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History A - Medicine Through Time > Ancient Roman > Flashcards

Flashcards in Ancient Roman Deck (9)
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1
Q

What did the Ancient Romans notice that made people become ill? (Natural)

A

-They noticed that bad smells, unclean drinking water, sewage, swamps and dirt made people become ill.

2
Q

What did the Ancient Romans build in order to remove waste?

A

-Public baths, toilets and sewers.

3
Q

Why did ideas about public health spread so much and quickly in the Ancient Roman era?

A

-Ideas about public health spread around their huge empire.

4
Q

How many medical books did Claudius Galen write?

A

-He wrote over 60 medical books.

5
Q

Who came up with the theory of opposites based on Hippocrates’ Four Humours?

A

-Galen.

6
Q

What did Galen do?

A
  • He was a great physician. Like Hippocrates, he believed that illness was caused by imbalances of the four humours. Just as Hippocrates did, he told doctors to observe patients carefully and record symptoms.
  • He developed the idea of opposite humours for counter-balancing the body’s humours.
  • He discovered that the brain, not the heart, controls the speech.
  • He found that arteries, as well as veins, carry blood through the body. Proved the animals anatomy is different from humans.
7
Q

What were the limitations of Galen’s work?

A
  • Galen made mistakes because he had to use only animals.
  • He said there were holes in the septum of the heart which would let blood pass from right to the left side.
  • He believed that the blood was consumed, rather than circulated.
8
Q

What were beliefs about causes of diseases and the treatments of diseases in the Ancient Roman era?

A
  • Romans were not as interested as the Greeks in developing theories about the causes of disease.
  • Doctors recommended more exercise, changes in diet or prescribed herbal medicines as opposites.
  • Doctors were too expensive for most people.
  • The head of the family was expected to look after their household.
  • They would use herbal remedies and common sense methods.
9
Q

What was surgery like in the Ancient Roman era?

A
  • The most common surgical treatment was bleeding.
  • Internal operations were still rare because they were too risky.
  • There were amputations; trephining was used to relieve pain in the head.