I learned today … that Galen was green

galenNot in the literal sense, but I think that he was perhaps the first practitioner of sustainable healthcare.  Although Galen (AD130-210) is well known as the basis for much medicine up until the 16th Century when his work on anatomy and circulation were proved to be inaccurate by Vesalius (one of my all-time heroes after Robert Hooke) and Harvey, he perhaps should also be lauded as one of the earliest sustainability managers.  According to the historians on a recent R4 podcast Galen had perhaps one of the biggest recipe books for drugs and treatments, receiving recipes from across the Roman empire; most of these were plant based and some survive up to the present day.  Not only did he prescribe remedies based on diet and exercise, but he also realised the effect of stress and mental health on physical health.

I think that if he were alive today he would definitely think that prevention was better than cure!