A Journey through Ancient Rome · Premium

Physicians, surgeons and healers in Ancient Rome

Medicine in ancient Rome was initially domestic, based on herbal remedies and hygienic practices. With the arrival of Greek physicians like Arcagathus in the 3rd century BC, a conflict arose between Roman tradition and new surgical techniques, often judged brutal. The turning point was Asclepiades of Bithynia, who introduced a rational medicine based on the balance between atoms and pores. In the imperial era, figures like Celsus and Galen elevated medicine to a science, with treatises that influenced Europe for centuries. The Methodist school, with Soranus of Ephesus, developed innovative approaches in gynaecology. Roman surgeons performed advanced operations with sophisticated instruments that resemble modern ones. The greatest legacy was not a technique, but a method: observing, experimenting, learning.

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