---
title: Illness and medicine in Roman Britain
author: Trustees of the British Museum
source: https://www.worldhistory.org/article/251/illness-and-medicine-in-roman-britain/
format: machine-readable-alternate
updated: 1970-01-01
---

# Illness and medicine in Roman Britain

_Authored by Trustees of the British Museum_

Although medical [science](https://www.worldhistory.org/science/) was still in its infancy during [Roman](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Roman/) times, knowledge of medicinal plants was widespread and sick people may have been treated with herbal remedies by relatives and friends. Environment, diet, exercise and hygiene all had a part to play in a positive approach to health. Most towns had latrines, a sewage disposal system and baths, all of which helped to maintain a healthy society. However people also sought cures by visiting a healing shrine and appealing to gods with specific healing powers, like Aesculapius.

 There was no formal system of training in [medicine](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/medicine/), and neither human anatomy nor the causes of disease were properly understood. Although some doctors were fraudulent, surviving medical texts reveal many positive features in Greco-Roman health care, particularly within the fields of dietetics (the study of food and health), pharmacology (the study of medicines) and surgery. A wide range of surgical instruments has been found in [Britain](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Britain/), as have small stone stamps used to [mark](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/Mark/) eye ointments. These instruments and the operations that were undertaken with them remained the best that were available until relatively recent historical times.

#### Editorial Review

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## Bibliography

- [British Museum - Illness and medicine in Roman Britain](http://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/article_index/i/medicine_in_roman_britain.aspx "British Museum -  Illness and medicine in Roman Britain"), accessed 1 Dec 2016.

## Cite This Work

### APA
Museum, T. o. t. B. (2011, August 05). Illness and medicine in Roman Britain. *World History Encyclopedia*. <https://www.worldhistory.org/article/251/illness-and-medicine-in-roman-britain/>
### Chicago
Museum, Trustees of the British. "Illness and medicine in Roman Britain." *World History Encyclopedia*, August 05, 2011. <https://www.worldhistory.org/article/251/illness-and-medicine-in-roman-britain/>.
### MLA
Museum, Trustees of the British. "Illness and medicine in Roman Britain." *World History Encyclopedia*, 05 Aug 2011, <https://www.worldhistory.org/article/251/illness-and-medicine-in-roman-britain/>.

## License & Copyright

© Trustees of the [British Museum](http://www.britishmuseum.org/). Republished under the British Museum [Standard Terms of Use](http://www.britishmuseum.org/about_this_site/terms_of_use.aspx) for non-profit educational purposes. Original article by **Trustees of the British Museum**. Submitted by [Jan van der Crabben](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/jvdc/ "User Page: Jan van der Crabben"), published on 05 August 2011. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: [Copyright](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright). You cannot use, copy, distribute, or modify this item without explicit permission from the author. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.