Domus del Chirurgo
For the past 17 years, the Italian government has funded the excavation of a Roman doctor’s house - the Domus del Chirurgo (House of the Surgeon). An interesting read for a student of the Bible if you first consider that Luke (who wrote the Gospel) is widely considered to have been a physician during this time.
From the article:
An ancient doctor’s surgery unearthed by Italian archaeologists has cast new light on what a trip to the doctor would have been like in Roman times. Far from crude, the medical implements discovered show that doctors, their surgeries and the ailments they treated have changed surprisingly little in 1,800 years.
Sore joints were common, patients were often told to change their diets, and the good doctor of the seaside town of Rimini even performed house calls.
“This is the largest find of surgical instruments anywhere,” said Dr Ralph Jackson, the curator of the Romano-British collection at the British Museum and an expert in ancient medicine.
Are the tools found similar to the tools Luke carried with him while he traveled on missionary journeys with the apostle Paul? Did the physician follower of Jesus attempt some of these methods to help Paul with his famous unknown ailment? Fascinating.
