... in part a very erudite detective story in which the author uses the tools of archeology and philology to shed light on a 'remarkable doctor and thinker'.

Fox adds fact and understanding to the general public’s knowledge and misunderstanding of medicine in classical Greece. Many questions remain but he finds answers not just by literary examination but also archaeology .. The reader does not need medical or philosophical knowledge to follow this clear and interesting text. It makes a good introduction to the Greek world in general. The book has a detailed and informative list of illustrations and useful maps..

Lane Fox’s emphasis is less on philosophical wranglings or the fortune of chancers than on detailed observation, the path that takes him to the gold-rush island of Thasos and the controversy over who was the Hippocrates who got the credit for so many doctors’ work.

Fox, in his characteristic thoughtfully argumentative and practical style, sifts through centuries of epigraphic, numismatic, and archaeological evidence to place the so-called Epidemic texts in a new context.

Esteemed historian Fox meticulously explores the evolution of the craft of medicine in ancient Greece.

Fresh historical context—social, cultural, and intellectual—on the emergence of an entirely new medical practice in ancient Greece ..In a meaty exploration, the author closely examines the Epidemics, a collection of books attributed to Hippocrates—the founding father of rationally based medicine—and his immediate associates, which posited a conceptual break with earlier medical practice. [Fox] is consistently thorough and logically coherent as he delves into the language, style, and content of the texts.