Helen King (professor)
Encyclopedia
Dr Helen King is Professor of Classical Studies at the Open University. She was previously professor of the History of Classical Medicine and head of the department of Classics at the University of Reading
, England. Her first degree, at University College London
, was in Ancient History and Social Anthropology; she then held research fellowships in Cambridge and Newcastle, taught in Liverpool for 8 years, and came to Reading on a Wellcome Trust
University Award in 1996. She has been a Fellow at the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Studies (2001), a Landsdowne Visiting Lecturer at the University of Victoria, British Columbia (2002), and a Visiting Professor at the University of Texas at Austin (2005). She is chair of the Wellcome grants panel, 'Research Resources in the History of Medicine'.
With the publication of her book Hippocrates' Woman: Reading the Female Body in Ancient Greece (Routledge, 1998) King established herself as the leading authority on the practice and theory of ancient medicine
as relating to women and how it continues to influence thought to the present day.
Since completing her PhD on menstruation
in ancient Greece, King has been interested in setting ancient medical thought within its social and cultural context, as one way - among others - of making sense of life. She has therefore looked at ancient ideas about creation, the role of women, and sacrifice to illuminate Hippocratic gynaecology. From teaching the history of medicine at Reading, she wrote a short introduction to the main issues, Greek and Roman Medicine (Bristol Classical Press, 2001). A volume of essays on Health in Antiquity was published under her editorship in March 2005 (Routledge).
She is particularly interested in the alleged (and imaginary) classical origins of female hysteria
, on which she published Hysteria Beyond Freud (written with S. Gilman, R. Porter, G.S. Rousseau and E. Showalter, University of California Press, 1993), a section in History of Clinical Psychiatry (eds G. E. Berrios
and R. Porter, Athlone Press, 1995), and 'Recovering hysteria from history: Herodotus
and "the first case of shell shock"' in Peter Halligan et al. (eds), Contemporary Approaches to the Science of Hysteria: Clinical and Theoretical Perspectives (Oxford University Press, 2001).
King has published on the myths of Tithonos
, on mermaid
s, and on the myth/fable of Agnodice
, 'the first midwife'; she has investigated how this story was used to give authority to women in medical roles in various historical periods.
University of Reading
The University of Reading is a university in the English town of Reading, Berkshire. The University was established in 1892 as University College, Reading and received its Royal Charter in 1926. It is based on several campuses in, and around, the town of Reading.The University has a long tradition...
, England. Her first degree, at University College London
University College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
, was in Ancient History and Social Anthropology; she then held research fellowships in Cambridge and Newcastle, taught in Liverpool for 8 years, and came to Reading on a Wellcome Trust
Wellcome Trust
The Wellcome Trust was established in 1936 as an independent charity funding research to improve human and animal health. With an endowment of around £13.9 billion, it is the United Kingdom's largest non-governmental source of funds for biomedical research...
University Award in 1996. She has been a Fellow at the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Studies (2001), a Landsdowne Visiting Lecturer at the University of Victoria, British Columbia (2002), and a Visiting Professor at the University of Texas at Austin (2005). She is chair of the Wellcome grants panel, 'Research Resources in the History of Medicine'.
With the publication of her book Hippocrates' Woman: Reading the Female Body in Ancient Greece (Routledge, 1998) King established herself as the leading authority on the practice and theory of ancient medicine
History of medicine
All human societies have medical beliefs that provide explanations for birth, death, and disease. Throughout history, illness has been attributed to witchcraft, demons, astral influence, or the will of the gods...
as relating to women and how it continues to influence thought to the present day.
Since completing her PhD on menstruation
Menstruation
Menstruation is the shedding of the uterine lining . It occurs on a regular basis in sexually reproductive-age females of certain mammal species. This article focuses on human menstruation.-Overview:...
in ancient Greece, King has been interested in setting ancient medical thought within its social and cultural context, as one way - among others - of making sense of life. She has therefore looked at ancient ideas about creation, the role of women, and sacrifice to illuminate Hippocratic gynaecology. From teaching the history of medicine at Reading, she wrote a short introduction to the main issues, Greek and Roman Medicine (Bristol Classical Press, 2001). A volume of essays on Health in Antiquity was published under her editorship in March 2005 (Routledge).
She is particularly interested in the alleged (and imaginary) classical origins of female hysteria
Female hysteria
Female hysteria was a once-common medical diagnosis, made exclusively in women, which is today no longer recognized by modern medical authorities as a medical disorder. Its diagnosis and treatment were routine for many hundreds of years in Western Europe. Hysteria was widely discussed in the...
, on which she published Hysteria Beyond Freud (written with S. Gilman, R. Porter, G.S. Rousseau and E. Showalter, University of California Press, 1993), a section in History of Clinical Psychiatry (eds G. E. Berrios
G. E. Berrios
German E. Berrios is a Professor of Psychiatry at Cambridge University in the UK.He was born in Tacna, Peru, and studied medicine and philosophy at the University of San Marcos . Subsequently, he read psychology and philosophy at Corpus Christi College, Oxford University, where he was a scholar by...
and R. Porter, Athlone Press, 1995), and 'Recovering hysteria from history: Herodotus
Herodotus
Herodotus was an ancient Greek historian who was born in Halicarnassus, Caria and lived in the 5th century BC . He has been called the "Father of History", and was the first historian known to collect his materials systematically, test their accuracy to a certain extent and arrange them in a...
and "the first case of shell shock"' in Peter Halligan et al. (eds), Contemporary Approaches to the Science of Hysteria: Clinical and Theoretical Perspectives (Oxford University Press, 2001).
King has published on the myths of Tithonos
Tithonos
In Greek mythology, Tithonos was a son of Eos and Cephalus. The name of Eos' lover, Tithonus, is also sometimes spelled Tithonos. He is mentioned in Book Eleven of The Iliad as "the haughty Tithonos," by whom Eos slept . In this instance, he is most likely Eos's lover and not her son...
, on mermaid
Mermaid
A mermaid is a mythological aquatic creature with a female human head, arms, and torso and the tail of a fish. A male version of a mermaid is known as a "merman" and in general both males and females are known as "merfolk"...
s, and on the myth/fable of Agnodice
Agnodice
Agnodice or Agnodike was the earliest historical, and likely apocryphal, midwife mentioned among the ancient Greeks. She was a native of Athens, where it was forbidden by law for women or slaves to study medicine...
, 'the first midwife'; she has investigated how this story was used to give authority to women in medical roles in various historical periods.