The transforming influence of the Greeks on Roman medical practice
Abstract
English: When Rome conquered Greece in the second century BC, she had no equivalent to Greek
rational medicine as established by Hippocrates and the Alexandrians. Roman medicine
was of a quasi-religious nature, with a strong element of folk traditions and herbal
medicine; the paterfamilias would treat any sickness in the family (including slaves and
even animals) with his array of folk remedies. Greek rational medicine was initially received
with great skepticism by the Roman elite, in particular, but it gradually transformed
the scene, replacing superstition and magic with a reliance on rational science as it
was understood at the time. However, the belief in herbal remedies and the Asclepian cult
of temple medicine remained strong. Rome also made its own unique contributions in
the fields of hygiene (effective water supplies, sewage and drainage) and military medicine
(including the introduction of the first hospitals). Roman doctors gradually replaced
their Greek colleagues, and by the fifth century Latin had established itself as a significant
medical language. In practice Roman folk medicine was not necessarily much inferior to
Greek rational medicine, because the latter was based on ill-understood and largely erroneous
concepts of medical science. Afrikaans: Toe Rome Griekeland in die tweede eeu vC verower, was daar geen Romeinse ekwivalent
van Griekse rasionele geneeskunde soos daargestel deur Hippokrates en die Aleksandryne
nie. Romeinse geneeskunde was van kwasi-religieuse aard, deurdrenk met volkstradisies
en kruie-medikamente; die paterfamilias het binne familieverband siekes (familielede,
slawe, selfs diere) met ’n verskeidenheid volksgeneesmiddels behandel. Griekse rasionele
geneeskunde, aanvanklik deur veral die Romeinse elite baie skepties ontvang, het egter
stelselmatig die Romeinse toneel getransformeer. Die impak van bygeloof en magiese
kragte is verplaas deur vertroue in die natuurwetenskap soos destyds verstaan. Kruiegeneeskunde
en die Asklepios-kultus se tempel-geneeskunde het egter invloedryk gebly,
en Rome het ook ’n eie unieke bydrae gelewer in die veld van higiëne (veral deur voorsiening
van water, dreinering en riolering) en militêre geneeskunde (daarstelling van
die eerste hospitale). Griekse geneeshere is mettertyd deur Romeinse kollegas vervang,
en teen die die vyfde eeu het Latyn ’n beduidende mediese skryftaal geword. Weens ’n
grotendeel foutiewe begrip van basiese mediese wetenskappe was Griekse rasionele geneeskunde
in die praktyk nie noodwendig meer effektief as Romeinse volksgeneeskunde nie.