guy

Well, 2009 is almost here. Let's all hope for the best. It has been a tough year for many of us financially. Many friends and associates have lost their companies, jobs, retirement savings, or their homes. Hopefully, we still have our good health, family, and friends. Here are two quotes from Ancient Rome that reflect the conflicting views of the future--one optimistic and the other pessimistic. I think they can be applied to our world today. Whenever I feel optimistic, I think about this line from Ammianus Marcellinus:

Thank you for posting this article. This article reminds me of how exciting studying Ancient history can be. In addition, the "Third Century crisis" in Roman history remains for me an enjoyable "great unknown" in Roman history as the primary sources are so thin and the scholarship involving this period is underdeveloped. I am always amazed that the empire avoided total collapse during this period: The Western Empire lasted for two centuries more and the Eastern Empire lasted almost a thousand years beyond that. It is also interesting to learn about the tensions between the growing Christian movement and the dominant Pagan culture during this time. guy also known as gaius

Exactly . Tonight's episode was also well done. It focused on Ricimer. It was even (for me, at least) very informative. I recommend the series highly. By the way, Caesar, you list your home as the "Holy Land." Did you mean Las Vegas? More precisely, Caesar's Palace?

I hope everyone had the opportunity to see some of the series. I was impressed by what little I saw: episodes dealing with Marius, Marcus Aurelius, Decius, and Aurelian. I thought these episodes were well done for the targeted general audience. How often do programs dedicate a whole hour to the likes of Decius or Aurelian?

Where did human thinking go wrong? The Greek Eratosthenes calculated the circumference of the earth to an accuracy of within 10% around 245 BCE. By knowing the distance between two cities (Syene and Alexandria, Egypt) and comparing the angle of the shadow of the sun during the summer solstice, he was able to calculate the circumference of the earth. This concept makes the assumption of a round earth. Many Roman coins have the image of a round globe: How did the belief of a flat earth come from?

Marcus Varro is a forgotten man. He wrote 620 books. He was a friend and ally of Pompey. He was later pardoned (twice) and was supported by Caesar. He later befriended Octavian (despite Marc Antony's hatred) and became a respected writer with Octavian's patronage and protection. He was certainly a man ahead of his time: "My eightieth year admonishes me to gather up my pack before I set forth from life.Therefore I shall write for you three handbooks to which you may turn whenever you wish to know, in a given case, how you ought to proceed in farming." "Precautions must also be taken in the neighborhood of swamps because certain minute creatures grow there which cannot be seen by the eyes, which float in the air and enter the body through the mouth and nose and there cause serious diseases." Marcus Terentius Varro 36 BCE Res Rusticae (On Farming) Unfortunately, this brilliant concept that explained many illnesses was lost in history. It was obscured by Galen's humoral theory that dominated Western medicine and remained unchallenged dogma for more than 1300 years. guy also known as gaius

The book, AD 381, looks like it has great potential: http://www.amazon.com/AD-381-Charles-Freem...1052&sr=1-1 It deals with Theodosius's ending Arianism in the Empire and defining Chrisitian orthodoxy. I'll let Wikipedia explain: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arianism Those of us who enjoy the study of early Christianity might find this book useful. Let's hope for the best. I find myself very sympathetic with the Arian view of the Christian faith. It is essential to recognize the importance of the suppression of pagan and non-orthodox Christian views in the history of Ancient Rome. guy also known as gaius

Galen really was a prolific author. He composed his first medical works as only a teenager: Diagnosis and Diseases of the Eye, On the Best Sect, and On the Anatomy of the Uterus. As much as 2/3 of his works have been lost and much of the surviving works have not been made available to English readers. Here is an interesting source for information about the works of Galen: http://www.bium.univ-paris5.fr/histmed/medica/galien_va.htm (Click on the Books list near his picture to see some of of his works) guy also known as gaius

Berber? Carthaginian? Libyan / North African? Roman? P.S.: Septimius Severus was the emperor during the latter period of Galen's life and possibly his patron (along with Commodus and Marcus Aurelius before him).

