Vivisection, Medicine, and Bioethics: A Case Study from Ancient Rome

Leonardo Costantini; Antonio Stramaglia

doi:10.1353/itx.2022.0001

Vivisection, Medicine, and Bioethics: A Case Study from Ancient Rome

Leonardo Costantini, Antonio Stramaglia

Department of Classics & Ancient History

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter in a book

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Abstract

This paper will first give an overview of ancient approaches towards vivisection and its ethical implications; then it will focus on a fictive plea entitled The Sick Twins, falsely ascribed to Quintilian, the celebrated Roman rhetorician. That speech revolves around a delicate issue: a father of two sick twins is formally charged by his wife with ill-treatment, since he hired a doctor to save at least one of the twins by vivisecting – and consequently killing – the other son, in order to find a cure. A closer look at this rhetorical piece will afford a better insight into human anatomization in Greco-Roman antiquity and the ethical issues involved therein.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	Read-Watch-Listen
Subtitle of host publication	Using stories to improve health care
Editors	Peter Barta, Michael Phy
Publisher	University of Nebraska Press
Pages	16-30
Number of pages	14
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1353/itx.2022.0001
Publication status	E-pub ahead of print - 13 May 2022

Publication series

Name	Intertexts
Publisher	University of Nebraska Press
Volume	26
ISSN (Print)	1092-0625

Keywords

ancient medicine
vivisection
Roman rhetoric
declamation
Pseudo-Quintilian
Declamationes Maiores

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Titolare di CO.CO.CO. profilo “Filologo”
Costantini, L. (Collaborator) & Stramaglia, A. (Principal Investigator)
1/08/18 → 28/02/19
Project: Research

Cite this

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N2 - This paper will first give an overview of ancient approaches towards vivisection and its ethical implications; then it will focus on a fictive plea entitled The Sick Twins, falsely ascribed to Quintilian, the celebrated Roman rhetorician. That speech revolves around a delicate issue: a father of two sick twins is formally charged by his wife with ill-treatment, since he hired a doctor to save at least one of the twins by vivisecting – and consequently killing – the other son, in order to find a cure. A closer look at this rhetorical piece will afford a better insight into human anatomization in Greco-Roman antiquity and the ethical issues involved therein.

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KW - Roman rhetoric

KW - declamation

KW - Pseudo-Quintilian

KW - Declamationes Maiores

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ER -

Vivisection, Medicine, and Bioethics: A Case Study from Ancient Rome

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Titolare di CO.CO.CO. profilo “Filologo”

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