Primary Source Analysis Of Augustine And Doctor Of Grace
Augustine: Primary Source Analysis
Augustine of Hippo, also known as Saint Augustine, Blessed Augustine and Doctor of Grace, lived between 354, and 430 AD. Born in Thagaste, Roman Africa (Algeria), to a pagan father and Christian mother, he is recognized, historically, as significant Christian Theologian and philosopher.1
Augustine, in his writing, City of God, documents the treatment and relationship between Innocentius, the physicians conducting the surgeries, and the house physician. Augustine documents that while the house physician had predicted the need of a second surgery, his opinion, below all others, had initially been discarded, and subsequently though temporarily, expelled from the house. An event such as this illustrates the …show more content…
Agustine details this exact situation in his writing -
“ ...he could think of no alternative except to summon a certain surgeon of Alexandria who then had a marvellous reputation, and let him do what the angry patient would not allow the others to do”. “ He added that the patient really could not be saved without an operation”.
It’s here, in the quote presented, that the questions presented earlier are both valid, and that a comprehensive answer to the question posed is somewhat attainable. The summoning of the renowned doctor from Alexandria, shows that patients who held some degree of status (such as Innocentius) infact had a greater influences over the procedures performed than the surgeons and doctors did themselves. Only with the consent of the most reputable physicians did Innocentius allow treatment to continue. At the time, physicians were seen as aids, not as specialist with absolute authority. While their purpose was to cure the afflicted, the quality of treatment varied. With no official industry for physicians to gain knowledge and attain official titles, the process of treatment seems to be dependent on, as previously stated - reputation, and the persuasiveness of the doctors to perform necessary treatment. This patient doctor relationship, as exhibited by Innocentius and the attending physicians, undoubtedly had an effect on the outcome of the care that was
Augustine of Hippo, also known as Saint Augustine, Blessed Augustine and Doctor of Grace, lived between 354, and 430 AD. Born in Thagaste, Roman Africa (Algeria), to a pagan father and Christian mother, he is recognized, historically, as significant Christian Theologian and philosopher.1
Augustine, in his writing, City of God, documents the treatment and relationship between Innocentius, the physicians conducting the surgeries, and the house physician. Augustine documents that while the house physician had predicted the need of a second surgery, his opinion, below all others, had initially been discarded, and subsequently though temporarily, expelled from the house. An event such as this illustrates the …show more content…
Agustine details this exact situation in his writing -
“ ...he could think of no alternative except to summon a certain surgeon of Alexandria who then had a marvellous reputation, and let him do what the angry patient would not allow the others to do”. “ He added that the patient really could not be saved without an operation”.
It’s here, in the quote presented, that the questions presented earlier are both valid, and that a comprehensive answer to the question posed is somewhat attainable. The summoning of the renowned doctor from Alexandria, shows that patients who held some degree of status (such as Innocentius) infact had a greater influences over the procedures performed than the surgeons and doctors did themselves. Only with the consent of the most reputable physicians did Innocentius allow treatment to continue. At the time, physicians were seen as aids, not as specialist with absolute authority. While their purpose was to cure the afflicted, the quality of treatment varied. With no official industry for physicians to gain knowledge and attain official titles, the process of treatment seems to be dependent on, as previously stated - reputation, and the persuasiveness of the doctors to perform necessary treatment. This patient doctor relationship, as exhibited by Innocentius and the attending physicians, undoubtedly had an effect on the outcome of the care that was