To quote Ralph Jackson from his excellent book Doctors and Diseases in the Roman Empire: "...by his own account Galen spent most of his inherited wealth on books and scribes. The latter were required as amanuenses [transcriptionists], for Galen's vast literary output was due in large part to his method of composition. He did not write but dictated his work, quoting other medical authors at some length as a basis from which to develop the results of his own research and expound his own theories." Galen had a long and productive career as a physician, possibly for more than 50 years. He wrote three million words over a lifetime. That calculates to 60,000 words a year. Assume he worked only 300 days a year and that calculates to 200 words a day. That number is very believable. guy also known as gaius

I appreciate your rigorous attention to sources. Too often, many professional writers and speakers ignore the sources of their information and fail to critically analyze them, resulting from sloppy or inaccurate research. (Too often, our newspaper and television reporters have also been guilty of this. There have been many examples of poor journalism during this recent election cycle in the United States.) We must, therefore, challenge much of what we hear and read, not failing to ask "what are the sources" and "were they properly translated." Much of Galen

You may be right, but here is the footnote from Doctors and Diseases in the Roman Empire, by Ralph Jackson, 1988: J. Benedum, 'Titos Staltilos Kriton', Clio Medica (1972) 7, 249-58; Galen, XIV 641-7K; Smith 1979, 84; Nutton 1986, 35-36. Very few people have studied even a majorty of Galen's works still available and Nutton is a very respected authority on medicine in the Ancient World. I am willing to accept Nutton's work...although you might be correct.

I recently watched on the History Channel a well-done program,

Well said. Medicine had improved little over the intervening 1600 years from Galen's time. Here's some other information I found while researching Galen: Military Valetudinarium Military hospital First priority was sanitation Emphasis on sewage and waste removal, running water, and good ventilation Buildings were a double row of rooms separated by a corridor and arranged around a courtyard http://tribus.bonn.de/roemlag/sache/rlvale.htm Military Medical Corps 27 BCE Formed by Emperor Augustus First permanent and professional corps pf physicians and surgeons, hygiene officers, and bandagers (capsarii) Physicians given land grants, dignified titles, special retirement gifts such as exemptions from certain taxes and civil duties Medical personal trained and qualified by military schools Battlefield injuries required the knowledge of tourniquets, arterial clamps, and ligatures to stem blood flow, as well as amputation to prevent gangrene. Prevented battlefield epidemics by placing forts away from insect infested swamps and installed drains to transport sewage away from the camp.

Althought I disagree with this statement (and I will elaborate on this issue later), I agree that medical care in the Ancient world was nonstandardized. What were the qualifications for non-military physicians? None. No medical or disciplinary boards. No recognized qualifications for physicians. Success was based on reputation. Reputation depended on luck, skill, and bedside manner. There was no medical malpractice except for property loss; i.e., the loss of a valued slave. "There is alas no law against incompetence; no striking example is made. They [physicians] earn by our bodily jeopardy and make experiments until the death of the patients, and the doctor is the only person not punished for murder." Pliny the Elder

A Roman medicus at work: The use of honey for its antibacterial properties and its ability to promote wound healing is recognized even today.

There were no hospitals in Ancient Rome (except for Military hospitals and clinics for gladiators) till AD 300s with the emergence of Christianity. I agree with Audrey Cruse when she writes: "...such cult centers [including the temple of Asclepius] cannot be regarded as early types of a 'hospital' because the sick were not given any form of continuous therapy, nursing care or food. The cures were mostly one-off miraculous interventions." Other factoids about the temples of Asclepius: Temple of Asclepius (Aesculapius in Latin): Healing God Temples built in his name to heal the sick. They represent a fusion of supernatural or magical healing with practical advice. Serpents sacred to Aesclepius: Only species with ability to slough its skin. Symbol of American medicine is the rod of Asclepius with a single serpent. Sanctuaries of Asclepius were like dormitories: People would sleep in them hoping the healing god would visit them at night, bringing healing, cleansing, and advice of a cure. This practice was known as incubation. Priests of Asclepius would prescribe a treatment based on their dreams: herbal medicine, exercise, or baths. The priest would also recommend a sacrifice. The last words of Socrates after swallowing hemlock (roughly): "Crito, we owe a cock to Asclepius. Pay it and do not forget." Cult of Asclepius First appeared in Greece late 6th century BCE. Brought to Athens 420 BCE after the plaque that killed Pericles Introduced to Rome 293 BCE to avert a plague As a sidenote: As crazy as this cult may seem, it lasted for more than 800 years. guy also known as gaius

