Title: #34 Oribasius: A Galenic Diet in the Later Roman Empire

Approx Date: 4th century CE

Civilization: Greek Civilization
Summary: Orbasius was a medical author and popularizer of Galen. Most of his works are
carefully designed compilations or paraphrases of older medical works. This specific passage
from Oribasius’s Medical Compilations is regarding another text by a Greek doctor who provided
dietary recommendations for sick patients. The document goes on to tell people what types of
food they should be consuming when they are under the weather in order to get better. The
recommendation is inclusive of foods that are easily digested, quickly distributed throughout the
body, not too nutritious, and excreted without difficulty. Soggy bread, grains, barley water, and
honeyed milk fit all three of the categories above and are some of the recommended foods to
consume.
What the document tells us: The foods originally listed by Antyllus and later paraphrased by
Oribasius were important in the uprising of medicine. They expanded past just the simple
medical remedies that were talked about in previous documents and explored how our diet
impacts our health. The plain foods they mentioned are similar to the BRAT diet we know today.
Eating a diet that is bland and easily digested when you aren’t feeling well is important in order
to give your stomach a break and keep food down.

Title: #35 Anthimus to King Theodoric, On the Observance of Diet

Approx Date: 6th century CE
Civilization: Greek Civilization
Summary: This document was aimed at a different audience: the Germanic warrior nobility. The
author of this document was exiled to the court of Theodoric, the king of Italy, in the sixth
century. He dedicated this work to Theodoric and specifically recommended and discouraged
foods for the king. He referred to the teachings of medical authors to ensure that the diet he was
creating for the king was going to benefit him. Anthimus stated that any food that is prepared
well should sit well in the stomach and any food that is not prepared properly could lead to
illness. It was recommended that the king drinks only as much as agrees with the food he ate.
Some foods that he suggested were boiled offal of a young cow, the flesh of cranes, plovers,
and fresh salmon.
What the document tells us: The king received special treatment and Anthimus was forced to
serve as his dietician in a way. He had to guide the king in the right direction so he stayed
healthy enough to remain the king and carry out his responsibilities. Anthimus talked about the
way food is prepared and how it relates to illness. I would say that is helpful and correct
information because even today we are aware of the illnesses, like Salmonella, that can be very
serious if raw food is consumed. The food they ate back then relates to the diets of modern
society in some ways. It sounds like they ate a lot of meat and fish, which are still two of the
more popular foods today.

Title: #41 The Oath of Asaph, a Jewish Physician’s Oath

Approx Date: between the 4th and 6th centuries CE
Civilization: Greek Civilization
Summary: The Oath of Asaph was written by and for the Jews. Two Jewish physicians named
Asaph and Yohanan wrote this piece, but the information about them is still somewhat unclear.
From what is known, they probably lived sometime in the fourth to sixth centuries in Israel under
the rule of the Byzantine Empire. The Oath of Asaph is found in the oldest medical book in
Hebrew and was one of the few available in that language before the High Middle Ages. The
authors of this document made a pact with their pupils to not attempt to kill anyone with herbs,
don’t cause a pregnant woman to have an abortion, don’t disrespect women, don’t tell the secret
of someone who has trusted you with it, and a variety of other rules to live by. Their pupils
agreed to follow the rules as it is a commandment of the Torah. They believed in God and lived
for him.
What the document tells us: The Jews were more focused on religion and religion played a
large role in their everyday lives as well as their health. Instead of relying on things such as
lifestyle and diet, they turned to God in times of need. They believed that as long as they had
good intentions and followed the oath that they would be rewarded for it. Their health and
wellbeing was in the hands on God and he was the ultimate healer.

