Old-Time Makers of Medicine

The text explores the significant contributions of early Christian physicians to the development of medicine during the Middle Ages. It highlights how Christianity, from its inception, emphasized the care of the sick, leading to the establishment of hospitals and the preservation of medical knowledge. The text discusses the role of intermediary figures such as Aetius Amidenus, a prominent Christian physician of the sixth century, who compiled extensive medical writings that preserved the teachings of Greek medicine. Aetius' work, divided into sixteen books, covers a wide range of medical topics, including pathology, therapeutics, and surgery, although his surgical treatise is lost. His writings are valuable for their comprehensive references to earlier medical authorities and their practical therapeutic insights. The text also touches on the involvement of women in early Christian medicine, noting figures like Theodosia and Nicerata, who practiced medicine in the fourth and fifth centuries. Additionally, the text acknowledges the contributions of Jewish physicians, who played an intermediary role in maintaining and advancing medical knowledge during this period. The narrative underscores the importance of the Christian Church in fostering medical education and practice, countering the misconception that the Middle Ages were a period of intellectual stagnation. By preserving and building upon the medical traditions of the Greeks, early Christian physicians laid the groundwork for the medical advancements of the later medieval period.