Medicine Episode 2 - Greek Influence on Roman Medicinal Knowledge

The Romans' knowledge of medicine and remedies improved when they gained access to the medical documents from the library in Alexandria. This led to advancements in science and medicine, with practices, clinics, and hospitals being established. The Romans were known for their surgical instruments, including high-quality steel scalpels and knives for amputation. They also experimented with plastic surgery. Roman doctors used various drugs for anesthesia, with opium being the most common. The influence of the Greeks and the library in Alexandria helped establish Rome as a center for medicine. The connection to the Latin language will be discussed in the next episode. Hey everybody and welcome back to Little Latin Lessons for Language Lovers, where I give my little lessons on Latin and the cultural impacts of this fascinating language. On today's episode of How the Latin Language and Roman Culture Influenced Medicine, Greek Influence on Roman Medicinal Knowledge and More Evolved Medicinal Knowledge of the Romans, I will be discussing how the Greeks changed everything medicinally for the Romans and the more advanced techniques of the Romans as far as science and medicine goes. Let's get into it. As we discussed in the last episode, the ancient Romans had primitive knowledge of medicine and remedies. However, this all changed when Rome conquered Alexandria. Once Rome got access to the medical documents from the library in Alexandria, it completely changed the Roman knowledge of medicine forever. Centuries of history, experiments, and studies were now just an arm's length away. And with this comes the science that we all associate with Greco-Roman culture. Rome started out by having small traveling doctors, but this quickly evolved into practices, clinics, and hospitals being started up everywhere. One thing in medicine that the Romans were exceptionally known for was their surgery instruments. They only used the best quality steel in Austria for their scapels. They would go as far as to personally get a blacksmith to craft their scapel if it ever broke. The Romans also had heavier knives used in amputation and saws specifically for cutting bones. These are nearly identical to the tools used today for amputation. Some forceps found in Pompeii are so good that the medical instruments of today can barely match them. The Romans also experimented in plastic surgery. A Roman writer, Cessus, compiled a medical encyclopedia detailing two plastic surgery operations. Plastic surgery was also likely done at a barber shop, as we learn from some poetry that a barber specialized in removing brands from freed slaves. Barbers are also thought to have acted as dentists in this time. There are also other miscellaneous notable achievements of Romans in medicine. Pliny the Elder is known for his encyclopedia of medicinal and natural things. The Romans also worked a lot at anesthetics. Roman doctors had numerous drugs at their disposal, but opium was the most common one. The anesthetics that the Romans employed were in use until the Middle Ages. A cool primary source to check out is the fresco of a wounded Roman soldier, Aeneas. You can see how the Romans viewed battle injuries. It's really neat and I highly suggest looking it up and seeing for yourself. Rome became very established when it came to medicine because of the influence of the Greeks and the library in Alexandria. However, Rome obviously had to have the helping hand of Greece to get where we regard them now. Rome is regarded as very established and educated on the scientific side of things, yet it is regarded as Greco-Roman medicine. What does any of this have to do with Latin? All of this culture and history is great, but what does it have to do with the Latin language? You'll have to wait until next episode to figure it out. Be sure to listen in on the next and final episodes of the series on medicine. See you then!