Author Description

The Symptom and the Subject is a groundbreaking work that explores the complex relationship between disease, the body, and the construction of selfhood in ancient Greece. Brooke Holmes examines the philosophical and medical texts of the period, focusing on how illness was understood and experienced. She analyzes the concept of the 'symptom' as a subjective experience and its role in defining the 'subject,' considering the works of key thinkers and physicians, including Hippocrates and Plato. The book delves into the cultural and social implications of illness in the ancient world, investigating the development of medical and ethical frameworks related to disease and considering the body as a site of both biological processes and philosophical inquiry.