Valetudinaria (Military Hospitals):

[guy]

In the book, Doctors and Diseases in the Roman Empire, Ralph Jackson makes this bold and controversial statement:

 

Edited September 26, 2011 by guy

[Melvadius]

In the book, Doctors and Diseases in the Roman Empire, Ralph Jackson makes this bold and controversial statement:

 

The most controversial element of that opening reference so far as I can see is suggesting that 'many' auxilliary forts contained such buildings. So far as legionary fortresses are concerned then these buildings do continue to be identified for the various reasons mentioned, including the legionary camp of the legio I Italica in Novae/Bulgaria mentioned in the previous thread on this topic with its temple and associated altars to the same range of dieties.

 

 

In his book, Roman Medicine, Audrey Cruse mentions several Vindolanda tablets that suggest the presence of valentudinaria. ....

 

In his book, Mr. Cruse also makes reference to the more recently discovered Vindolanda tablets not yet available online (Volume III). In two of these tablets were found the list of substances thought to be the ingredients to two Celsian medical prescriptions.

 

guy also known as gaius

 

As the index does not list 'herbs' as a topic if you say which tablets 'Cruse' refers to from Volume III, I can provide further details of what the original translators 'Bowman and Thomas' have said about them here.

 

[Edit -Alternatively if you Mozilla Firefow you may be able to search for the relevant tablets yourself at this site which is Vindolanda Tablets Online II (VTO2), a sister website to Vindolanda Tablets Online (VTO) that also apparently contains a searchable version of Volume III.]

[caldrail]

It's also important to realise that a fort with such facilities was a fixed defensive site, and not a temporary marching camp. There's no dispute that such facilities existed in permanent stations, but I doubt many of us would be happy with the standard of health care. Would you be confident with doctor whp prays for your health to get better?

[Melvadius]

...Would you be confident with doctor whp prays for your health to get better?

 

In the words of the old joke about the person who was 'other religion' of choice' accepting being given the 'last rites' if everything else has been tried 'Now is not the time to start making enemies!'

[GhostOfClayton]

Interesting that Housesteads was also thought to have a hospital. Located within a couple of miles of Vindolanda, albeit on a different road.

Edited September 25, 2011 by GhostOfClayton

[guy]

 

[Edit -Alternatively if you Mozilla Firefow you may be able to search for the relevant tablets yourself at this site which is Vindolanda Tablets Online II (VTO2), a sister website to Vindolanda Tablets Online (VTO) that also apparently contains a searchable version of Volume III.]

 

Thanks to everyone for reading my post. I will discuss medical matters of the Ancient world with anyone. With military matters, however, I leave my comfort zone...

 

Thank you for the excellent link. I was able to find Tablet 586. Audrey Cruse mentions Tablet 586 which makes reference to the seplasiarius (pharmacist) Vitalalis:

 

[[siliginis]] mo(dios) [[ii]] n

[[halicae]] mo(dium) []

Attico corni?clario n

5 halicae mo(dium) i

siliginis mo(dium) i

Vitali seplasiario n

halicae mo(dios) v

[[ siliginis mo(dium) i?]]

10 [D]e?c?imo cor(niclario) n

siliginis mo(dium) i?

. . . . . . . .

 

[[soft wheat, modii 2]]

[[Gruel, modius 1]]

To Atticus, cornicularius

Gruel, modius 1

Soft wheat, modius 1

To Vitalis, pharmacist

Gruel, modii 5

[[soft wheat, modius 1]]

To Decimus, cornicularius

Soft wheat, modius 1

 

i.7. seplasiario: normally sesplasiario, but reasonably well attested in this form. This is the second occurrence in Britain; for the first see Tomlin (1991), 300, no.24 and note 35, where the meaning is discussed (we have followed his translation of "pharmacist" rather than "unguent-seller"). This man could be a medical orderly and therefore a member of the unit; .... (Source: notes taken from the above Vindolanda research site)

 

However, Cruse further writes: "A further writing tablet, from the archaeological context of the praetorium, consisted of two incomplete fragments (Inv. No.93.1350).On each of them was inscribed lists of substances, such as foodstuffs and minerals as well as medicaments."

 

I don't know how to access these two other fragments. Thanks, again.

 

guy also known as gaius

Edited September 26, 2011 by guy

[Melvadius]

It is also there I just did a search for 'vindolanda Inv. No.93.1350' and found this link to the VT02 site where it seems to be listed under tablet 591.

