The Classical Doctrine of Indian Medicine: Its Origins and its Greek Parallels c14.44

c14.44

Mr. Bréhier, Mr. Bidez and Father Festugiére have drawn attention to an extract of Aristoxenes of Tarentum, quoted after Aristocles by Eusebes in his *Préparation évangélique* (XI, 3, 8)¹, Aristoxenes, who lived towards 320-300 had narrated how an Indian who used to see Socrates at Athens, made fun of him one day when he learnt that Socrates did research on human life, saying that it was impossible to understand things human as long as things divine were ignored. If Socrates had thus been able to communicate with an Indian philosopher in Athens, it would have been quite natural for Plato to have knowledge of the medical doctrines of India which are evoked in his *Timaeus* by so many characteristic resemblances. But this piece is considered as presenting a purely imaginary anecdote. The possibility of the presence at Athens of an Indian before 399, the date of the death of Socrates, that is to say, more than seventy years before Alexander, had opened the Indian world to the knowledge of the Hellenes, does not seem to have been found worthy of examination. The only effort made has been to find out the reasons as to why such encounters between Greek and Oriental sages have been evoked.