Ancient jar proves Roman doctors used human poo as medicine | Science | News
Dr İlker Demirbolat examines the vial (Image: Cenker Atila)
Archaeologists have discovered that ancient Romans used human feces as a remedy for common health problems. Following analysis of a 2,000-year-old glass vial, it is now clear that human feces is indeed part of the ancient medical arsenal.
It is thought that the Romans used it to combat infections and inflammation; this practice is also documented in ancient Egyptian, Chinese and Greek texts. This latest study provides the first concrete evidence to support the idea that they believed feces could cure disease. According to the Daily Star.
Scientists examined the brown residue inside the bottle and found traces of human waste and thyme, possibly used to mask the unpleasant odor. The bottle was unearthed in a tomb in Pergamum, an ancient city in modern-day Turkey that was remodeled by the Roman emperor Trajan in the early second century.
Pergamon was also the home of the Pergamum physician Galen, who was considered one of the most important physicians of ancient times, along with Hippocrates.
Dr. from Sivas Cumhuriyet University in Türkiye. “Feces-based pharmacological treatments are widely attested in Greco-Roman medical texts,” said Cenker Atila.
“The use of feces as a form of treatment was known throughout the ancient Egyptian, Chinese, Greek and Roman worlds based on written sources.”
“But until now there was no archaeological evidence of this practice. The contents of the ship revealed a distinct mixture of biomarkers in human feces.”
“And aromatic compounds such as carvacrol, a key component of oregano oil. These results are consistent with classic prescriptions that combine manure with odor-masking agents to improve patient compliance.”
Researchers are currently examining additional vials and ceramic containers held in museums across Türkiye to determine whether other ancient pharmaceutical samples have survived.
If further discoveries emerge, we may be approaching a fascinatingly grotesque reassessment of Roman medical practices, complete with herb-infused stool treatments that have been preserved in collections for centuries.
Fortunately, modern medicine has made significant progress; But today’s fecal microbiota transplants (professionally performed in clinical settings for severe intestinal infections) show that, generations later, the idea that gut-derived substances could aid healing is not entirely unfounded.
It seems that the Romans had grasped something important, even if they used a much less appetizing method of government.
