title: [Helen of Troy and medicine, a picture of the "Salle des Actes"].
abstract: The picture of the 17th century, placed upon the great chimney in the "Salle des Actes", is attributed to the painter Simon Vouet or to his co-workers. It depicts a scene extracted from Odyssey by Homer. During their way-back to Greece, after the fall and the fire of Troia, Helen and Menelaus received in Egypt the famous nepenthes from the hands of Polydamna. An inventory of the possessions of the College of Pharmacy mentioned also helenium and moly. Nepenthes was really cited by Homer as a medicine used by Helen, but helenium was only related to Helen by euphony and moly referred to a totally different part of Odyssey and was not linked at all to Helen. This study points out the importance of mythology so far as origins of Pharmacy are concerned.
authors.affiliation: Faculté de médecine et de pharmacie, 22 boulevard Gambetta, 76183 Rouen, cedex 1.
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Lafont
mesh_terms: D018645:Greek World; D000077406:History of Pharmacy; D049671:History, 18th Century; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049690:History, Ancient; D006801:Humans; D008512:Medicine in the Arts; D010297:Paris; D012580:Schools, Pharmacy