Despite the millenniums in between ancient Rome and society today, one thing remains the same; people get sick. In fact, much of our medical techniques, tools, and beliefs stem from what the Ancient Romans practiced. The diseases and degrees of illness are not always comparable to today’s illnesses. However, there is a reasonable amount of similarity between medical treatments and practices today.Surprisingly, there are very few differences between medicine in the nineteenth century and ancient Rome.
The ancient Romans derived the majority of their medical practices from those developed in Ancient Greece. Most physicians in Rome were actually prisoners of war, and were captured for their knowledge. Many Greek doctors began migrating …show more content…
After expanding the empire beyond the Italian peninsula Roman dignitaries felt wounded soldiers could no longer be trusted in private homes. This fear led to military hospitals (Valetuduniaria) being built. The architecture for a standard valetudinarium was a structured rectangular building that consisted of four wings. Additionally every facility included a large hall, reception ward, dispensary, kitchen, staff quarters, washing and bathroom facilities. Military doctors encouraged the movement of military stations away from infested swamps and sanitary devices in order to reduce the amount of …show more content…
They would make pills out of herbal ingredients, especially plants with a metallic component. Common herbs used for treatment were fennel, rhubarb, gentian, birthwort, liquorice, and aloe. During this time the most common ailments being treated were skin, digestion and fertility problems, fractures, gout, depression, and epilepsy. Most physicians refrained from treating problems that involved the brain, heart, liver, spine, intestines, kidneys and arteries because they knew there was little they could due to cure them. Consequently, they did not want to ruin their reputations as medical