Greek and Roman Medicine Laurence M.V. Totelin Cardiff University

Lecture Outline The Hippocratic Oath: an unusual document Healers in the market place Secular and religious medicine Note: Greek and ‘Roman’ medicine

Hippocrates and the Hippocratic Oath Very little information about Hippocrates – some information in the works of Plato and Aristotle Hippocratic Corpus: Collection of more or less 60 texts Written by various authors Written in a variety of styles Deal with various medical topics Grouped under the name of Hippocrates of Cos Most texts written end fifth century BCE or fourth century BCE Asclepius arrives at Cos, Cos, C2-C3 CE

The Oath Context of the Oath is obscure Not all physicians at the time of Hippocrates agreed with the principles of the Oath Structure: invocation of the gods – covenant – duties – rewards and punishments The limits of technē Papyrus fragment of the Oath, 3rd century CE

The physician, iatros/medicus No official training Importance of finding a good teacher Itinerant physicians A few famous physicians Erasistratus and Herophilus (third century BCE) Galen (second-third century CE) Oribasius (fourth century CE) Aetius (sixth century CE) Dietetic medicine Erasistratus discovers Antiochus is in love with his stepmother Stratonice by examining his pulse. Engraving after P. de Cortona 1772

Galen 434 titles, of which 350 at least at really by Galen A life between Pergamum and Rome An imperial career 434 titles, of which 350 at least at really by Galen Extremely varied in topics Writings for beginners and for more advanced learners The best physician is a philosopher The four humours Asclepeion of Pergamum

The female physician and midwife Midwives are conspicuously absent from the Hippocratic Corpus Socrates’ mother; Phanostrate Story of Agnodice and Herophilus Soranus’ perfect midwife References to female healers in Martial and Juvenal Galen’s competition against the midwives Midwives and female healers: epigraphic evidence Tombstone of a medica from Metz, C1 CE (?), CIL 13.4334

Stele of Phanostrate (Athens, fourth century BCE) Phanostrate, midwife (maia) and physician (iatros), lies here at rest. She caused pain to none, and her death was lamented by all.

Scribonia Tombstone of Scribonia (1st century AD) Ostia tomb 100 http://www.ostia-antica.org/valkvisuals/html/tombe_100_2.htm

The surgeon Most surgery performed by physician But some physicians specialised as surgeons Specialised surgeons existed (specialising in eye-diseases; in cutting for the stone) Need for a steady and fast hand Charlatans A cylindrical case, Pompeii, first century CE (Majno)

Surgical instruments found at Pompeii, now kept at the Naples National Archaeological Museum

Extracting weapons Fresco from Pompei representing Iapex extracting an arrow from the thigh of Aeneas

Setting bones and reducing fractures Apollonius, Nicetas Codex

The pharmacologist The root-cutters (rhizotomoi), e.g.Cratevas the root-cutter The drug-sellers (pharmakopolai) Patients preparing their own remedies Pharmakon = drug (remedy) = drug (poison) = potion, philtre, charm Herbal, 2nd century CE Fragment of an illustrated herbal, consisting of a treatise on the medical properties of plants. P.Tebt.0679

The Johnson papyrus (c. 400 CE) Phlomos Symphyton

The ‘Vienna Dioscorides’, offered to Anicia Juliana in 512 CE

Religion and healing in the ancient world Misleading to talk about ‘healing gods’ as a distinct category The spread of the cult of Asclepius Incubation and forms of religious healing A unique witness: Aelius Aristides Epidaurus – sanctuary of Asclepius

‘Secular’ and ‘religious’ healing: conflict or overlap The Hippocratic Oath and the gods Areas of overlap Dedications by physicians at temples of Asclepius Physicians = Asclepiadai Votive relief from the Asclepion at Athens

Conclusions Medicine in the ancient world: a ‘market place’ (Vivian Nutton) No official medical qualifications – the importance of apprenticeship Overlap and collaboration between ‘secular’ and ‘religious’ healers