Imagine living in ancient Rome, surrounded by all of the wonders of the architecture and feeling protected under the power of Caesar. However, there is one thing Caesar cannot protect them from: disease. One day, as they are sitting by the river, someone shrieks in pain, they can feel fire coursing through their veins. A snake has bitten them and everyone fears for the worst. But because of Aulus Cornelious Celsus, doctors know how to treat a snake bite. Perhaps someone is suffering from cataracts; they cannot weave baskets anymore because it is becoming impossible to see. Roman doctors have a cure for that as well: eye surgery. No matter what problems they were faced with, Roman medical leaders overcame them. While the Romans lived during
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He was born into a wealthy, noble family, which is how he was able to begin his education early on. Celsus went on to become one of the leading medical minds of his era. While many historians believe he could have been, there is no surviving evidence to prove Celsus actually practiced medicine as a physician (“Aulus Cornelius Celsus”). The common assumption is he studied under the experts and recorded his collected knowledge. He then used this knowledge to further his own discoveries and instruct doctors how to perform procedures. One of the texts he is most recognized for is De Medicina. It is book seven of his encyclopedia and is the only section to survive to the present day (Cartwright). Celsus was responsible for reporting many great medical discoveries. Among some of his most well known are epilepsy, mental illness, paranoia, heart attacks, ulcers, and tumors. Along with reporting about diseases, he recorded information about eye and plastic surgery, as well as how to treat fractures and dislocations. He also discovered you could remove the poison of a snake bite from someone’s body by sucking out the poison with your mouth (“Aulus Cornelius Celsus”). Celsus was the first to accurately describe the four stages of inflammation and the difference between acute and chronic diseases (Woods
He was born into a wealthy, noble family, which is how he was able to begin his education early on. Celsus went on to become one of the leading medical minds of his era. While many historians believe he could have been, there is no surviving evidence to prove Celsus actually practiced medicine as a physician (“Aulus Cornelius Celsus”). The common assumption is he studied under the experts and recorded his collected knowledge. He then used this knowledge to further his own discoveries and instruct doctors how to perform procedures. One of the texts he is most recognized for is De Medicina. It is book seven of his encyclopedia and is the only section to survive to the present day (Cartwright). Celsus was responsible for reporting many great medical discoveries. Among some of his most well known are epilepsy, mental illness, paranoia, heart attacks, ulcers, and tumors. Along with reporting about diseases, he recorded information about eye and plastic surgery, as well as how to treat fractures and dislocations. He also discovered you could remove the poison of a snake bite from someone’s body by sucking out the poison with your mouth (“Aulus Cornelius Celsus”). Celsus was the first to accurately describe the four stages of inflammation and the difference between acute and chronic diseases (Woods