Ancient Romans Flashcards
What were the similarities with Greek medicine?
Hippocrates’ idea about the four humours continue to be used
Romans still believed in the Gods
Medicine was centred around the home and herbal remedies were used by women in the family who passed their ideas from mother to daughter.
What were the differences with Greek medicine?
Romans believed that ‘bad air’ (also known as miasma) made people ill
Romans weren’t as bothered about doctors as the Greeks
How did the Romans prevent bad smells?
They kept themselves clean
Did not build towns near marshes
What did Romans believe about doctors?
That they were money grabbers!
What were the Roman attitudes towards illness?
They cared more about prevention rather than cure
What was the Romans’ big idea?
Public Health
What advantage did the Romans have over other empires?
A strong army
What was the role of army surgeons?
To treat soldiers who were injured or ill
Keeping the soldiers healthy
What were the conditions in a Roman empire?
Very cramped
What did the Romans know about living in cramped conditions?
That it caused diseases to spread quickly
What are the 6 public health schemes that the Romans provided?
Public toilets Public baths Sewers Clean water via Aqueducts Public fountains Free hospitals for soldiers
Why did the Romans create public toilets?
So waste could go into the sewers instead of onto the streets
Why did the Romans create public baths?
For washing and exercise
Why did the Romans create sewers?
To remove waste which emptied into rivers
Why did the Romans believe that clean water was important?
To wash in, brought into towns from springs in the countryside via aqueducts
Why did the Romans think that public fountains were important?
For running water. Which is used for drinking and washing
Why were the Romans able to create schemes such as clean drinking water?
They were brilliant engineers and builders
They were very rich
How were the Romans so rich?
They took lots of taxes from the countries they controlled, this allowed them to pay for what was needed
What did the Romans do when public health didn’t stop plagues?
They asked Asclepius for help
When and where was Galen born?
129AD in Greece
Why was Galen able to see the inside of bodies?
Because the gladiators he was working on would be cut open when they were fighting
What did Galen do after being a surgeon of gladiators?
He moved to Rome to become a doctor to the Emperor
What did Galen write?
Many books about medicine, his ideas followed on from those of Hippocrates
What theory did Galen develop?
The theory of opposites
