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 Naturally, I am a contrarian and dislike making the same statements or taking the same actions as others.

In this context, I will express my true thoughts. 

It may differ from the general opinion, but I will only write what I believe to be right myself.

Please refrain from reposting or quoting without the author's permission.

2025年

7月

31日

Exploring the History of Medicine, Part 58: Rome, Part 3

August 1, 2025

 

Foro Romano

   This was the public square of ancient Rome.

   To make it easier to understand, let’s begin with the legend of the founding of Rome.

There is a city called Troy in what is now Turkey.

The “Trojan War” refers to the conflict in which the ancient Greek army destroyed Troy.

A young survivor of Troy named Aeneas later landed on the Italian Peninsula.

Much later, his descendants—twin brothers named Romulus and Remus—were cast into the Tiber River as infants and were raised by a she-wolf.

   As they grew up, the twins decided to build a town at the place where they had washed ashore.

They quarreled over which of them the town should be named after and agreed to settle the dispute by climbing hills to see who could spot more birds.

They also vowed to kill anyone who crossed the walls of the new city.

   Remus climbed the Aventine Hill and saw six birds.

Romulus climbed the Palatine Hill and saw twelve birds.

Since Romulus saw more, he began to mark the boundaries for the new city walls.

He named the new city Rome, after himself.

When Remus, in frustration over his loss, kicked down part of the city wall, Romulus killed him.

Romulus buried his brother with honor and invited many people to settle in his new city.

He ruled Rome for 40 years before vanishing into the clouds.

This is the legendary origin of Rome, dating back to the 8th century BCE.

   Rome is surrounded by seven hills, including the Palatine Hill.

These are known collectively as the Seven Hills of Rome.

The valleys between these hills became marshy due to water flowing down from the heights.

  These marshes were not suitable for habitation and were mainly used for burying the dead.

The area was also infested with mosquitoes that carried malaria.

Naturally, malaria outbreaks were common among the Roman population.

Around the 1st century BCE, a massive malaria epidemic drastically reduced the population.

The famous orator Cicero even called Rome “the city of pestilence.”

   The disease that has plagued humanity for so long was named malaria by an 18th-century Italian physician, Francesco Torti.

He believed that the illness was caused by the “bad air” (in Italian, mal aria) of the marshes, and thus named the disease malaria using the Italian words.

   The people who suffered from malaria weren’t limited to ancient Romans.

Historical figures such as Alexander the Great of Macedonia, Cleopatra and Tutankhamun of Egypt, the Florentine poet Dante, Japan’s Taira no Kiyomori, and Mother Teresa of Calcutta are all said to have contracted malaria.

Modern medicine has revealed that malaria is an infectious disease transmitted by Anopheles mosquitoes.

Unfortunately, even today, more than 200 million people are infected with malaria each year, and over 400,000 die from it.

   In the 45 years since I became a doctor, I have never encountered a single case of malaria.

However, with global warming, I am concerned that Japan may become a malaria-endemic region.

 

   As a side note, there is a city whose name means “good air”:

It is Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina.

 

To be continued

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2025年

6月

30日

Exploring the History of Medicine, Part 57: Rome, Part 2

July 1, 2025

 

The Colosseum (Colosseo)

   Construction of the Colosseum began in the 1st century under

Emperor Vespasian and was completed by his son,Emperor Titus.

This literally colossal (Italian: colossale) structure measured 188 meters in length, 156 meters in width (elliptical rather than circular), with a perimeter of 521 meters and a height of 57 meters.

It could accommodate 50,000 spectators.

Its size is slightly smaller than that of the Tokyo Dome or Koshien Stadium.

Later on, the marble that decorated its surface and the stones of its upper levels were taken away, leaving it in its present condition.

The seating inside was divided by social status and gender.

Beneath the arena were cages for wild beasts, storage for equipment and tools, and large-scale elevators for moving animals and people.

Spectacles included brutal battles between wild beasts and gladiators, or between gladiators themselves.

Most gladiators were prisoners of war, slaves, or criminals.

Although successful gladiators could earn wealth, Romans considered them “barbarians.”

Their social status was extremely low—on par with prostitutes—and they were often despised.

Gladiators underwent long-term training at special schools before being allowed to fight in the arena.

However, those convicted of serious crimes were taken directly from prison to the arena, given no training, and forced to fight without armor—most of them lost their lives.

At the training schools, former gladiators served as instructors, and highly skilled doctors and massage therapists helped with their conditioning.

The trainees were strictly drilled in marching, weapon handling, footwork, and even how to cut arteries with their swords.

They practiced attacking straw mannequins and gained experience through sparring matches.

To prevent injuries and rebellions, trainees were given wooden weapons rather than metal ones.

Those who couldn’t keep up with the training became venatores (beast fighters) or were subjected to harsh punishments.

Some even took their own lives.

One trainee choked himself by thrusting a stick used for cleaning latrines down his throat.

Another stuck his head into a wagon wheel while being transported, and then died.

Some, unwilling to fight their comrades for Roman entertainment, strangled each other to death,instead.

The dormitories for trainees were strictly monitored, and they were locked in at night.

They were given highly nutritious meals, mainly consisting of barley.

In ancient Rome, barley was thought to increase body fat and reduce bleeding.

However, since wheat was the staple food for ordinary citizens and barley was considered livestock feed, gladiators were derogatorily referred to as “barley eaters.”

In the mornings, wild beast hunts were held.

Fierce animals like bears, tigers, lions, and leopards, as well as exotic ones like elephants and giraffes gathered from around the world, were released into the arena, where beast fighters killed them.

These fighters were armed and sometimes survived the battles.

But fights between unarmed criminals and wild beasts were effectively public executions, and most of the criminals were devoured.

In the afternoons, executions were held.

The condemned were given weapons and forced to fight each other to the death, or they were killed by gladiators.

After the executions, gladiator matches would begin.

When a match ended, spectators could choose whether the loser should be spared or executed.

The victor was awarded a palm branch, and those with outstanding performances received a laurel crown.

Some were praised by poets, had their portraits painted on vases, and received riches or the affection of noblewomen.

Gladiators typically fought three or four matches per year and died before or retired after around 20 fights.

The survival rate was about one in twenty.

The emperors provided these spectacles to gain popularity among the people and distract them from the many problems plaguing society.

After the legalization of Christianity, these bloody spectacles gradually declined and were abolished by the mid-6th century,

Incidentally, the English word “arena” comes from the Latin word harēna, meaning “sandy ground.”

Sand was spread on the floor of the arena to absorb blood.

That is how the word "arena" was born.

Even places like Yokohama Arena and Saitama Super Arena are named after “sandy ground.” 

I never knew that.

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