Medicine in Ancient Rome
A hundred and fifty years ago, humans were in mortal danger from the moment they were born. The most ordinary infections or food poisoning could be deadly, not to mention measles, polio, and the lot. Moreover, many people had no access to proper sanitation and running water. By comparison, medicine in Ancient Rome was the pinnacle of healthcare.
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Medicine in Ancient Rome
Admiring the Roman baths, sewers, and water pipe systems, we would be excused to think that life in Antiquity wasn’t bad. That was certainly true for the lucky few, wealthy enough to afford all the amenities.
Those on top also had access to surprisingly advanced medical care. Given a choice, I would prefer a good doctor from Ancient Rome rather than a quack from a couple of centuries ago.
Lastly, Roman physicians had something in common with today’s Western European ones: many of them were foreigners.
Early Roman Healers
In contrast with later times, early Roman healing practices were quite primitive.
Naturally, they discovered the curative qualities of different herbs and animal products, as all traditional societies do.
However, the family was the responsibility of the paterfamilias, and he was also in charge of caring for the sick and wounded members of the household, whether he had any inkling of it or not. I assume most dads and granddads employed the services of herbalists or the village’s witch. Others were less open to advice, though.
Cato the Elder, an influential conservative senator, hated any form of un-Roman influence, especially Greek medicine. Instead, he insisted on personally treating not only his household but also his neighbors’. In his view, the solution to every ailment and injury was…drumrolls…. cabbage!
Even deafness, he “treated” by pouring a mixture of water, wine, and cabbage in the afflicted person’s ear.
That’s what you get when you ask politicians for medical advice rather than professional doctors.
The First Medical Professionals
In 219 B.C., perhaps due to a shortage of cabbages, the Romans invited a Greek surgeon, Archagathus, to settle in Rome. He was the first full-time medical professional in Roman history.
Initially, the Romans were so grateful that they bestowed upon him all the privileges of a native Roman citizen. Moreover, the building that hosted his clinic was acquired at public expense.
Unfortunately, Archagathus made the same mistake his modern counterparts do: he prescribed foul-tasting medication and strict diets, cauterized wounds, and even operated when necessary. Naturally, the Romans preferred sweet snake oil and miracle treatments, eventually kicking the nasty doctor out of Rome.
In time, the Roman elite came to appreciate the advantages of quality healthcare. Thus, the number of Greek physicians gradually increased until they became ubiquitous.
A short clarification: by Greeks, I mean people of Hellenistic origin (i.e., Greek speakers from the former empire of Alexander the Great). Many weren’t from Greece but from modern-day Turkey, Egypt, or Syria.
Hospitals, Clinics, and House Calls
The Romans established field hospitals called valetudinaria for the use of military personnel. Access to these facilities was one of the most valued perks of serving in the Roman Army. Read my second book if you’d like to meet a legionary surgeon of the Roman Empire.
Moreover, Romans established hospitals for slave patients. Remember: Most slaves were viewed as tools or biological machines. Others, such as educated slaves, were valued properties. Understandably, Romans wanted their “machines” to be in good working order and their beloved “pets” to be well cared for.
Romans could visit private clinics, which were usually set up in the commercial spaces of residential areas. However, private clinics were expensive. You see, history has a way of repeating itself in unexpected ways.
Still, in most cases, doctors did house calls on request.
For those without access to hospitals and who couldn’t afford a clinic or a house call, the only thing to do was pray at the temples of Asclepius, the god of medicine, or visit one of the healing sanctuaries. Yet, Roman gods were transactional, so they expected donations or sacrifices in return for favors. And they say unrestrained capitalism is a modern concept.
Surgery
The Roman physicians performed surgery more often than we might think. Also, they mastered delicate techniques such as cataract surgery and C-sections.
Keep in mind, though, that in a world without antibiotics, infection and subsequent death were a frequent aftermath of surgery, no matter how masterfully done. For this reason, a C-section was allowed only when the mother was dead or dying.
By the way, many believe that the Caesarian section is named after Gaius Julius Caesar. In truth, the name derives from the Latin word caedare (“to cut” in English).
Famous Roman Physicians
Asclepiades of Bithynia (129 B.C. – 40 B.C.) was one of Rome’s first influential Greek physicians. He favored less invasive treatments, perhaps to avoid Archagathus’s fate, such as diet, exercise, and hot and cold baths. Moreover, he was a pioneer of music therapy, as well as the first to introduce massage therapy to Rome.
It is said that Asclepiades made a wager with the goddess Fortune, promising to give up practicing if he ever got sick. Apparently, he won, as he died in an accident at a ripe old age.
Aulus Cornelius Celsus (25 B.C. – 50 B.C.) is known for his writings on diet, pharmacy, surgery, and dermatology. Celsus probably wasn’t a practitioner but acted as an encyclopaedist—he wasn’t Greek, after all.
Pedanius Dioscorides (40 A.D. – 90 A.D.) was a well-known army surgeon during the reign of Nero. His work on plants and the drugs that can be made of them was extensively used by healers until the Late Middle Ages.
Perhaps one of the most famous physicians of all time was Aelius (or Claudius) Galenus, known to us as Galen (129 A.D. – 216 A.D.). His views on anatomy and medicine dominated Western medical science for more than 1200 years. The hero of my book series would have been contemporaneous with the good doctor. Perhaps they would meet in one of Strabo’s future adventures.
Legacy
Whenever I think of the philosophers, architects, mathematicians, and philosophers of the Greco-Roman world, I am astonished at how much they could do with so little. Think about it: no calculators, light bulbs, microscopes, or even pen and paper. All they had were sticks and dirt or clay to draw in. Papyrus, vellum, and ink were rare and expensive.
Yet, they figured out complex things most of us can’t grasp, not even in the 21st Century.
The Graeco-Roman medical practitioners’ skill and acumen weren’t equaled in the West until the Italian Renaissance and were surpassed only in the 18th and 19th Centuries from many points of view. Still, despite their exceptional intellects, they were constrained by the limits of Ancient technology.
Fortunately, we have the technology to live long and healthy lives, but do we have the smarts to use it? Only time will tell.