 

There is a lot of discussion at the link which you may find interesting but the translation of tablet 591 is as follows:

 

'(a)Anise

Nuts

Berries (?)

Soft wheat (-flour?)

Beans

Alum '

'(b)Wax, by weight (?)

Bitumen, by weight

Bull's glue

Pitch, by weight

Blacking, by weight

Anchusa, by weight (?)

Mustard-seed, by weight

Verdigris

Linen soaked in honey (?)

Resin

Cummin

Oak-gall '

[guy]

It is also there I just did a search for 'vindolanda Inv. No.93.1350' and found '>this link to the VT02 site where it seems to be listed under tablet 591.

 

There is a lot of discussion at the link

 

Strong work.

 

 

I culled the most provocative portions of the discussion:

 

The most attractive hypothesis is that it is an inventory of medical supplies or a list of substances used for medical purposes. Such uses are attested for all the items mentioned and seem to be the only obvious common link, although it must be said that almost all foodstuffs and natural substances are credited with medical uses or properties by the ancient sources. It is plausible that the list might have some connection with the unit's medical facilities.... An alternative, attractive possibility...is that there are two separate lists of ingredients for prescriptions or medical recipes. Such collections of medical prescriptions are well-known in papyri...[and]strongly supports the idea that the present text concerns medical matters and may be part of a compendium of recipes. A large number of these ingredients appear in various sources as constituents of eye-salves, the use of which is particularly well-attested in Roman Britain; we have evidence at Vindolanda for lippientes (154) [those with chronic eye inflammation] and for a seplasiarius (586) [pharmacist]. We tentatively suggest that these lists might include ingredients for prescriptions for an eye-salve...and for the treatment of wounds.

 

guy also known as gaius

Edited September 26, 2011 by guy

[guy]

It is also there I just did a search for 'vindolanda Inv. No.93.1350' and found '>this link to the VT02 site where it seems to be listed under tablet 591.

 

...translation of tablet 591 is as follows:

 

'(a)Anise

Nuts

Berries (?)

Soft wheat (-flour?)

Beans

Alum '

'(b)Wax, by weight (?)

Bitumen, by weight

Bull's glue

Pitch, by weight

Blacking, by weight

Anchusa, by weight (?)

Mustard-seed, by weight

Verdigris

Linen soaked in honey (?)

Resin

Cummin

Oak-gall '

 

Cruse explains many of the ingredients' use in Roman medicine. She writes:

 

Bull's glue was used as a plaster for 'lichens' on the skin (possibly eczema or psoriasis)...Celsus (De Med V.19.1) writes of a plaster to stop bleeding which contained scraped verdigris, alum, pitch (bitumen) and scraped pine-resin. Bitumen is used for dressing wounds, or, floated on hot water, it could have been used as an inhalation to ease breathing in respiratory ailments, a hazard which may have been prevalent in that area.

...mustard seed, cumin, and nuts, where only the skins were used, were all ingredients which, mixed with wine, provided remedies for gastric upsets and diarrhea.

 

Here is Celsus from De Medicina:

 

19 Among the plasters none render greater service than those for immediate application to bleeding wounds, which the Greeks call enhaema. For these repress inflammation, unless a severe cause excites it, and even then they lessen its attack; further, they agglutinate wounds which allow of it, and induce a scar in them. But as the plasters consist of medicaments which are not greasy, they are named alipe.

 

The best of these is the plaster called barbarum. It contains scraped verdigris 48 grams, litharge 80 grams, alum, dried pitch, dried pine-resin, 4 grams each, to which is added oil and vinegar 250 cc. each.

 

 

I find most interesting the "linen soaked in honey." Honey is recognized even today as having curative properties for wound healing.

 

Celsus speaks of honey's healing properties often (5:26.29):

 

When the inflammation has ended, the wound must be cleaned. And that is best done by putting on lint soaked in honey, and over it the plaster called tetrapharmacum or that called enneapharmacum.

 

 

guy also known as gaius

Edited September 26, 2011 by guy

[caldrail]

...Would you be confident with doctor whp prays for your health to get better?

 

In the words of the old joke about the person who was 'other religion' of choice' accepting being given the 'last rites' if everything else has been tried 'Now is not the time to start making enemies!'

 

Glancing through Seutonius it strikes me that some doctors aren't exactly allies to begin with, but I guess that malaise only afflicts the wealthy and their political machinations. Or maybe not? After all, we don't have records of dubious care of soldiers (or civilians of lower stature other than slaves and gladiators, and even then only in connection with important figures)