Greek Physicians in the Eyes of Roman Elite (from the Republic to the 1st Century AD)

María Ángeles Alonso

Abstract


In the 3rd century BC, Greek doctors brought scientific medicine to Rome. The arrival of new therapeutic practices, which were the inheritance of a different mental and cultural framework, provoked a double reaction at Rome. On the one hand, philhellenic circles promoted the presence of physicians in the city and in aristocratic households. On the other hand, the part of the elite that defended the safeguarding of the Roman gravitas condemned both the new medicine and the physicians. The assimilation of Greek medicine in Rome was accomplished in the 1st century BC. However, the attitude of Roman elite towards doctors continued to be ambiguous, since these doctors came usually from the East and practiced a foreign medicine. The aim of this paper is to analyze the attitude of the Roman elite towards those who had to take care of their health. With the help of literary sources like Cato the Elder, Cicero or Pliny, we will evaluate to what extent these physicians who interacted in the life of the aristocracy were perceived as carnifici who killed or amici who healed.


Keywords


ancient medicine; Greek physicians; medicus; Roman aristocracy; Roman gravitas

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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17951/f.2018.73.119-137
Date of publication: 2019-05-27 11:28:54
Date of submission: 2018-09-30 14:09:46


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