Was the Roman Army provided with any medical officers? / by J.Y. Simpson.

  • James Young Simpson
Date:
1851
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Was the Roman Army provided with any medical officers? / by J.Y. Simpson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    discovered, that frugal bit of the old Britons (mentioned by Dion) which, in the bigness of a bean, could satisfy their hunger.” 1 We have already had occasion to allude to the disasters which attended the Scottish campaign of Severus, and to the imperfect health of the emperor himself during his invasion of Scotland. The evidence of Herodian further shows us, that during it he was attended by his own physicians, and that their conduct after the emperor’s return from Scotland to York, whilst in the highest de¬ gree commendable as regards their faith and duty to the emperor, proved the cause of their own downfall and destruction. The anxiety of Caracalla for the death of his father Severus is well known. We have the testimony of Herodian to the fact, that while the father and son were living at York, Caracalla at one time attempted to destroy his father with his own hand. The same historian further informs us, that the unhappy son attempted to in¬ duce the medical attendants of Severus to adopt means to hasten the emperor’s death.2 He adds further, that in consequence of the 1 Wilkins’ Edition of his Works, vol. iii. p 467. 2 u Medicis ministrisque conaretur persuadere, senem ut e medio quam primum quoquo modo tollerant.”—Lib. iii., p. 412. The Emperor Marcus Aurelius died in Pannonia, when prosecuting a war against the German tribes. Dion Cassius alludes to the physicians who were in attendance upon Aurelius during this long campaign, when adverting to the report that the emperor’s death was caused by them, in order to promote his son and successor, Commodus (“ peremptus a medicis qui Commodo gratificabantur.”—Excerpta, p. 252). But Capitolinus, the principal authority regarding the biography of Aurelius, does not allude even to the report. On the other hand, he describes Aurelius’ fatal illness as one of seven days’ duration, and the emperor only dismissed Com¬ modus from his presence on the last day, lest he should communicate the disease to him. (“ Septimo die gravatus est ; et solum filium admisit; quern statirn dimisit, ne in eum morbus transiref—Scriptores Historise Romanse, vol. ii., p. 298.) The death of Pansa, the consul, at the battle of Mutina, in the year B.C. 48, is detailed by Suetonius and Tacitus in such a way as proves that Glycon attended the army as surgeon to Pansa, and took professional care of the consul when he was wounded. In fact, Glycon was thrown into prison, after Pansa’s death, upon a suspicion of having poisoned his wounds. (See Tacitus’Annal., Lib. i., cap. 10 ; Suetonius’Octavius, cap. 11.) M. Brutus, in a letter to Cicero, begs the interference of Cicero in favour of Glycon, and pleads his innocence of the deed imputed to him. (Cicer. ad Brut. 6.)
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