A arte médica em Roma antiga nos De Medicina de Celso

Abstract

The extensive loss of the invaluable Alexandrian medical literature makes Celsus the closest, and ultimately the only, evidence in chronological terms of a period of intense scientific production in general and medical progress in particular. His greatest achievement isn’t however related to this circumstance, but rather to the unique content of these books. Suffice to say that to the remarkable Hippocratic and Alexandrian traditions, Celsus has added a substantial amount of Roman originality. The innovations pertain not only to his obvious use of Latin, but also to the sociological and cultural Roman features bearing witness of a thriving Italic popular medicine, skilfully intertwined with Greek medicine, thus turning his De Medicina libri VIII into an unparalleled testimony when it comes to the understanding of medical history in the ancient world.