March is International Women’s month, so it seemed apt to choose a word that personified a strong woman.
3 min read · Mar 15, 2022
--
Women are nurturing. Their unique ability to soothe and care for another has been documented for centuries. In Greek mythology, Panacea is the goddess of healing. She’s an early example of the important role women played as healers throughout the ages.
Panacea
March 8th is International Women’s Day. Women didn’t have many rights in ancient Greece but I would like to think that the Goddesses of Greek mythology played a role in procuring their modern liberation.
They were symbols of love (Athena), hope (Elpis), or harmony (Harmonia) Another one of these prestigious ladies was a Greek goddess named Panacea — the goddess of healing.
Asclepius, the Greek god of medicine, had five daughters. His daughters followed in his footsteps, and each represented a facet of health and wellness. Panacea — one of the five daughters — was considered the goddess of universal wellness and is depicted in Greek mythology as a healer.
In the Oath, Hippocrates sets out a guide of conduct for all physicians. It’s essentially an oath of ethics. In the original Greek text, Hippocrates calls on physicians and medical teachers to swear by the gods that they will uphold ethical principles of medicine. The oldest fragment of the oath is depicted on a torn piece of papyrus and dates to 275 AD.
A Greek version of the Oath from a 1923 Loeb edition mentions Panacea, her sister Hygieia and their father Asclepius.
‘I swear by Apollo Healer, by Asclepius, by Hygieia, by Panacea, and by all the gods and goddesses, making them my witnesses…’
The Loeb library is a collection of ancient Greek and Roman writings translated to English. It was established by James Loeb over a century ago.
