Herophilus and Erasistratus between tradition and innovation: The case of respiration

The project wants to offer a fresh perspective over the historical meaning of the innovations brought about by Herophilus of Chalcedon and Erasistratus of Ceos. Since a systematic analysis of their proceedings would have gigantic dimensions, not to mention the concrete risk of generalisation, I propose to narrow the focus to one single process: respiration. Now, never having been problematized the diversity emerging from their two theories of respiration, I believe that it would be particularly fruitful to regard Herophilus’ and Erasistratus’ account of it as paradigmatic of their methodology, while possibly shedding some light on the extent of the so-called “anatomical revolution” and its debts towards tradition.