ABSTRACT
Roman healers of the imperial period were an eclectic group ranging from court physicians to root-cutters and wise women (Nutton 1985, 1992, 1993; Scarborough 1993: 33-40; Flemming 2000). Some styled themselves medicus or iatros and regarded themselves as part of a medical ‘profession’ ( professio medici, Scribonius Largus, Compositiones, prooemium; J.S. Hamilton 1986: 213-15), but such titles brought no guarantee of superior treatment.1
There were no regular courses of medical teaching to be undertaken, no examinations to be passed, no qualifications to be gained, no controlling body and no general agreement on standards or required skills. In effect, there was no restraint on anyone who wished to set up himself (or herself ) as a healer, and levels of ability evidently varied widely (Nutton 1993).