Title: #42 A Christianized Hippocratic Oath

Approx Date: 12th century CE
Civilization: Greek Civilization
Summary: The Hippocratic Oath was unacceptable in its original form because it called on
pagan gods for witness and support. In the Early Middle Ages, Greek scholars changed the
wording of the oath and replaced the pagan gods with Christ. The new Christianized oath has
been written in the shape of a cross and given a new title. The oath contains a variety of
statements about keeping the patients safe and practicing medicine in a proper way that they
must agree to as a physician.
What the document tells us: They cared about the safety of others and did everything they
could in order to ensure that they took their job seriously. The teachings of Hippocrates were
important to them as well as the Christian religion. The two aspects combined created a basis of
which they lived by.

Title: #43 Medicine and Diet in the Rule of St. Benedict

Approx Date: ca. 535 CE
Civilization: Roman Civilization
Summary: Mediterranean Christians first established monasteries and monastic rules in the
fourth and fifth centuries so the people could fully devote themselves to spiritual work. The most
influential monastic rule was written by St. Benedict of Nursia in Italy. He dedicated several
chapters of it to the medical care and moderate diet of the monks, who cared for their sick
brothers in imitation of Christ himself. The document contains guidance as to how the monks
should act in order to take care of the ill. They should put the sick people before themselves
since that’s what Christ would have done and do everything they can to assist them at getting
back to health. These actions include caring for them and preparing food for them.
What the document tells us: This was a revolutionary document because the Mediterranean
Christians were the first group of people to establish monasteries. They opened a whole new
door in the religious world as they created a way for people to fully devote themselves to the
Lord. While the document is largely based on religion and devotion, it relates to health since the
monks were caregivers. The monks were sort of like a physician in the aspect that they cared
for the sick and injured people to help them feel better.

Title: #46 Evagrius Scholasticus on the Plague of Justinian

Approx Date: ca. 536 CE
Civilization: Greek Civilization
Summary: Evagrius Scholasticus gives a clear description of the painful swellings encountered
during the first plague in history. His history is a valuable source for understanding the bubonic
plague in the early Middle Ages. The disease was said to have spread to every area of the
world at some point. Some areas were affected more than others, leaving whole cities wiped out
by it. The most well known sign of the disease were the buboes, or swellings of the lymph nodes
in the groin, armpits, or neck. The author himself states that he lost many people that were near
and dear to his heart from this deadly disease. The plague was definitely a nasty one, as it
lasted for many years and wiped out entire cities from its harsh consequences.
What the document tells us: The document tells us that there have been some deadly
outbreaks throughout history and the Plague of Justinian was just one of them. Luckily today, we
have vaccines for a myriad of diseases to protect ourselves from them. Our immune systems
have adapted to the bacteria we have been exposed to up until this point and medicine has
evolved greatly so this specific plague will not come back again. Even though modern medicine
is advanced, there is no way of completely eradicating the illnesses that pop up as time goes
on. The coronavirus is a very clear example of that. I never would have imagined we would be
living in a society that had to wear masks in public to protect ourselves, but unfortunately this is
another widespread epidemic that will take some time to get under control.

Title: #51 Medical Prognostics in Anglo-Saxon England

Approx Date: ca. 600-1000 CE
Civilization: British Civilization
Summary: A lunarium was a medieval text used to determine future events based on phases of
the moon of days of the month. There was a belief that the moon and other celestial bodies
influenced our bodies and actions. This specific lunaria provides a simple prognosis according
to which day of the month the patient fell ill. It was originally written in Latin and comes from a
famous manuscript that is now in the British Library. Only a few prognostics are solely medical
and some of the others describe the meanings or significance of dreams, weather, and omens.
Each day of the month contains a specific corresponding outcome of the person that fell ill on
that particular day. For example, if a person falls ill on the 5th day of the month, he will sink and
arise.
What the document tells us: The British civilization does not appear to have had a great
understanding of medicine like some of the other civilizations did. This document goes back to
the earlier documents when people relied largely on magic and spells for healing purposes. It
seems like this group of people does not understand the correct ways to deal with illnesses and
that could have served as a potential danger to them. The day of the month does not have any
correspondence with the outcome of an illness.