Alcmaeon have been a student of Pythagoras and have been born around 510 BC. His father was Peirithus or Perithus. He was most probably born at Croton; at all events he lived in that city for a number of years.
Croton, which he came from, was a scientific metropolis of excellent medical school, run by Alcmaeon for some time To this city – Democedes (one of the most famous doctors in Hellas) arrived to practice medicine for five years.
Alcmaeon developed activity mainly in the area of medicine and natural philosophy with Pythagorean affinity.
Multifaceted thinker, he improved the medicine offering a new point of view to understand the mechanisms determining the health status and the disease. He dealt a variety of physiology issues about the sleep, diet, death, and pregnancy.
In ancient time he was considered as a father of anatomy, which is proof of his very knowledgeable.
Alcmaeon writings are naturalistic, astronomical, psychological and biological. Diogenes Laertius remarks that the contents of his books are for the most part medical, although he also wrote on nature. Fragment II of the present collection contains the opening of one of Alemaeon's books and suggests also the title.
Alcmaeon of Croton
