Medicine+&+Disease

= Medicine and Disease of Ancient Rome =

By Dan McCarthy and Matt Khan
The Romans made a great impact and great contributions to the study of health. As did the Greeks and Egyptians. This is because back then, people didn't know as much about hygiene and such, as we do now. So any "cures" they came up with, and any of the slightest discoveries they made, was an advancement in the medical field. Way back in Ancient Roman times, the majority of the people practiced little to no hygiene. In return, disease and illness started and spread like a wild fire. The Romans did, however, have public baths. In these public baths people, mainly the lower class, would bath, gossip, and relax. The people who lived within the upperclass usually had their own elaborate baths at their houses.

Although every family had their own remedies and cures for illnesses, there were doctors that had more legitimate ways of handling things. Roman surgeons had their own little arsenal of tools used to aid in their work. They carried tool kits that contained forceps, scalpels, hooksand arrow extractors. Their usual patients were wounded soldiers, or any person with a serious injury. Before preforming any type of surgical procedures, the tools were boiled in hot water. Also, the surgeons had ways of easing the pain of the victims they were operating on. They used things such as opium to numb and ease the person. Doctors also used other tools such as; catheters, bone drills, and bone saws.

Top Roman Diseases
__Roman Fever__- Also known as Malaria, was one of the most often disease of Acient Rome. You would get Malaria from a mosquito bite. __Cure__- Lots of rest and food would usually help you recover from Malaria.

__Bubonic Plague__- No one could tell what caused this, but if you got Bubonic you would get a fever, and black spots on your chest or at the top of your leg. If you caught this plague, you would most likely die within 1-2 days. __Cure__- There was no effective treatment. Doctors would usually try random medicine or use surgery.

__Smallpox__- Smallpox was a very serious disease caused by a virus. Smallpox caused little bumps on your skin, just like chickenpox. __Cure__- There was, and still isn't a cure for smallpox.

__Measles__- Measles is a sickness that was caused by a virus, and left a rash all over your skin. You would also get a fever, cough, and a runny nose. __Cure__- You would usually get better on your own, with rest and food.

__Yellow Fever__- People usually cought yellow fever by a mosquito bite. If you have a severe case, than you will become exremly tired, back pains, and slow heart beat. __Cure__- There is no cure for Yellow fever.

__Dysentery__- Dysentery is when you have a severe case of diarrhea. They would usually get it from the terrible drinking waster, or from wine, or beer. __Cure__- There is really no cure for Dysentery, you would lose more water than you would usually drink so after a few days you might die of dehydration.

__Cancer__- Cancer was a very big deal in Ancient Rome also. They had the same kinds of cancers we have today. __Cure__- No cure. Even today we still can't cure all cancer. A couple things they would do were, drink wine to help them with the pain, and take opium pills to take away some pain.