The tools of ancient medicine
Over 40 medical and surgical instruments dating from the pre-Christian period (fourth-seventh centuries BC) are part of a rich collection of 3,000 objects collected, preserved and exhibited by a Greek of the diaspora, Dr George Tsolozidis, over a period of many years. A publication by the cultural association of Thessaloniki «Europe» has been issued in his memory, containing a catalog of the ancient medical technology curated by the Byzantinist Panayiotis Kambanis which provides invaluable information about the procedures followed by doctors in treating common maladies. The collection includes various instruments for making small incisions or examining injuries, cauterizing implements, forceps, scalpels, syringes, catheters, drills and other surgical instruments that were pioneering for their time, all give an impression of what operating rooms were like in antiquity. Abortions appear to be one of the oldest surgical operations in the science of obstetrics. In fact, Hippocrates refers to the dissection of an embryo. Drilling holes in the skill to remove hematomas from the brain appears to have been practiced in prehistoric times. Removing stones from kidneys, removing tonsils and cataract operations were routine in antiquity, using sharp-edged instruments in geometric shapes. These objects, now weathered by the effects of time, were designed for one or more uses and many of them are used in much the same way today. The phlebotome, for example, was a small sharp instrument necessary in blood-letting and delicate operations (punctures, tooth abscesses, clearing tear ducts and removing moles). The scalpel in the shape of a sword was used for removing tumors from the uterus. Others were were used for removing kidney stones and polyps from the nose, for plastic surgery on the eyelids and cataract operations. Fine tubes of copper or lead, straight for women and S-shaped for men, were catheters. «The instruments in the collection, as primitive and outdated as they may seem today, were pioneering for their time and show their timelessness by their similarities with their modern counterparts,» Panayiotis Kambanis explained. Scalpels form a large category, with blades of different kinds (straight, curved or scythe-shaped, in the shape of a drill or smooth). There were tiny instruments used by doctors not only during operations but also during examinations, for measuring the depth of a wound, for depressing the tongue during examinations of the larynx or in removing tonsils, cauterizing babies’ navels after birth and preparing drugs. Instruments used for gynecological procedures included a speculum. A rare find was copper hemostatic forceps that closed automatically and copper hemostatic cauterizers for surface injuries or deeper wounds. Most of the medical and surgical instruments were made of iron, copper or copper alloys, and the manufacturer was greatly concerned with their effectiveness and durability, according to Kambanis. Any decoration was kept to a minimum. Geometric shapes softened the impression made by sharp instruments, while other instruments with raised impressions on their surface made them easier to handle. Decorative motifs, whether engraved or raised, served both aesthetic and practical needs. In the early Christian years, medical training was taught in the old centers of civilization (Alexandria, Pergamum, Athens) where conditions permitted the development of good secular medicine, explained Kambanis. Inventions in the fields of instruments and tools, methods and mechanisms, inspired by Hippocratic medicine during the pre-Christian period, were continued, enriched and multiplied. The spread of Christianity completely changed the practice of medicine, however, resulting in the foundation of «religious medicine where prayer, the priests’ hands or the use of exorcisms were considered the most effective medicines.» After the fourth century, instruments evolved more slowly, and the materials, shapes and sizes remained the same for the next few centuries. A considerable influence from the spread of Arab medicine is evident in archaeological findings dating from after the seventh century, such as those found in Corinth and which date from the ninth-10th centuries. Coast guard officers recovered the bodies of four elderly people from different coastal regions across the country, the Merchant Marine Ministry said yesterday. The bodies of Nikolaos Lavis, 69, Lambrini Katsarou, 72, Angeliki Hernandez, 77, and Vassileios Liosatos, 80, were found in Attica, Pieria, Volos and Cephalonia, respectively.
