Roman Medicine

It took a while for the Romans to accept Greek Medicine.

• Initally rejected ideas
• 3&2nd century BC- many Greek doctors became slaves & some brought to Rome- still suspicious of ideas
• 293BC- plague- Romans estavlished Asclepions- brought sacred snakes from Epidaurus- this asclepion survived throughout roman period- became public hospital- treat poor & slaves
• Medicines & greek practitioners- slowly imporved in status until Julius Caesar allowed doctors to become Roman citizens- 46BC

The Romans realised they needed a healthy army.

• State paid- public doctors & hospitals (Valentundinaria) for wounded soldiers
• Army had doctors expected to carry out operations like removing arrows
• Roman surgery had become more advanced- texts describe- how to removed badder stones & cataracts- effective
• Roman doctors- increasingly sophisticated set of instruments
• Galen

They took a preventative approach to Public Health.

• Noticed- exposure to bad smells, unclean drinking water, sewage & dirt- get ill
• Built aqueducts- carry clean water to cities & built public baths, toilets & sewers to remove waste
• Roman style buildingd & ideas about public health spread around empire

Dioscorides wrote without mention of superstition.

• Greek doctor born in Turkey- working for Roman army
• Wrote 'De Materia Medica'- first on plants as medicines- without supernatural

Galen left an enduring legacy- despite many mistakes.

• Pergamum(born)- important Aslepion- began training before going to Smyrna & Alexandria
• Returned to Pergamum- doctor to gladiators & then went to Rome 61 AD
• Very ambitious- became doctor to emperors son & wrote many texts

Galen believed in the Humours & observation.

• Increase anatomical by dissecting animals- couldn't dissect humans outside of Alexandria
• Many mistakes- humans are different to animals
• Ambition got the best of him- only recorded successful cases & saw what he wanted to see
• Thought- blood started life in liver & passed through body picking up spirits- finally comsumed rather than recirculated
• Believed in treatment by opposites- based on idea of balance

Galens reputation lasted for centuries.

• Great influence- doctor in arabic world & medival christian Europe
• Writings covered all aspects of medicine- many survived
• Writing- persuasive  did not stress polytheistic side of RC- so didn't offen monotheistic people- reasons work was copied & so survived