The Distant Past
As
James mentioned, ancient Greek and Roman medicine were not as practical nor
pragmatic as modern medicine. True,
diagnosis was not fully bereft of logic, but there was a decent amount of
superstition as well. The human body was
the pinnacle of perfection, particularly the athletic body. Blending religion into the mix, seeing as
gods were to be of human form, creating monuments of giant, human figure and
exercising came to be forms of worship. Due
to this, the study of the human body and all of its intricacies took heightened
precedence. Medicine and health were
crucial topics of interest.
Hygiene
was not entirely one of these important topics, though bathing held its own
significance. Even with the detriment of
poor hygiene holding back greater progress in health and medicine, the ancient
Roman refiners borrowed and expounded upon the knowledge of the ancient Greeks,
improving public health tremendously.
Still, at the base of it all, the head of each household was in charge
of knowing the most basic of remedies, including proper application of wine,
vinegar, poppy juice, unwashed wool, herbs, and honey, to name a few. This, coupled with skill in bandaging and
stitching formed a solid basis to set as a standard for those of olden
times.
Even
more practical than knowing basic first aid was preventative care—something
that is highly conflicted against itself in modern times. Though the ancient Romans did not possess the
immunizations and cautions of today, much more emphasis was placed on exercise
and personal fitness. Social norms and
culture regulated and enforced this healthy practice, arguably to an extent
even greater than the present day. While
the ancient Romans drained swamps to prevent breeding of malaria-ridden
mosquitoes and maintained rigorous exercise to ward against injury and disease,
this, combined with basic cleansing practices, was not enough to provide the
protection of the here and now. Yet,
oddly enough, it is not disease or hygiene that threatens the general public of
today, but the neglect of old practices of fitness and diet that bring the
danger.
The Recent Past
Stepping
back to hygiene and general wellness, it is thought by some that the people of
today are actually a little too clean
and a little too careful. Of note, antibiotics, though intended to
prevent sickness, are actually in some cases fueling our modern plagues. Humanity has been evolving and progressing
since before the ancient Greek and Roman times, and the current human status
has more or less become stable with the microbiome. Cleanliness is good, but anything in excess
can prove to be detrimental. Such is the
case with the people of today. One
instance of this pertains to overuse of antibiotics, which kill both harmful
and helpful strains of bacteria in the gut.
Excessively killing harmful bacteria via repeated use of antibiotics
(and also other related practices) causes the immune system to become lax. Killing beneficial bacteria is obviously not
beneficial. Problems abound at both ends
of the spectrum.
Blaser, Martin J., MD. "Modern Medicine May Not Be Doing Your Microbiome Any Favors." Interview by Joe Raedle. NPR Books. NPR Books, 14 Apr. 2014. Web. 1 Dec. 2014. <http://www.npr.org/2014/04/14/302899093/modern-medicine-may-not-be-doing-your-microbiome-any-favors>.
"Medicine in Ancient
Rome". HistoryLearningSite.co.uk. 2014. Web.
