Urinary Tract Infections in Ancient Greece and Roman

Abstract

This study aims to assess the diagnostic and treatment methods used in ancient sources for urinary tract infections and to discuss some ancient practices that are reminiscent of the methods used by modern medicine with an analogy-based approach. As remains of ancient soft tissue diseases have not survived until the present day, our knowledge on this topic is limited primarily to knowledge conveyed by ancient authors being interested in community health, namely by Hippocrates (460-370 BC), Celsus (25 BC-50 AD), Pliny the Elder (23-65 AD), Dioscorides (MS 40-90), Rufus (1st-2nd century AD), Aretaeus (2nd century AD), and Galenos (129-216 AD). The study used the document analysis method, which involved analyzing original traditional medical texts, literary and historical works, and modern sources documenting the treatment of patients with urinary system disorders. It has been concluded that conservative treatments for urinary system diseases in antiquity resemble certain approaches found in the modern medical literature. The evaluations reveal that diagnosis and treatment information on urinary system disease have ancient Mesopotamia roots and findings pointing to a correlation between the kidneys and heart in ancient Egyptian civilization. Similarly, it was established that kidney disease and Diabetes Mellitus were considered interconnected in the Greek and Roman periods. Again, data regarding diagnosis and prognosis reminiscent of disorders defined as alkaptonuria, proteinuria, and urinary retention in modern medicine were encountered.

Keywords

• antiquity
• urinary system
• illness
• diagnosis
• treatment
• kidney
• urinary tract infections