Puts a different light on prometheus's punishment. His liver devoured by eagle and then grown back to be devoured again. It's like his soul/essence is reborn or reincarnated daily to be destroyed again.
Therefore even if this may be just a coincidence that the legend of Prometheus includes the periodic regrowth of his liver after being wounded, there is also the possibility that some ancient people were aware of some cases of liver regeneration, though it is not clear how they could have discovered that.
- Injuries to the lungs aren't always fatal but patients tend to have lasting breathing problems.
- Liver injuries... hmmm, make your eyes turn yellowish, and it seems like those who come from the region where they drink hot water with some plant inside tend to fare better than those who don't, and if you survive, eyes return to normal and you can make a full recovery.
The article says that there have also been several other authors who have speculated like me that the Greeks might have been aware of the regeneration ability of the liver.
The article continues to say that they do not believe that this was possible.
I agree that it is very unlikely that they were aware of liver regeneration, but it was not impossible.
At that time, they would have seen very frequently wounds to the liver, from spears, arrows or swords. Most of the wounded would have died due to infections but some of them would have survived and recovered.
The unlikely element is only the conclusion that their liver had regenerated, because it is unlikely that their corpses would have been dissected after death, to examine their livers. Nevertheless, in Egypt the viscera were removed before mummification. Therefore it is possible that some Egyptians could have noticed cases of liver regeneration and this knowledge could have been passed to some Greeks.
Even so, they might have thought that the cases of liver regeneration are an exception that can happen only with the help of gods, because most liver wounds must have been fatal, due to infections or blood loss.