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ANCIENT TIMES.
Certain authors,* relying upon the isolated judgments of
doctrinaire philosophers, have considered that the medical
profession since it was practised for money and was classed
among the "handicrafts of citizens"—for so the word
8r)/jLLovpyia may be translated —did not meet with its due
share of respect among the Greeks. But PLATO says
expressly that "the true doctor follows a nobler object
than the making of money" and that the healing art
even if it is practised for rewards yet is not mercenary.f
Although he writes in the " Laws " that the health of the
body does not belong to those goods which are of primary
importance to the State, yet he declares it to be a duty
of the State to take care that able doctors are trained
up:j The amount of esteem given to the doctor
depended, as it always has', upon the individuality of the
doctor himself, his acquirements, his endowments in the
qualities of intelligence and of sympathy, and upon the out­
ward conduct of his life. A slave, who as the assistant
of a doctor, acquired an important amount of information
and manifested great devotion and industry, remained
however still in a subordinate dependent position. It
seems moreover that the doctors derived from the slave
class did not have such a technical education as other
doctors but learned their art in a purely empirical manner.
" If any one" says PLATO " should care to exchange some
philosophic conversation with such a man upon the struc­
ture and functions of the body he would assuredly enjoy a
hearty laugh and exclaim : ' Thou fool! thou art no doctor
but the dry-nurse of thy patients.' " §
In judging of a doctor his scientific education served very
certainly as an important point for consideration. Ignorant
and unskilful doctors were laughed at and mocked and given
* Cf. K. F. HERMANN : Lehrbuch der griech. Privat-Alterthumer, Heidelberg
1852, iii, S. 192.
+ PLATO: Rep. i, c. 15, 18.
X PLATO : Laws i, 6.—Rep. iii, 16.
§ PLATO : Laws iv, 10. ix, 4.