Classical Medicine

In 460 BC, Hippocrates, the most famous of all ancient physicians, was born on the island of Cos.  He and his students wrote over 70 books that tell much about ancient Greek healthcare and the beginning of professional medicine.  The Greeks believed that physicians should not work for personal gain but for love of mankind, and many of our professional standards can be traced back to the Hippocratic school.  Even today, physicians still swear to the Hippocratic Oath before beginning practice. 

Greek physicians believed that the entire person was affected as a result of an imbalance between the four "humors"--blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile--their associated conditions--hot, cold, moist, and dry--and the four "elements"--earth, air, fire, and water.  When patients were ill, they were often bled or given potions to induce vomiting in order to bring their four humors back into harmony.  Although this may seem strange to us today, the Greek treatment methodology is more familiar.  Physicians carefully recorded case histories and conducted tests--usually by sight, touch, hearing, or smell--in order to provide better diagnoses.  Their simple treatments included prescriptions, careful diet, and very minor surgery. 

Romans did not value medicine as much as the Greeks.  In fact, most of the physicians who practiced in Rome came from Greece.  Still, public health was emphasized--Roman water and sewage systems were not equaled until well into the 19th century--and surgery was very important to the Roman Legion.  Army surgeons were far more proficient than the Greek physicians.  They developed specialized instruments to remove arrows, and they could suture wounds or blood vessels as well as treat bladder stones, hernias, and cataracts. Hospitals were commonly found in military camps located throughout the empire to allow soldiers to be treated far from Rome.  Although little has been discovered about Roman dentistry, there are records that show false teeth and elaborate dental prostheses were made from gold. 

The most influential physician of the Roman era was Galen, who served the emperor Marcus Aurelius.  He learned much about trauma care while serving as the principal physician to the best professional gladiators.  Galen wrote over 500 books on medicine, many designed to teach the medical arts to new practitioners.  He stressed that the best way to learn about health and disease was through the dissection of animals and the study of anatomy.  Although Galen discovered the functions of many internal organs, he also made many mistakes because he assumed that the human body worked exactly like that of other animals.  His works were used as standard medical references until the end of the Middle Ages. 

If you would like to learn more about classical medicine, the Karolinska Institute has many interesting links.