Surgery in the Graeco-Roman era

Louise Cilliers,François P. Retief

doi:10.4102/satnt.v25i2.149

Abstract

In the Graeco-Roman era medical treatment characteristically consisted of regimen (diet and a healthy lifestyle), medicaments and surgery – the latter being reserved for those cases in which regimen and medicaments had failed. Evidence of primitive surgery dates back to the Bronze Age, and the Homeric epics describe surgical treatment of war wounds with frequent intervention of the gods. With the arrival of empiric medicine in the 5th century BC, surgery featured prominently in the Hippocratic Corpus by way of excellent contributions on head and orthopaedic surgery in particular. Alexandrian medicine (late 4th century) facilitated surgical development through the knowledge of anatomy and physiology gained from human dissection. Greek medicine brought a much improved standard of surgery to the Roman era (2nd century BC). Physicians were still expected to be proficient in all three modalities of medical practice (above), but surgery was now held in higher regard and specialisation in fields such as eye diseases, obstetrics and women’s diseases, bladder ailments, mouth and throat surgery developed. Military medicine, well organised in Roman times, brought experience in trauma surgery, and procedures penetrating the abdomen and thoracic cavities were no longer uniformly fatal. Veterinary surgery came into being. The first significant surgical textbook after the Hippocratic Corpus was compiled by Celsus in the 1st century AD. From the 3rd century onwards surgery stagnated and the scientific language gradually changed from Greek to Latin. The surgical expertise of the era was carried into the Middle Ages and later predominantly by Islamic physicians.

Highlights

Surgery in the Graeco-Roman era In the Graeco-Roman era medical treatment characteristically consisted of regimen, medicaments and surgery – the latter being reserved for those cases in which regimen and medicaments had failed
’n Chirurg behoort jonk te wees, of in ieder geval nader aan die jeug as die ouderdom; hy het ’n sterk en stewige hand wat nooit bewe nie en is bereid om met beide die linker- en regterhand te opereer; hy het ’n skerp visie en ’n vreeslose gees en is gevul met meegevoel sodat hy die genesing van sy pasiënt voorop stel; hy gee nie in vir smekinge om te vinnig te opereer of minder te sny as wat nodig is nie, en tree op asof die pynuitroepe geen emosie by hom ontlok nie.[3]
Die sogenaamde Hippokratiese Corpus wat in die Goue Eeu van Athene ontstaan het, het uit ongeveer 70 individuele werke bestaan, met latere byvoegings tot in die Christen-era

Summary

DIE GRIEKSE ERA

Argeologiese inligting dui daarop dat chirurgiese ingrepe reeds tydens die Bronstydperk uitgevoer is met chirurgiese instrumente uit Mukene wat na 1400 v.C. terugdateer. Die sogenaamde Hippokratiese Corpus wat in die Goue Eeu van Athene ontstaan het (die 5de eeu v.C.), het uit ongeveer 70 individuele werke bestaan, met latere byvoegings tot in die Christen-era. Min chirurgiese instrumente uit die Hippokratiese era het vir ons bewaar gebly.[40] Die ontwikkeling van chirurgie is beduidend deur die hantering van oorlogswonde gestimuleer, en die sogenaamde “Diocles-lepel” (cyathiskos) is spesifiek ontwerp om pylpunte en ander metaalvoorwerpe uit wonde te verwyder.[41] (Diocles van Carystus was ’n uitstekende geneesheer van die 4de eeu v.C.42) Die embriotoom, gebruik om ’n geïmpakteerde fetus tydens obstruktiewe kraam te vernietig en te verwyder, dateer uit hierdie era.[43] Die sogenaamde “Hippokrates-bed” (scamnus) waarop ontwrigte gewrigte en frakture deur meganiese traksie in posisie gebring is, was effektief maar het geweldige pyn veroorsaak.[44]. In 146 v.C. is Griekeland deur Rome verower en is die Romeinse era ingelei

ROMEINSE ERA

Francois Retief

Louise Cilliers