Latin Culture for Midterm 1/2 (Ancient Technology and Medicine)

Practice for one of the topics of the culture section on the Latin midterm. Ancient Technology and Medicine and information about it. Pictures in the textbook included.

A sealstone carved with a picture of a doctor examining a patient, supervised by Asclepius, the god of healing.

Alexandrian doctors were particularly expert about the inside of the body, although others had some knowledge. This clay model of the intestines, and models of other body parts, were dedicated to the gods by patients at a healing shrine in Italy.

A set of metal instruments carved on the walls of an Egyptian temple about twenty-five years after Quintus’ visit to Alexandria. In the third row notice the scales for weighing medicines, and the forceps. THe cups in the bottom left corners were used to draw off blood.

A bronze cup was heated and its mouth was applied to a patch of skin whose surface had been cut or scratched. As the air in the cup cooled, blood was gently sucked out.

During childbirth, the mother would sit in the birthing chair with female supporters around her and the midwife seated in front of her.

The blade of a saw used by doctors for cutting through bone.

A stamp for labeling cakes of eye ointment and a plaster cast of the impressions of the four sides.

A Roman doctor had a wide range of instruments at his disposal, from spoons and tweezers to knives.

Part of a papyrus treatise on astronomy, Written in Greek at Alexandria in the second century BC.

A drawing of Hero’s steam engine which consists of a hollow, metal sphere and a boiling pot of water.

A model of Hypatia of Alexandria wearing a white stola.

A diagram of Eratosthenes’ experiment: Eratosthenes discovered that at Syene (modern Aswan) in southern Egypt the sun was directly overhead at noon on the day of the summer solstice so that a vertical stick case no shadow. At the same moment, the sun in Alexandria (which Eratosthenes believed was due north of Syene) was not directly overhead, so a stick in Alexandria cast a shadow. Eratosthenes measured this shadow and used his measurement to calculate the angle A between the sun’s rays and the stick. Since the sun’s rays are parallel, angle B is the same size as angle A. Knowing angle B and the distance between Syene and Alexandria, he calculated the Earth's circumference. His conclusion was only 198 miles off.

Alexandria

famous as a center of science and learning - had the Musem and its Library where scholars from around the world came - new discoveries

Part of Hippocratic oath

Into whatever houses I enter, I will go into them for the benefit of the sick, and I will abstain from every voluntary act of mischief and corruption. Whatever in my professional practice I see or hear, which ought not to be spoken abroad, I will not divulge.

Hippocrates

tried to remove magic + superstition from treatment of disease by observing his patients’ symptoms carefully and trying to discover their causes - regarded as founder of medical science

Greek knowledge

surface of the body - dissecting a body was disagreeable and perhaps wicked

Alexandrian knowledge

because of mummifying corpses, they knew about anatomy

Herophilus

most famous Alexandrian anatomist - gave detailed description of the brain, explained difference of tendons vs nerves and arteries vs veins, described optic nerve and eye including the retina, measured frequency of pulse + used that to diagnose fever, laid great stress on importance of hygiene, diet, exercise, and bathing

Use of drugs

experienced doctors would use them to treat minor ailments - juice of wild poppy contains opium (relieve pain)

Unwashed sheep wool (lanolin)

often applied to wounds and swellings to soothe the irritation

Boiled turnips

Useless prescription for chilblains - what helped was either the heat from the turnips of the patient’s own belief that the turnips would do them good

How to remove a decayed tooth

Put a piece of peppercorn between the decayed tooth and a healthy one, and that would push the tooth out at some point

Surgery and other procedures

Tonsillectomies, tying veins/arteries, reset broken bones, stitches on incisions, sometimes difficult/delicate operations attempted (such as one the eye), amputations (last resort)

Women in medicine

Midwives were the only roles (assisting in childbirth). Methods: olive oil, herbs, sponges, woolen bandages, and birthing stool

Doctor Hygiene Standards

Greek doctors insisted on high standards of cleanliness to reduce the risk of infections

Museum at Alexandria

Famous for the study of math

Euclid

worked at Alexandria, wrote book called Elements and summarized all previous knowledge of geometry

Astronomy

developed in Alexandria- people trying to calculate the distance between the Earth and the sun, between the Earth and moon, idea that Earth is round, rotated on axis, circled the sun with other planets. Heliocentric model of the universe not very well accepted though.

Hero of Alexandria

made a steam turbine that made steam cream a force that made a ball spin around, made a hollow altar that when fire was lit, hot air made puppets dance

Maria Hebraea

Mary the Jewess - contributed to alchemy by inventing scientific instruments including the double boiler (“bain-marie”) for gentle heating

Hypatia of Alexandria

wrote and taught about mathematics, philosophy and astronomy, wrote a commentary on Euclid’s Elements with her father

Why did Alexandrian not build stuff with machines?

They had slaves. The large workforce made them not need to build machines, maybe regarded trade and manufacturing less dignified than research and investigation, maybe prevented from developing machines bc of a lack of technical skills