I read somewhere that Galen, Rome's "celebrity physician," was paid 400 gold coins for a single operation (15X the standard rate typically charged for the same procedure). Galen practiced in Rome from the early AD 160s to sometime around 200. This doesn't seem correct or possible to me. Any thoughts? And how much would this be in relation to a worker's daily wages? Thanks ahead of time, guy also known as gaius

Galen did not believe that blood circulated. He thought that it ebbed and flowed: Blood was consumed in the healthy state, but was stagnant in the disease state. This is why bloodletting was a favored therapy, according to Galen. Galen, for example, thought that breast cancer was caused by a coagulum of black bile within the breast, a substance discharged from the body by menstruation. He explained this to be the reason for the greater frequency of breast cancer typically found in non-menstruating post-menopausal women and the therapy he recommended was ridding the body of black bile.

Galen had a strange concept of respiration. Galen believed the following: Body's innate heat formed by blood. Breathing does not bring a fuel to blood. (There was no understanding of oxygen, for example.) Breathing fans, cools, and strengthens the innate heat. Breathing dissolves the "smokiness" produced by the "combustion of the blood." Galen did, however, correctly demonstrate cutting the nerves affecting the function of the diaphram and intercostal muscles involved in breathing. Here's a good article on the subject: http://www.erj.ersjournals.com/cgi/reprint/8/1/154.pdf

Thanks for the alert. I'm looking forward to the reviews. My greatest interests in Roman history are the "third century crisis" and the development of the Christian movement in the Ancient World. I'm looking foreward to the books. I've already read a couple books from each author and have enjoyed them all.

Thank you for posting this question. My first response is "ouch." That said, the eunuch Halotus was an official taster and chief steward to Clauidius. He is rumored to have poisoned Claudius with mushrooms, possibly with Agrippina's support. (I doubt this, however, since he continued to play a role in the Imperial courts of Nero and Galba after Claudius's death. Also, the time course of Claudius's death and death by mushroom poisoning is not correct.) Strangely, many of the followers of Cybele and possibly the early Chrisitian theologian Origin were also eunuchs I hope others can add insight to this interesting (but uncomfortable) aspect of Roman life.

" For as long as I am absorbed in Ancient history, I will be able to avert my gaze from the evils which our own age has been witnessing for so many years." Titus Livy Poorly translated by guy also known as gaius

Thank you for reviewing my post, Lost Warrior! Any help or insight in understanding Galen is appreciated. Galen wrote that a good physician was also a philosopher. The difficulty in understanding Galen's view of medicine is that he mixed science with philosophy. He firmly believed in Plato's tripartite soul (a concept that I only vaguely understand): reason, spirit, and appetite or desire. He thought human health could also be divided into three body systems: the brain and nerves for sensation, the heart and arteries for life and energy, and the liver and veins for nutrition and growth. He also believed in Hippocrates' humoral theory (the need for balance to maintain good health among the four humours: blood, phlegm, black bile and yellow bile). He felt that these three body systems had to be in balance with the four humours. Illness, therefore, represented any imbalance among these systems. Because he was fixated on this philosophy of three body systems (to coincide with Plato's idea of the tripartite soul), he couldn't grasp the notion of blood circulating between the arteries and veins independent of the brain and nervous system. The understanding of circulation had to wait till Harvey in 1628. I appreciate any help you can offer in my understanding this concept. Thanks, again. I will post further on this thread.

Understanding Galen's view of medicine is very difficult for those of us brought up or taught in the modern Western concept of rational and scientific medicine. Simplistically, his approach to medicine combined three distinct perspectives: Galen's views are a combination of the scientific perspective (anatomical studies by dissection and experimentation), the quasi-scientific (the humoral theory) and the philosophic (the Platonic view of life involving three body systems and the division of the soul, along with the Healing cult of Asclepius). This would be akin to a modern approach to medicine that included science (neurobiology and neuroanatomy, for example) mixed with quasi-science (Freudian concepts of ego, super-ego, and id) and philosophy (strains of Eastern mind-body intervention and religious supernatural healing). He practiced medicine for about a half century and wrote 3-4 million words (350 treatises). His concept of medicine was always evolving and adapting. To be continued....