21st Annual Student Research Conference
Healthcare Options in Ancient Greece
Annie T. Woodruff
Dr. Steven Reschly and Prof. Martha L. Rose, Faculty Mentors
When ancient times are romanticized as simpler and more glamorous, the issue of medical care is probably being overlooked. My research focused on the two main options that residents of ancient Greece had when they required medical attention. One option was to visit a temple dedicated to Asclepius, the god of Medicine, and undertake healing rituals. The other option was to go to a physician, who would most likely follow guidelines suggested by Hippocrates or his followers and attempt to cure the sick person using a practical approach. While the options differed in approach and treatment, they ere not mutually exclusive; one could try both cures. After visiting the site of Asclepius at Epidaurus, an important fourth-century BC temple complex, as well as other, local, healing sites, I concluded that both Temple medicine and Hippocratic medicine had their advantages and drawbacks.
Keywords: Medicine, Greece, Hippocrates, Asclepius, Epidaurus, Healthcare, Ancient, Healing
Topic(s):Interdisciplinary
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 8-2
Location: OP 2113
Time: 8:30