The Roman Empire began around 800 BCE and existed for approximately 1,200 years. Medical knowledge and practice was advanced for its time, and the ancient Romans made advances in many areas.
The Romans encouraged the creation of public health institutions throughout the Empire. Their medicine developed from the needs of the battlefield and the teachings of the Greeks.
Among the practices that the Romans adopted from the Greeks was the theory of the four humors, which remained popular in Europe until the 17th century.
The Romans made their first introduction to Greek medicine when Archagathus of Sparta, a physician, arrived in Rome in 219 BCE.
Other scientists and doctors came from Greece, first as prisoners of war and then because they could earn more money in Rome. They continued their research into Greek theories of physical and mental illnesses and disorders.
The Romans allowed them to continue their research and adopted many of their ideas. However, unlike the Greeks, the Romans didn’t like the idea of dissecting corpses and so didn’t discover much about humans. anatomy.
Spiritual beliefs surrounding medicine in Greece were also common in Rome.
Speak 3rd century BCE., the Romans had adopted a religious healing system called the cult of Aesculapius, which took its name from a Greek god of healing. Initially they built sanctuaries, but these expanded over time to include spas and thermal baths frequented by doctors.
When epidemics broke out in Italy in 431 BCEthe Romans built a temple to the Greek god Apollo, who they believed had healing powers.
The Romans also took a sacred serpent from the Greeks. He escaped but reappeared on the island of Tiberina, where the Romans built a sanctuary for him. People came here seeking healing.
Upon conquering Alexandria, the Romans founded various libraries and universities created by the Greeks. They contained numerous centers of learning and places of research as well as a wealth of documented medical knowledge.
It was by observing the health of their soldiers that Roman leaders began to realize the importance of public health.
On the battlefield
Most Roman surgeons gained their practical experience on the battlefield. They carried a tool kit containing arrow extractors, catheters, scalpels and forceps. They sterilized their equipment in boiling water before using it.
The Romans performed surgical procedures using opium and scopolamine to relieve pain and acidic vinegar to clean wounds.
They did not have effective anesthetics for complex surgical procedures, but it is unlikely that they operated deep within the body.
Maternity care
The Romans also had midwives, whom they treated with great respect. Records of medical instruments include a birthing stool, which was a four-legged stool with arm and back supports and a crescent-shaped opening for delivering the baby.
Caesarean sections sometimes take place. The women would not survivebut the baby could.
Hospitals
In specially built hospitals, people could rest and have a better chance of recovery. In hospital settings, doctors were able to observe people’s conditions instead of depending on supernatural forces to perform miracles.
Since Roman doctors were not allowed to dissect corpses, their understanding of human anatomy was somewhat limited.
However, soldiers and gladiators often had injuries, which could be serious, and doctors had to treat them. In this way, they learned more about the human body.
Claudius Galen, who left Greece for Rome in 162 CE, became an expert in anatomy by dissecting animals and applying his knowledge to humans.
He was a popular lecturer and well-known physician, eventually becoming the physician to the Emperor Marcus Aurelius. He also wrote several medical works.
Galen also dissected some human corpses. He dissected a hanged criminal and some bodies that a flood had dug up in a cemetery.
As a result, Galen demonstrated excellent knowledge of bone structure. After cutting a pig’s spinal cord and observing it, he also realized that the brain sends signals to control muscles.
The Romans progressed in their knowledge of the causes of disease and ways to prevent them. Medical theories were sometimes very close to what we know today.
For example, Marcus Terentius Varro (116-27 BCE) believed that disease was caused by tiny creatures too small to be seen with the naked eye. We now know about bacteria and viruses, which we can only observe under a microscope.
However, others believed that the stars caused the illness.
Lucius Junius Moderatus Columella, who lived from 4 CE to around 70 CE, was an agricultural writer. He believed that diseases came from the vapors of the marshes.
As recently as two centuries ago, many of these beliefs were still popular.
Roman diagnosis and treatment consisted of a combination of Greek medicine and some local practices.
As the Greeks did before them, Roman doctors performed a thorough physical examination of the individual.
Progress in diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis in ancient Rome was slow and uneven. Physicians tended to develop their own theories, which led them to diverge in several different directions.
Herbal Remedies
The Romans used a wide range of medicinal plants and other remedies, including:
Fennel: This herb was a standard treatment for nervous disorders because the Romans believed it calmed the nerves.
Unwashed wool: The Romans applied it to wounds.
Elecampane: Also known as Horseheal, people used this herb to treat digestive problems.
Egg yolk: Doctors prescribed egg yolk for dysentery.
Wise: This perennial plant had religious value. Its use was common among those who believed that the gods could heal them.
Garlic: Doctors said that garlic was good for the heart.
Boiled liver: People with sore eyes used it.
Fenugreek: Doctors often prescribed this plant for lung diseases, including pneumonia.
Cabbage: Cato recommended this for many purposes, including hangover remedy and cure for wounds and sores.
Silphium: People used it as a form of contraception and to fevercough, indigestionA sore throataches and pains, and warts. Historians aren’t sure what silphium was, but they think it was an extinct plant of the genus Ferula, perhaps a variety of giant fennel.
willow: People used it as an antiseptic.
Pedanius Dioscorides lived between 40 and 90 CE. He was a Greek botanist, pharmacologist and physician who practiced in Rome when Nero was ruler.
He became a famous doctor in the Roman army.
He wrote a 5-volume pharmacopoeia titled “De Materia Medica,” which listed more than 600 herbal remedies. Physicians used “De Materia Medica” widely for the next 1,500 years.
Many Roman doctors came from Greece. They strongly believed in achieving the right balance of the four humors and restoring the “natural warmth” of people suffering from health problems.
Galen said that opposites often heal people. In case of cold, he would give the person hot pepper. If they had a fever, he advised doctors to use cucumber.
Public health aims to keep the entire community healthy and prevent the spread of disease.
Today, this involves, among other things, vaccination programs, the promotion of a healthy lifestyle and diet, the construction of hospitals and the provision of drinking and washing water.
The Romans, unlike the Greeks and Egyptians, believed strongly in public health. They knew that hygiene was vital to preventing the spread of disease.
Practical projects, such as creating a water supply system, were very important to them. They built aqueducts to carry water to cities. Rome’s sewer system was so advanced that nothing comparable was rebuilt until the late 17th century.
One explanation for how the Romans were able to organize such large public projects is that they had a large but centralized empire. The emperor exercised his power throughout Roman territory, and there was enough cheap labor and enough wealth to carry out these projects.
Some rich people even had underfloor heating in their homes.
The Romans also promoted personal hygiene facilities by building public baths and toilets. Their goal was to maintain a motivated and healthy military, but their citizens also benefited.
Public health facilities
Examples of some Roman installations include:
Public baths: There were nine public baths in Rome alone. Each had pools of varying temperatures. Some also had gyms and massage rooms. Government inspectors vigorously enforced appropriate hygiene standards.
Hospitals: It was the ancient Romans who created the first hospitals, which they initially designed to care for soldiers and veterans.
Water supply: The Romans were superb engineers and built several aqueducts throughout their empire to supply people with water.
Planning: The Romans took care to place military barracks far from the swamps. If the marshes were in the way, they would drain them. They were aware of the connection between swamps and mosquitoes and understood that these insects could transmit diseases to humans.
The Romans learned medicine from the Greeks and Egyptians and made their own contributions to the discipline by focusing on public health and disease prevention.
However, they did not make significant progress in understanding how the human body works, and they were not yet aware of the connection between germs and disease.
After the fall of the Roman Empire, medical knowledge in Europe did not experience significant progress until the Renaissance.
