The knowledge of public health in history is seen as something that shows intelligence in ancient empires. There would have been many things that helped the Romans to develop their understanding of the importance of good hygiene, but was the government really the most important influence on public health throughout the empires of the Ancient Egyptians to the Middle Ages? The Ancient EgyptiansIt’s known that the Egyptians had knowledge of hygiene, but they had it for very different reasons to the Romans, for example. The Egyptians practiced cleanliness for mostly religious and social reasons, not for the good of the population.
They still had baths and toilets for basic personal hygiene, but they had not connected some things with hygiene. For instance, they used mosquito nets but these were just to prevent the bites, not to prevent malaria. Priests were very clean for only religious reasons, and the Egyptian population only washed because it ‘appealed to the gods’. They hadn’t developed the technology for sewers or public medical care, although they had doctors who mixed herbal remedies, but a lot of these were ineffective because they were designed to ward off spirits. To protect a son from disease, in ‘Papyrus Berlin’ (c.
1800bc) it says, ‘I have made a charm for my child which will protect him against you, oh evil spirits! This charm is made from evil-smelling herbs and from garlic which is harmful to you, from honey which is sweet to people and horrible to spirits, from a fish tail and a rag and a backbone of a perch. ‘This is an example of how the Egyptians focused on evil spirits causing disease, and though the early Greeks believed this too, they found remedies which they believed to ward off spirits, but also work as basic bacteria-killing concoctions. The Egyptians’ medicine would not have worked very well compared to this.
However, this doesn’t mean the Egyptians were completely wrong about cures. They understood that honey is a preservative, which they used in their process of mummification, and it is thought that they wore eye make-up that protected their eyes from disease. In this particular ancient civilisation, government had barely influenced public health at all, with all their reasons coming from religious beliefs. The Ancient GreeksThe Greeks had more knowledge about hygiene than the Egyptians, but they still had no sewers and no running water. It was understood that one needed a good diet and exercise to stay healthy.
In fact, rich Greeks followed a programme of health, in which they kept themselves at the right temperature, ate well, wash themselves, cleaning their teeth and going for walks to keep fit. Hippocrates understood that this regime would not have been possible with ordinary people, as they wouldn’t have the money or the time to do all this. This is why there were Asclepions – much like modern health resorts or even hospitals. Sick people would stay overnight and the God Asclepius would visit them and cure them. It wasn’t all based on religion, though – attached was a gymnasium, an athletics stadium and baths.
Not only had they understood the concept of exercise and cleanliness – Hippocrates had also come up with the theory of the Four Humours. This wasn’t exactly right, but the ways of curing some of the diseases was closer to modern day cures than anything that had been used so far. In Hippocrates’ ‘A Programme for Health’ (c. 500bc) it says, ‘In winter, it is best to counteract the cold by eating dry, warming foods such as wheat bread and roast meat. Drink only a little, undiluted wine. Exercise as often as possible. A hot bath is good for you. In summer, eat smaller amounts of softer, purer food; drink smooth, white, diluted wines.
Avoid over-eating and drink a lot. Take lukewarm baths, and take only short strolls after dinner. ‘ This shows a clear concept of the healthy living that we should follow today. The Ancient Greeks have had some influence of public health from the government (the building of the Asclepions, etc) but the main thing that got their public health up and running would be from key individuals, like Hippocrates, Galen and Pythagoras. Ancient RomeThe Romans were by far the most advanced empire in the field of public health. One of the key things that made them so advanced was the fact that they understood that dirty conditions made people ill.
They never settled near swamps to reduce malaria, and Julius Caesar even drained the Codetan swamp near Rome. In order to keep the empire going, they kept the whole population healthy. They had public baths which were cheap enough for everyone to use, they had built incredibly advanced sewers and the public latrines could hold up to 60 people. It was the first system of public health ever, and was based around their understanding of the importance of clean water. Rome had nine aqueducts which included technology such as conduits, inverted siphons, bridges and filter tanks.
They brought over 222 million gallons of clean, fresh water into the city every day. The Roman government had even hired commissioners to check the water for cleanliness. The water it brought in was stored in a reservoir, and there were pipes leading to the baths, the latrines, water fountains and some private homes. It wasn’t just cleanliness that they focused on in public health; the baths often had massage parlours and gymnasia attached so everyone could stay fit and healthy. The main reason for this was the Roman army – the centre of their empire.
The Romans understood that if a few people get sick, everyone gets sick, so they kept everyone healthy so their army could advance. Some of the ancient civilisations won’t have had government influence in public health at all, but for the Romans, it was all the government who kept everything healthy and full of clean water. The Middle AgesAfter the fall of the Roman empire, public health took a huge step back. Everything Roman was destroyed, including the sewer system, the aqueducts and the libraries which contained books on personal hygiene. There were no sewers or water pipes and rubbish and human waste were thrown out onto the streets.
Houses were made of wood, mud and dung and were infested with rats, lice and fleas. Sometimes cesspits were too close to the water supply and the waste leaked into the drinking water. Although it was a huge step back from the technology of the Romans, it didn’t mean that the people of this time were completely oblivious to hygiene. Towards the end of the Middle Ages, things were slightly better than they had been. Monasteries were kept the most hygienic, and they were complete with fresh running water, ‘lavers’ (wash rooms) flush ‘reredorters’ (latrines) with sewers, clean towels and a compulsory bath four times a year.
Kings soon passed laws to keep the streets clean and the government took action against certain things. In Venice, they realised that people were getting STDs and ordered checks on prostitutes. The first hospitals were built (St. Bartholomew’s in London) and some diseased people were quarantined in lazar houses. Though it took a while, people began to understand personal hygiene better, and the Pope’s doctor, Guy de Chauliac, understood the importance of a healthy diet.
An Italian doctor, Taddeo Alderotti, in his book ‘On the preservation of health’ (13th Century) he wrote, ‘When you get up in the morning, stretch your limbs, so that the natural heat is stimulated. Then comb your hair because this removes dirt and comforts the brain. Wash your face with cold water to give your skin a good colour and to stimulate the natural heat. Clear your nose and your chest by coughing, and clean your teeth and gums with the bark of some scented tree. Exercise in moderation, because it is good to be tired; it stimulates the natural heat.
Some of this is incorrect, but it shows knowledge of the importance of cleanliness and exercise. By the end of the Middle Ages, some of the lost knowledge had been restored and though it was helped along by key individuals like Guy de Chauliac and Alderotti, it was the king who passed laws about litter in the street and gave the monasteries fresh water. The small amount of public health in the Middle Ages was mostly influenced by the government. ConclusionThe government played an important role on public hygiene in some of these civilizations, and none at all in some others.
Though it has been a major piece in the puzzle towards public health, it hasn’t been the most important. Along with it was religion and key individuals. Going back to the original question, I don’t think it’s true that the government was the most important role because many other factors played along with it, and, in Egypt and Greece, the government wasn’t even a factor, so in conclusion, public health has developed because of many things, but the main one hasn’t always been the government.
BibliographyBBC GCSE Bitesize – History of MedicineCambridge Illustrated History of Medicine by Roy Porter.