Key Concepts and Figures in Ancient Medicine
Anakuriôsis
Meaning: Your demeanor.
Source: Hippocrates’ Decorum.
Significance: Demonstrates the importance of a physician’s demeanor for establishing reputation. Similar concepts appear in Decorum and Prognosis.
Brachylogiê
Meaning: Brevity of speech.
Source: Hippocrates’ Decorum.
Significance: Physicians should be brief and direct. This contrasts with modern expectations. It reflects the idea that excessive information might frighten the patient or worsen their condition; therefore, not everything should be disclosed.
Lagneia
Meaning: “Sexual excess.”
Source: Aristotle’s Problems.
Significance: Discusses Hellenistic medicine and the balance of humors. Aristotle suggested sex was beneficial for diseases caused by phlegm, viewing semen as an excretion resembling phlegm. He also pondered why certain hairy men had strong sexual desire, attributing it to excess phlegm, as hair provided warmth against phlegm’s cold nature.
Cato the Elder (234-149 BCE)
Description: Roman senator and historian known for his conservatism and opposition to Hellenization.
Sources: Plutarch; Cato’s On Farming and Origins.
Significance: He was the first to write history in Latin. Cato was hostile towards Greek physicians, distrusting them. His medical knowledge was limited, primarily relying on home remedies involving wine. His views illustrate the static and conservative nature of Roman medicine during his time.
Aulus Cornelius Celsus (fl. c. 25-50 CE)
Description: A Roman encyclopaedist, not a practicing physician.
Source: Celsus’ On Medicine.
Significance: Provides a historical account of medicine up to his era. He is a key source for understanding the debate between Rationalists and Empiricists. Celsus believed theory was important but considered practice slightly more so. He opposed vivisection as cruel, arguing anatomy could be learned from deceased individuals.
Asclepiades of Bithynia (c. 124-40 BCE)
Description: Greek teacher who became a prominent physician in Rome.
Sources: Pliny’s Natural History; Apuleius’ Florida.
Significance: Developed a new theory of health based on atoms (corpuscules). Pliny later criticized him, partly due to his Greek origin. Asclepiades advocated warm baths, believing they opened pores to realign corpuscules. His theory posited that all disease resulted from blocked atoms.
Marcus Sergius (218-201 BCE)
Description: A notable Roman patriot and soldier.
Source: Pliny’s Natural History.
Significance: Known for repeatedly returning to battle despite severe wounds. He is associated with the first known prosthesis, the “iron hand”.
Corpuscule
Meaning: Tiny bodies that travel through pores; their imbalance causes disease.
Sources: Caelius Aurelianus’ Acute Diseases; associated with Asclepiades.
Significance: This medical theory proposed that health relates to the movement of these tiny bodies through the body’s pores. It shares some conceptual similarities with humoral theories, particularly regarding the flow of substances within the body.
Scribonius Largus (fl. 47 CE)
Description: Medical writer and physician who wrote in Latin, contrasting with the prevalent use of Greek.
Source: Largus’ Compositiones.
Significance: Presented a “Roman” interpretation of Hippocratic medicine and ethics. He traveled with the Roman army. His work highlights differences in ethical attitudes between Roman and Greek physicians, notably advocating that a Roman doctor should treat everyone, including enemies. He described drugs as “divine hands”. His choice to write in Latin was significant.