title: Aretaeus of Cappodocia. Views on diphtheria.
abstract: Aretaeus of Cappadocia composed a vivid description of diphtheria, noting the symptoms, complications, as well as the remedies to cure it. He was the medical author who used the terms "eschara" and "diphtheres" which are still in use by modern physicians, and the first who recognized the croup. His alum remedy has stood the test of time and is nowadays still under study.
authors.affiliation: History of Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, University of Athens, Greece. gregorytsoucalas@yahoo.gr
authors.forename: Gregory
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tsoucalas
authors.forename: Filio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Marineli
authors.forename: Marianna
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Karamanou
authors.forename: Konstantinos
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Laios
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Androutsos
mesh_terms: D004165:Diphtheria / Q000266:history*; D000076145:Greece, Ancient; D049690:History, Ancient