Patients and Healers in the High Roman Empire

by Ido Israelowich

Overview

A comprehensive study of both patients and healers in the High Roman Empire.

Patients and Healers in the High Roman Empire offers a fascinating holistic look at the practice of ancient Roman medicine. Ido Irsaelowich presents three richly detailed case studies—one focusing on the home and reproduction; another on the army; the last on medical tourism—from the point of view of those on both sides of the patient-healer divide. He explains in depth how people in the classical world became aware of their ailments, what they believed caused particular illnesses, and why they turned to certain healers—root cutters, gymnastic trainers, dream interpreters, pharmacologists, and priests—or sought medical care in specific places such as temples, bath houses, and city centers.

The book brings to life the complex behavior and social status of all the actors involved in the medical marketplace. It also sheds new light on classical theories about sickness, the measures Romans undertook to tackle disease and improve public health, and personal expectations for and evaluations of various treatments.

Ultimately, Israelowich concludes that this clamoring multitude of coexisting forms of health care actually shared a common language. Drawing on a diverse range of sources—including patient testimonies; the writings of physicians, historians, and poets; and official publications of the Roman state—Patients and Healers in the High Roman Empire is a groundbreaking history of the culture of classical medicine.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781421416281
Publisher:	Johns Hopkins University Press
Publication date:	04/01/2015
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Ido Israelowich is a senior lecturer in classics at Tel Aviv University. He is the author of Society, Medicine, and Religion in the Sacred Tales of Aelius Aristides.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ix

Introduction 1

1 The Identity of Physicians during the High Roman Empire 11

The Establishment of Medicine as a Profession in Rome 12

The Nature of the Medical Market Place during the High Roman Empire 30

The Case of Psasnis 35

Conclusion 43

2 Patients' Understanding of Health and Illness 45

Patients and Their Healers 46

Physicians and Temple Medicine 52

Aelius Aristides 63

Conclusion 67

3 The Domus and Reproduction 70

Childbirth 71

Physicians and Midwives 76

Mothers' Experiences 84

Conclusion 85

4 Health Care in the Roman Army 87

Theoretical Background 88

The Establishment of the Roman Imperial Medical Corps 92

The Responsibilities of the Army Physician and of the Medical Corps 96

Military Physicians and Local Populations 105

Conclusion 108

5 Medical Tourism during the High Roman Empire 110

Temples 111

Water 117

Cities 124

Conclusion 134

Conclusion 135

Notes 139

Bibliography 173

Index 185

What People are Saying About This

Manfred Horstmanshoff

An original, innovative, and provocative history of ancient medicine in the High Roman Empire from the patient's point of view. Israelowich combines different materials—medical writings, papyri, inscriptions, juridical and literary texts, and archaeological sources—into a fascinating mosaic.

From the Publisher

An original, innovative, and provocative history of ancient medicine in the High Roman Empire from the patient's point of view. Israelowich combines different materials—medical writings, papyri, inscriptions, juridical and literary texts, and archaeological sources—into a fascinating mosaic.
—Manfred Horstmanshoff, Leiden University

Editorial Reviews

Patients and Healers is a substantial piece of scholarship, worthy of careful study for anyone interested the subject. Its focus on the perceptions and motives of the patient with emphasis on inscriptions and ex-voto dedications distinguishes this book from other general studies on health care under the Empire.
—Bryn Mawr Classical Review

A comprehensive study of the medical market and the interactions between patients and healers in the Roman Empire.
—Choice

Israelowich's book best succeeds in clearly and methodically drawing out the structure of a medical world in which many of the basic tenets of medicine were still being debated, and in including in his discussion all of the healing institutions that functioned together in the Roman world, be they religious, traditional, or philosophical.
—New England Classical Journal

. . . [T]his is a good piece of work which will continue to raise important questions and deserves a wide readership.
—Journal of Roman Studies

From the Publisher

Patients and Healers is a substantial piece of scholarship, worthy of careful study for anyone interested the subject. Its focus on the perceptions and motives of the patient with emphasis on inscriptions and ex-voto dedications distinguishes this book from other general studies on health care under the Empire.

Bryn Mawr Classical Review

. . . [T]his is a good piece of work which will continue to raise important questions and deserves a wide readership.

Journal of Roman Studies

Israelowich's book best succeeds in clearly and methodically drawing out the structure of a medical world in which many of the basic tenets of medicine were still being debated, and in including in his discussion all of the healing institutions that functioned together in the Roman world, be they religious, traditional, or philosophical.

New England Classical Journal

A comprehensive study of the medical market and the interactions between patients and healers in the Roman Empire.

Choice