Ancient Greece/Ancient Roman medicine By: Johnny Biondo and Shekinah Hollingsworth

Key people  Arcagathus was the first doctor to come to ancient Rome. He was an excellent wound surgeon, but he used the knife and cautery very vigorously, earning the name “executioner”.  Hippocrates conducted studies on order to prove that disease was a natural cause, and to show that a physician was there to help the body’s natural resistance against disease.  The Iatros were a group of Greek physicians who brought the Greek medical philosophies to Rome.

Tools  The Romans used many surgical tools made from bronze, some include probes, vaginal spectrum, and the rectal spectrum.  They also had the basic surgical tools such as scalpels and forceps.

Medical Techniques-Remedies  Herbal remedies were very common for treating minor ailments such as nausea, joint pain, and upset stomach.  They would often times rely on religious rituals to heal the sickly.  They would submerge their medical tools in boiling water to sterilize them.  Opium was used to treat basic pain.  They would drain one of the humors believed to be an excess to help cure the disease.

Cultural Factors Influencing Medical Philosophies  Religious rituals were heavily influenced on medical practices.  Certain herbs were more medically beneficial than others.  Some Greeks believed that diseases in specific people were the will of the Gods.

Key Philosophies  Very ritualistic.  Dogmatists were the first to emphasize the study of anatomy.  Empiricists rejected the idea that a physician could detect the unknown functional origins of the body.  Methodists rejected all generalities in medical science, they believed that each individual had a different case.  Pneumatists were an offshoot of the Dogmatists and they believed that the (Pneuma) soul was primary in the source of life.  They believed “The Four Humors” which were blood, mucus, black bile, and yellow bile, when these substances were imbalanced, disease occurred.

Health Problems In The Era  Food contamination was an overwhelming problem in Rome, so intestinal parasites were most common.  Lots of sanitation issues regarding the disposal of human waste.  Diseases such as tuberculosis, typhoid fever, and malaria were very common in Rome.

Preventative Methods  The Romans had bath houses, which they believed to help keep them clean, but in reality it help spread diseases.  They would pray to the Gods to keep good health.