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Introduction

Roman soldier removing an arrow from a fellow soldier's leg with a pair of pinchers

In ancient Rome, Romans favored the prevention of disease over the cure of a disease. Like many aspects of ancient Roman society, ancient Roman medicine was extremely influenced by the ancient Greek society. While the ancient Greek society believed that health was a personal matter, the Roman government encouraged public health. Romans valued public health because they were able to observe disease and battle wounds in their armies and learn about the spreading of disease through their soldiers. They built bath houses and aqueducts to pipe water to the cities in order to promote public health. Many of the larger cities in the Roman Empire, such as Rome, boasted an advanced sewage system (Cloaca Maxima), the likes of which would not be seen in the Western world again until the late 17th century. However, the Romans did not fully understand the concept of germs in the spreading of disease. While the Roman's understanding of public health and cleanliness as a prevention of disease was extremely sophisticated for their time, they did not fully understand the association between germs and diseases.

Specifically, Roman surgeons carried a tool kit which contained forceps, scalpels, catheters and arrow extractors. These tools were developed by the ancient Greeks and used by the ancient Romans. Because Romans cared about public health and understood the effects of disease prevention through unsanitary measures, each tool was boiled in hot water before each use. It is unlikely, however, that ancient Romans preformed surgery deep inside the human body, but instead preformed mostly topical procedures. In surgery, surgeons used painkillers such as opium and scopolamine (from henbane) for treatments, and acetum (vinegar acid) was used to wash wounds before procedures occurred.

Greek Influences

Caduceus is a winged staff with two snakes wrapped around it

The first doctors to appear in ancient Rome were Greek, captured as prisoners of war. One of the first prominent doctors to appear in ancient Rome was Galen. He became an expert on the human anatomy from dissecting animals, including monkeys in Greece. Due to his prominence and expertise in ancient Rome, Galen became Emperor Marcus Aurelius' personal physician.

The Romans also conquered the city of Alexandria, which was famous for its comprehensive libraries and advanced universities. In ancient times, Alexandria was an important center for learning, and its Great Library held countless volumes of ancient Greek medical information. The ancient Romans adopted many of the practices and procedures they found in the Great Library into their medical practices.

Additionally, Greek symbols and Gods greatly influenced ancient Roman medicine. The caduceus, pictured right, was originally associated with the Greek God, Hermes. Hermes was the Greek God of commerce. He carried a staff wrapped with two snakes, known as the caduceus. This symbol later became associated with the Roman God, Mercury, under the Roman Empire. Later during the 7th century, the caduceus became associated with health and medicine due to its association with the Azoth, the alchemical "universal solvent".

Textual Transmission

Galenic medical texts embody the written medical tradition through classical antiquity. Little written word survived prior to this era. The volume of written works by Galen, however, nears close to 350. His surviving works far surpass any other writer from the period. Prior to Galen, much of medical reference survived through word of mouth. The tradition of transmission and translation originated with the De Materia Medica, an ancient encyclopedia written by Pedanius Dioscorides between 50 AD and 70 AD. Pedanius Dioscorides himself was a Roman physician of Greek decent. The manuscripts classified and illustrated over one thousand substances and their uses. De Materia Medica influenced medical knowledge for centuries due to its dissemination and translation to Greek, Arabic, and Latin. Galen wrote in Greek, but Arabic and Syriac translations survived as well. He referenced and challenged written works by Hippocratic physicians and authors, which gave insight into other popular medical philosophies. Herophilus, known for his texts on anatomy through dissection, and Erasistratus, also known for anatomy and physiology, survive through Galenic reference. Galen also referenced the written works of Methodist physician Soranus, known for his four book treatise regarding gynecology. His synthesis of earlier medical philosophies and broad range of subjects produced the textual legacy Galen left on the medical community for the next fifteen hundred years.

Further Readings

C N Trueman "Medicine In Ancient Rome" historylearningsite.co.uk. The History Learning Site, 17 Mar 2015. 3 Dec 2015. http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/a-history-of-medicine/medicine-in-ancient-rome/

Nordqvist, Christian. "What Is Ancient Roman Medicine?" Medical News Today. MediLexicon International Ltd, 9 Aug. 2012. Web. 3 Dec. 2015. <http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/info/medicine/ancient-roman-medicine.php>.

Rymer, Eric. "Medicine and Health in Ancient Rome." Http://historylink101.com/. History Source LLC, n.d. Web. 3 Dec. 2015. <http://historylink101.com/2/Rome/roman-medicine.htm>

Scarborough, John. "Drugs and Medicine in the Roman World." University of Pennsylvania, 1996. Web. 3 Dec. 2015. <http://www.penn.museum/documents/publications/expedition/PDFs/38-2/Drugs.pdf>.