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Definition
Germ Theory
The germ theory, which emerged in the late 19th century, demonstrated that microscopic germs caused most human infectious diseases. The germs involved included bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa, and prions. Louis Pasteur (1822-1895), a French...
Article
Ancient Egyptian Medical Texts
Medicine in ancient Egypt was understood as a combination of practical technique and magical incantation and ritual. Although physical injury was usually addressed pragmatically through bandages, splints, and salves, even the broken bones...
Definition
Roman Science
The Romans assimilated earlier Greek science for their own purposes, evaluating and then accepting or rejecting that which was most useful, much as they did in other fields such as warfare, art, and theatre. This assimilation of Greek thought...
Definition
Ancient Greek Religion
In the ancient Greek world, religion was personal, direct, and present in all areas of life. With formal rituals which included animal sacrifices and libations, myths to explain the origins of mankind and give the gods a human face, temples...
Definition
King's Evil
The king’s evil (from the Latin morbus regius meaning royal sickness), more commonly known as scrofula or medically tuberculous lymphadenitis, was a skin disease believed to be cured by the touch of the monarch as part of their inherited...
Video
Roman Medicine: An Overview
This video is a brief description and overview of ancient Roman medicine.
Video
A History of Medicine in Ancient Greece and Rome
In this video, Dr. Maria Vlachaki presents a lecture on the history of medicine in ancient Greece and Rome
Definition
Epidaurus
Epidaurus was an ancient religious site and settlement located on the fertile Argolid plain of the east Peloponnese in Greece. Blessed with a mild climate and natural springs, the sanctuary of Asclepius at Epidaurus was an important sacred...
Image
Edwin Smith Papyrus
The Edwin Smith Papyrus is the world's oldest surviving surgical document written in hieratic script in ancient Egypt around 1600 BCE. Plate 6 and 7 of the papyrus, pictured here, discuss facial trauma.
Image
Skull with Trephination
A Neolithic (3500 BCE) skull showing evidence of a trephination operation - the removal of a part of the cranium to relieve pressure, used as a medical treatment for a variety of ailments from migraines to mental illness. The treatment was...