How Did Hippocrates Play In The Roman Medical System

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The early Romans had a religious, yet fundamental understanding of the practice of medicine. Acquiring knowledge from the medical treaties and methods of the Greeks, the Romans came up with one of the best and most sophisticated medical systems of the Ancient World. Medicine was a combination of some limited scientific knowledge, and a religious and mythological system. While the Roman medical system was highly developed, it was still highly flawed. The Roman system was the most capable the world knew until the 19th and 20th centuries. Many of the Roman gods were believed to have healing powers, but one in particular played an important role in ancient medicine. Aesculapius, the god of healing, conducted the Roman medical practice and his symbolic snake still continues to be used as a symbol of the medical field to this day (Elliott). A largely recognizable father of modern medicine is known as Hippocrates, who created the concept of medicine. Hippocrates created the Hippocratic Oath that continues to be the binding ethical law guiding in the medicine field. The Hippocratic Oath constitutes as a recap of moral code. Hippocrates was responsible for recording illnesses, treatment attempts, along with causes and effect. The Romans went and expanded upon…show more content…
Others simply publicized services on the streets, going so far as to perform simple surgeries in front of crowds of people in hopes to increase their business. Some acted as salesmen, selling any number of products along with their treatments. Most would attempt a treatment if price was right, knowing the treatments did little good, if not, just cause more harm. There is even evidence that some doctors were willing to harm patients instead of healing them just to get money. Physicians who acted in these negative action often lasted in the profession for a short period of time

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