Roman

Front 1

What were the main features of Roman public health?

Back 1

Noticed that bad smells, unclean drinking water, sewage, swamps and dirt made people become ill.
They build aqueducts to carry clean water into cities.
They also built public baths, toilets and sewers to remove waste.
Ideas about public health spread around their huge empire.

Front 2

Why was improving public health important for Romans?

Back 2

It was focused on keeping the Roman army healthy so the Empire could be well defended and expanded.

Front 3

Why was Galen important to the progress of Roman medicine?

Back 3

Galen was a Greek 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.
Galen discovered that the brain, not the heart, controls the speech.
He found that the arteries, as well as veins, carry blood through the body.
Proved that animal's anatomy is different from humans.

Front 4

Which of Galen's ideas were wrong?

Back 4

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.
Galen also believed that the blood was consumed rather than circulated.

Front 5

What were the main Roman beliefs about causes and cures of disease?

Back 5

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.

Front 6

Did surgery progress over the time period of Ancient Rome?

Back 6

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.

Front 7

What progress was made in medicine between Greek and Roman times?

Back 7

Good harvests, better houses, more food
Trained doctors in the army and towns
Wider range of herbal medicines
Fresh water supplies, sewers and baths

Front 8

What continuity in medicine can be seen between Greek and Roman times?

Back 8

Diseases could not be stopped from spreading
Women treated most health problems, often
using herbal remedies and common sense.
The poor did not benefit massively from the new public
health schemes.