First Do No Harm?

One of the principles of ancient medical ethics was to first do no harm. Yet accusations of deception and fraud were rife in ancient medicine and pharmacology. It seems the ancient ‘wellness industry’ was populated with quack doctors, bogus miracle cures, adulterated medicines, dangerous cosmetics and hazardous health foods. Pliny called all of medicine fraudes hominum, the deceptions of men. In this talk Leanne will explore the murky world of lies, scams and fakes in ancient Graeco-Roman medicine.

Dr Leanne McNamara is a lecturer in Classics and Ancient History at La Trobe University where she teaches ancient Greek and Roman culture and language. She completed her PhD in Classics in ancient medicine at the University of Melbourne. Her current interests include the intersections between science, medicine, magic, religion and philosophy in the ancient Graeco-Roman world.

Part of La Trobe Classics in the City 2025 - Classical Cons: The Art of the Scam in Ancient Greece and Rome