A man who died in Pompeii during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79 had a medical kit with him when he perished, a new analysis of his body cast reveals.
The medical kit indicates that he was probably a physician — a “medicus” in Latin.
Pompeii was discovered in the 16th century, but most of the scientific work at the Roman seaside city was done more recently. In 1961, plaster casts were made of the voids left in the ash by the bodies of the volcano’s victims in the Garden of the Fugitives — some of the roughly 104 plaster casts of victims made at Pompeii.
New examinations show that the man had been carrying surgical instruments and other “tools of his trade,” according to a translated statement from the Italian government archaeological park that runs the site. But it’s not known whether the man planned to treat people affected by the eruption or if he was hoping to escape the disaster.
“This man brought his tools with him to be ready to rebuild his life elsewhere, thanks to his profession, but perhaps also to help others,” Gabriel Zuchtriegel, director of Pompeii Archaeological Park, said in the statement.
Destructive eruption
The eruption of Vesuvius killed about 2,000 people in Pompeii and nearby towns, although archaeologists now think many others escaped. The event has been studied extensively, in part because of the remarkable preservation of many features of Roman life under the layers of ash. Witnesses also made written accounts of the eruption.
According to the statement, a small case made from “organic material” (possibly leather) was found within one of the plaster casts made when the Garden of the Fugitives was excavated in 1961. However, the case’s contents had remained a mystery until now.
The new investigation, which used X-ray and CT scans, revealed that the case contained several small, metal instruments thought to be surgical tools as well as a tablet made from slate, which was probably used for preparing medicines. (Ingredients like honey, wine, vinegar and plant extracts were common.) The case was locked with a mechanism based on a toothed wheel.
Advanced X-ray imaging shows the man’s case contained surgical instruments and a tablet of slate for preparing medicines.
(Image credit: Pompeii Archaeological Park)
These findings suggest the man was a medicus trained in medicine and surgery, the statement said. Educated Greek slaves sometimes had this role but by the time of the Vesuvius eruption — when Titus was the Roman emperor — medicine had a higher status (Julius Caesar granted Roman citizenship to all physicians in 46 B.C.).
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The practice of medicine was valued by wealthy Romans, but the last resort of surgery entailed serious risks — there were no antibiotics and no modern anesthesia, and patients often died from infections. In addition, the causes of illnesses were not well understood — diseases like malaria were thought to be caused by “bad air” (under the Greek “miasma” theory), and Roman medical treatments often dealt with supposed curses and malign spirits.
Other artifacts found with the victims of Mount Vesuvius include house keys and oil lamps, and some people were killed while carrying precious jewels and coin “treasures” away from the eruption. The victim thought to be a medicus was also carrying a small fabric bag of bronze and silver coins, the statement said.
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