The Early Romans relied on folk remedies instead of consulting a physician. A cure for sleepiness involved taking calluses from a donkey and soaking them in vinegar to be put into a person’s nostrils. Cato the Elder was a Roman who wrote many books, including a book about how to properly run a farm. He was not a believer in physicians and instead believed that cabbage was the cure for almost everything. By preparing cabbage in various ways, he believed that it could cure everything from simple headaches to heart disease and even tumors.A common belief was that diseases of the body were caused by sickness of the mind or soul. One of the reasons that Cato believed that doctors were useless was because of this. He believed that by living a virtuous life you could live you life without being sick and without the need for doctors.
For our project, my group and I made a song about Roman medicine. We used the song “Let It Go” by James Bay and changed the lyrics to fit the topic of Roman medicine. The other members of my group all play instruments so all music was played by the group, while I record and put together all of the audio. While the song does not mention the medical beliefs of some Romans, it does mention other aspects of Roman Medicine.
Works Cited
Aldrete, Gregory S. “Roman Medicine.” World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras, ABC-CLIO, 2018, ancienthistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/1690557. Accessed 17 May 2018.