoner of Drusus Julius Caesar, the second an acquaintance of Galen Saint Fabiola 4th century CE Roman nurse Gaius Stertinius Xenophon 1st century CE Greek personal physician of emperor Claudius Galen 2nd–3rd century CE Greek developer of anatomy, physiology, pathology, pharmacology, and neurology Ge Hong 4th century CE Chinese originator of First Aid in TCM Heliodorus 1st century CE Greek wrote on medical technique Herodotus (physician) 1st–2nd century CE Greek Two doctors, the first a Pneumaticist, the second an Empiricist Hua Tuo 2nd century CE Chinese abilities in acupuncture, moxibustion, herbal medicine and medical Daoyin exercises Huangfu Mi 3rd century CE Chinese compiled the Canon of Acupuncture and Moxibustion Ji Ben 3rd century CE Chinese physician who started a failed rebellion Leonidas (physician) 2nd–3rd century CE Greek surgical writer, provided the first detailed description of a mastectomy Leoparda 4th century CE Greek female gynecologist Marcellus of Side 2nd century CE Greek wrote a long medical poem Quintus Gargilius Martialis 3rd century CE Roman writer on horticulture, botany and medicine Menemachus 2nd century CE Greek Methodic school of medicine Menodotus of Nicomedia 2nd century CE Greek Empiricist Metrodora 4th century CE Greek female gynecologist, author of On the Diseases and Cures of Women. Oribasius 4th century CE Greek medical writer and person physician of Julian the Apostate Paccius Antiochus 1st century CE Roman wealthy commercial physician Philagrius of Epirus 3rd century CE Greek medical writers Philonides (physician) 1st century CE Greek author of De Medicina Philumenus 3rd century CE Greek Aelius Promotus 2nd century CE Greek author of Medicinalium Formularum Collectio Rufus of Ephesus 1st–2nd century CE Greek wrote treatises on dietetics, pathology, anatomy, and patient care Serenus Sammonicus 3rd century CE Roman author of a didactic medical poem Liber Medicinalis Scribonius Largus 1st century CE Roman court physician to the Roman emperor Claudius Sextius Niger 1st century CE Roman author of the pharmacologist work On material Sextus Empiricus 2nd century CE Roman Sextus Placitus 4th century CE Roman author of Libri medicinae Sexti Placiti Papyriensis ex animalibus pecoribus et bestiis vel avibus Concordantiae Soranus of Ephesus 2nd century CE Greek author of treatise on gynecology and On Acute and Chronic Diseases Theodorus Priscianus 4th century CE Roman author of Medical Matters in Four BooksVagbhata4th century CE IndianHe is considered to be "The Trinity" of Ayurvedic knowledge Thessalus of Tralles 1st century CE Roman Methodic school of medicine, court physician of Emperor Nero Xenocrates of Aphrodisias 1st century CE Greek pharmaceutical writer, including On Useful Things from Living Beings Zhang Zhongjing 2nd-3rd century CE Chinese made great contributions to the development of Traditional Chinese Medicine Zopyrus (physician) 1st century CE Greek antidote inventor

Unknown Date Name Century Ethnicity Known for Olymnius of Alexandria Unknown Greek author of the work on Critical Days.A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology, Olymnius

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