Roman Medicine and Magic

BY: RACHELROMAN MEDICINE AND MAGIC

INTRODUCTION

• Combined various techniques using different tools and rituals.• Ancient Roman medicine included a number of

specializations such as internal medicine, ophthalmology and urology. • Unlike in Greek society where health was a

personal matter, public health was encouraged by the Roman government.

DOCTORS IN ROME

• Greeks were the main source of medical knowledge in Rome• Doctors did not have to pass a medical exam or

were not required to study professionally.• The doctors received their training by watching

and learning from the doctors who HAD passed.

DISEASES• As the roman empire

grew, diseases such as such as malaria, typhoid and typhus, and smallpox contaminated the land and people.

• Tuberculosis and leprosy were a huge impact on the people as a cause to the Tiber river flooding.

• The lack of knowledge was key in the growing of these diseases.

• Public baths were thought to be a way to stop these diseases, but ended up being the main growth place.

ABOUT DISEASES

• Malaria: infectious disease caused by recurring attacks caused by the bite of an mosquito infected with any of four protozoans. Symptoms may include fever, nausea, headaches, chills and sweats and fatigue. The romans had very little knowledge as to what the causes of this disease was.

• Smallpox: Smallpox is a contagious, disfiguring and often deadly disease that has affected humans for thousands of years. Symptoms may include fever, overall discomfort, headache, severe fatigue and back pain, and vomiting and diarrhea. There was and is no cure for smallpox, making it extremely dangerous.

ABOUT DISEASES CONT’D

• Typhus: an infectious disease caused by rickettsia(bacteria), distinguished by a purple rash, headaches, fever, and usually delirium, and historically a cause of high mortality during wars and famines. It’s transmitted by infected lice, ticks, mites, and rat fleas. Also known as ship fever and prison fever.

CURES• Medicines were based on herbs, salts, and magic spells of

priests• Animal dung, gladiator blood, and human blood were also

used• The more bizarre the remedy, the more it was trusted• They tried to cure malaria using herbal remedies, but had

unsuccessful results• The first effective treatment for malaria was using the bark

from the cinchona tree

QUESTIONS

1. What is typhus?

2. Name 5 things that were used as cures for infections and diseases.

SOURCES

• Google images• www.thefreedictionary.com• http://

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicine_in_ancient_Rome• textbook

DEFINITIONS• Internal medicine: the medical specialty dealing with the

prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of adult diseases

• Ophthalmology: the branch of medicine concerned with the study and treatment of disorders and diseases of the eye.

• Urology: the branch of medicine and physiology concerned with the function and disorders of the urinary system.

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