Greek physicians in Ancient Rome

[guy]

Most the leading physicians in Ancient Rome were Greek or of Greek origin.

Both Audrey Cruse in her book Roman Medicine and Robert Garland in his lecture series "Greece and Rome: An Integrated History of the Ancient Mediterranean" discuss this phenomenon. I will heavily plagiarize and paraphrase this concept from these two sources and add a few of my non-original ideas.

There were several reasons for so many Greek physicians in Rome:

-There was no Roman tradition for professional medicine. Medicine was practiced at home, usually by the family, with the paternal head of the family usually being in charge of the treatment and care of his family and slaves..
-There was a Roman preference for traditional folklore and homespun remedies: bath, massage, exercise, diet, etc., as well as the necessary offerings to the gods.
-Medicine is a service industry; thus, the Romans looked down upon it. (This could explain why so many Greek ex-slaves were accepted as physicians by the Romans.) Physicians in Rome had a lower social status than in Greece where they were usually more respected.

Early in the Roman Republic, suspicions and prejudices against all Greeks, including physicians, were so common that the Romans frequently suspected the Greeks of using poison.

"They [the Greek physicians] have conspired among themselves to murder all foreigners with their medicine, a profession which they follow to make money, so as to win our confidence and do away with us all the more easily."
Cato the Elder


Potential culture clash


There was a Roman distrust of foreigners and a suspicion of their motives. The reason for this distrust was a cultural clash.

Romans emphasis was on self-reliance and tradition, with a distrust of novelty. Greeks, on the other hand, embraced scientific study, innovation, experimentation, and discovery.

Roman initial dislike of Greek physicians was more than just cultural.

There was a difference of cultural beliefs, as well as of backgrounds and of expectations.

Audrey Cruse describes these tensions well: "Greek doctor and Roman patient, on their first meeting, did not harmonize, they collided, resulting in 'fertile fields of misunderstanding.'"

The Greek physician, with his more scientific approach, would frequently ignore the more "traditional" Roman approach to health care.

These differences and misunderstandings were exacerbated by difficulties of communication and terminology.

" Medicine [is] alone of the Greek arts we serious Romans have not yet practiced, in spite of great profits, only a few of our citizens have touched upon it, and even these at once were deserters to the Greeks." 
Cato the Elder

With time, Rome became more receptive to Hellenistic ideas and cultural influences, including the Greek approach to medicine.

Although Greek physicians were long recognized for their ability, they grew in popularity when they embraced a medical practice more harmonious with Roman tradition, while maintaining a high level of skill and competence. The Greek physician became more readily sought out and requested for his medical knowledge and skill as the two groups-the Greek physicians and their Roman patients-became more compatible

The Greek physician went from being distrusted and feared to becoming accepted and popular. The stature of the Greek physician culminated with Galen who became Rome's celebrity physician, receiving 15x the standard rate for a single operation. Galen was soon taking care of many of the most powerful members of Roman society, including the Emperor Marcus Aurelius and his son, the future Emperor Commodus.

guy also known as gaius

Edited February 20, 2017 by guy

[ASCLEPIADES]

Salve, G et gratiam habeo for sharing you work with us.

Edited August 31, 2008 by ASCLEPIADES

[ASCLEPIADES]

Salve, Amici.

I couldn't resist from posting this Plinian pearl from Naturalis Historia Liber XXIX cp. VIII:

 

Nulla praeterea lex, quae puniat inscitiam capitalem, nullum exemplum vindictae.

Discunt periculis nostris et experimenta per mortes agunt, medicoque tantum hominem occidisse inpunitas summa est.

Quin immo transit convitium et intemperantia culpatur, ultroque qui periere arguuntur.

 

"And then besides, there is no law in existence whereby to punish the ignorance of physicians, no instance before us of capital punishment inflicted.

It is at the expense of our perils that they learn, and they experimentalize by putting us to death, a physician being the only person that can kill another with sovereign impunity.

Nay, even more than this, all the blame is thrown upon the sick man only; he is accused of disobedience forthwith, and it is the person who is dead and gone that is put upon his trial".

[ASCLEPIADES]

If we compare the following sources, it seems the young CJ Caesar considered his personal physician (maybe a slave?) as one of his friends:

 

- C. Suetonius T., Vita Divus Julius, cp. IV, sec. I:

 

...circa Pharmacussam insulam a praedonibus captus est mansitque apud eos non sine summa indignatione prope quadraginta dies cum uno medico et cubiculariis duobus.

 

...he was taken by pirates near the island of Pharmacussa and remained in their custody for nearly forty days in a state of intense vexation, attended only by a single physician and two body-servants.

 

- L.M Plutarchus, Vita Caesar, cp. II, sec. II:

 

"In the next place, after he had sent various followers to various cities to procure the money and was left with one friend and two attendants among Cilicians, most murderous of men,".