The evolution of medicine trought Renaissance

This review of historical medical literature aims to portray the relationship between the philosophical identity of ancient Greece and Christianity and medical progress. Furthermore, we know that the purpose of philosophy is to improve knowledge, which helps to change human thought, leading to its evolution. While philosophy uses words to achieve its goal, Christianity adopts faith. This fusion will lead further to an epistemic critique of the Renaissance and its humanism. However, for this, we want to examine the different realities of medical development between the diverse parts of Europe, dividing it into the east and west according to the most important historical events in the European medieval era. Thus, the study of the various manuscripts, especially from the age of the late Middle Ages and subsequently the Renaissance with its humanism, developed independent epistemological medical thoughts. A significant aspect of this period was the evolving understanding of nutrition and its impact on health, which was deeply intertwined with the philosophical and theological frameworks of the time. In ancient Greece, the concept of diet, or “diaita,” was not only a regimen of food but a holistic lifestyle encompassing exercise, mental well-being, and ethical conduct. This perspective was heavily influenced by the teachings of philosophers like Hippocrates and Galen, who saw the maintenance of balance, or “humor,” in the body as essential for health. With the advent of Christianity, this view was transformed, as dietary practices began to reflect not just physical health but also spiritual purity. Fasting, abstinence, and the consumption of specific foods became not only medical prescriptions but also acts of faith, illustrating how the spiritual and the corporeal were seen as intimately connected in the pursuit of health. As the Renaissance unfolded, humanist scholars sought to reconcile ancient Greek dietary theories with contemporary Christian thought, leading to a re-evaluation of nutritional practices. This period witnessed a burgeoning interest in the medicinal properties of food and the idea that diet could influence not only the body but also the mind and soul. Physicians began to produce extensive treatises on the health benefits of various foods, and the categorisation of diets according to seasons, bodily temperaments, and even astrological signs became common practice. Such works reveal the complexity of medical thinking at the time, which saw nutrition as a fundamental element of both personal well-being and moral virtue. Therefore, we searched through the historical references and the manuscripts of the doctors of those years for the discovery of those relationships. Publications, including reviews, historical, medical, ethics, and philosophy books, on the topic of interest were found on Medline, PubMed, Web of Knowledge, Web of Science, Google Scholar, Elsevier’s (EMBASE.com), and internet museum archives. Texts from the National Library of Greece (Stavros Niarchos Foundation) and from the School of Health Sciences of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (Greece), were considered. We have selected key articles that could provide a historical and scientific view of medicine, of ancient and Christian philosophy, and of nutrition as a medical and spiritual practice that could be connected in the process of knowledge of the doctor in that era. The relationship between diet and health, as explored in these texts, reveals a profound transformation in medical epistemology, where food was seen as both a remedy and a potential poison, capable of influencing not just physical well-being but also the moral and spiritual state of individuals. This dual role of nutrition underscores the philosophical and theological complexities that shaped medical thought during the medieval and Renaissance periods. By examining these historical developments, we can gain a deeper understanding of how nutritional theories have evolved and how they continue to impact contemporary medical and ethical discourses.