ABSTRACT
Medical practice requires great independence, and all the qualities of the free man. Hence one must not take the texts in a rigorous sense and suppose that in practice, as in principle, the situation of the slave-physicians was that of slaves in general. As to the principles governing the condition of slaves in general, the Digest states that there was no difference in the conditions of slavery : in servorum conditione nulla differentia. If this rule was rigorously applied the following would be the situation of these slaves practising medicine or pharmacy from the viewpoint of Roman law. From what has been said it is evident that Roman women played an important part in the practice of the healing art. It was only when the Greek physicians arrived at Rome, either as slaves or as freedmen, that Roman medicine and pharmacy really developed.
