The Journal of asthma : official journal of the Association for the Care of Asthma
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J Asthma
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Biography Historical Article
Bronchial asthma in the medical literature of Greek antiquity.
The actual term asthma is a Greek word that is derived from the verb aazein, meaning to exhale with open mouth, to pant. The expression asthma appeared for the first time in the Iliad, with the meaning of a short-drawn breath, but the earliest text where the word is found as a medical term is the Corpus Hippocraticum. However it is difficult to determine whether in referring to "asthma," Hippocrates and his school (460-360 B. ⋯ D.). The numerous mentions of "asthma" in the extensive writings of Galen (130-200 A. D.) appear to be in general agreement with the Hippocratic texts and to some extent with the statements of Aretaeus.