Medicine, Health, and Healing in the Ancient Mediterranean (500 BCE-600 CE)

This sourcebook provides an expansive picture of medicine, health, and healing in ancient Greece and Rome. Covering a wide array of fascinating topicssuch as ancient diagnostic practices using the pulse and urine, gynecological theories of women's illness, treatments involving drugs and surgery, the training and work of physicians, the experiences of patients, and various sites where healing took placethis volume will engage readers interested in the rich history of health and healthcare. The volume brings together textual sourcesmany hard to access and some translated into English for the first timeas well as artistic, material, and scientific evidence, including: Medical treatises Case studies Artistic works Material artifacts Archaeological evidence Biomedical remains Funerary monuments Miracle narratives Spells and magical recipes With substantial explanation of these varied materialsthrough background chapters, introductions to the thematic chapters, a timeline, and a glossarythe volume is accessible to a broad audience. Readers will come away with a nuanced understanding of the illnesses people in ancient Greece and Rome experienced, the range of healers from whom they sought help, and the various practices they employed to be healthy.