Latest / Marcus Aurelius: Rome's Philosopher King — Fexingo History / Marcus Aurelius and the Greek Doctors Who Shaped His Stoicism
Transcript
- Lucas: Luna, when we think about Marcus Aurelius, the image is often the solitary philosopher writing his Meditations on the Danube frontier. But there is a whole other dimension to his life — his relationship with the medical world, particularly Greek physicians. And it shapes his Stoicism in ways we rarely talk about. Luna: I knew he had a doctor, but I didn't realize it went that deep. Lucas: Oh, absolutely. The most famous figure is Galen, of course — the Greek physician who served as his personal doctor during the Antonine Plague. Galen was already a celebrity in Rome, a prolific writer on anatomy and philosophy. He arrived in the capital around 162 CE, just a few years after Marcus became emperor, and he stayed in imperial service for decades, eventually becoming the doctor to Marcus's son Commodus as well. Luna: So Galen was treating the emperor during the plague? That must have been intense. Lucas: Exactly. The Antonine Plague, which we covered in episode 46, swept through the empire from around 165 to 180. Galen wrote about it extensively — he described the symptoms, the black pustules, the high fever. But what's fascinating is that Galen wasn't just a clinician; he was a philosopher. He wrote a famous treatise called 'That the Best Physician Is Also a Philosopher.' And Marcus, being the philosopher-king, would have resonated with that deeply. Luna: So for Marcus, medicine and Stoicism were intertwined? Lucas: Yes. And it goes beyond Galen. Marcus's own Meditations are filled with medical metaphors. He says things like 'Life is warfare and a sojourn in a foreign land' — but also 'What is the use of a physician if he cannot heal the diseases of the soul?' That's a direct link to the Hippocratic tradition, where the body and mind are treated as a unity. The Hippocratic text 'On the Nature of Man' argues that health is a balance of humors, and disease is imbalance. For a Stoic, that's a perfect model: virtue is the proper balance of reason over passion. Luna: Wait, did Marcus actually quote Hippocrates? Lucas: Not directly, not by name. But the echoes are there. Marcus was educated in rhetoric and philosophy, not medicine per se, but he was an avid reader of all kinds of philosophy, including the works of the medical sect called the Methodists and the Pneumatists. The Stoics had always been interested in medicine because both disciplines dealt with nature — physike. The Stoic concept of living according to nature is very close to the Hippocratic idea of health as harmony with nature. Luna: That makes sense. So the plague would have been a real test of that philosophy. Lucas: It was a crucible. Marcus wrote in the Meditations while on campaign, during the plague years. You can feel the strain. He says things like 'The art of living is more like wrestling than dancing' — that's a man under pressure. And he had to make tough decisions: he issued edicts regulating medical practice, maybe even ordering that public physicians be appointed in provincial towns to help with the crisis. There's an inscription from the city of Ephesus that mentions an 'imperial physician' appointed by Marcus to serve the city. Luna: So he was actively using state power to support public health. Lucas: Exactly. And this is where Marcus's Stoicism meets governance. He believed that the emperor's job was to care for the empire like a physician cares for the body. In one of his letters to Fronto, which we discussed way back in episode 35, he compares the empire to a patient that needs gentle treatment, not harsh surgery. That's a very medical analogy. Luna: It's interesting — we usually think of Stoics as just enduring, but here Marcus is actively intervening. Lucas: Right. And that's the Stoic ideal: to act with reason and justice, not just to accept fate passively. The plague wasn't something he could stop, but he could mitigate its effects. He appointed Galen as his personal physician, but he also funded public health measures. There is evidence that he ordered the distribution of free medicines in some cities. And he even relaxed the rules on burial so that plague victims could be buried quickly, to prevent further spread. Luna: I had no idea he did that. It's so practical. Lucas: It goes to show that the philosopher-king wasn't just writing wise sayings — he was governing. And his relationship with the Greek medical tradition is a perfect window into how his Stoicism was not abstract but applied. Now, you know, this is the kind of story we love to dig into because it shows a real human being making tough choices. And it's also the kind of episode that is possible because we don't run ads. Luna: Yeah, that's a big part of what makes the show work — we can take our time with these details. Lucas: Exactly. We deliberately don't run ads on these episodes. If you want to support that choice, the link is buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It's a simple way to keep the show exactly as it is — no interruptions, no sponsors, just the history we want to explore. Luna: And we really appreciate everyone who does. It lets us keep going deep on topics like Marcus and his doctors. Lucas: So back to the doctors: there is another figure, less known than Galen, but equally interesting. A physician named Statilius Crito, who served under Marcus and wrote a book on cosmetics — but also on epidemic diseases. And then there is the Hippocratic oath itself, which was increasingly used in Roman medical schools during Marcus's reign. He may have even issued an edict reinforcing the ethical duties of physicians. Luna: Wait, an edict about medical ethics? That would be huge. Lucas: It's debated, but there is a reference in the Digest of Justinian to a rescript of Marcus that requires physicians to treat patients with diligence, and that if they cause harm through negligence, they can be sued. That's a very Stoic idea — that the physician has a duty to use his skill for the good of the patient, just as the emperor has a duty to the empire. Luna: So Marcus was essentially codifying medical responsibility. Lucas: Exactly. And this is all part of the broader philosophical framework. The Stoics believed that every person has a role to play — the physician's role is to heal, and he must do it well. Marcus writes in the Meditations: 'At dawn, when you have trouble getting out of bed, tell yourself: I have to go to work — as a human being. What do I have to complain about, if I am going to do what I was born for?' He could have been talking to a doctor. Luna: It's like he's writing a manual for life, but also for medicine. Lucas: Yes. And that's why, even though the plague was devastating — it killed millions, maybe up to a third of the population in some areas — Marcus didn't despair. He kept working, kept writing, kept trying to be the best emperor he could. That's the legacy of the philosopher-king, but it's also the legacy of the patient emperor who listened to his doctors. Luna: It's a very human portrait. Thanks for bringing it up. Lucas: Thank you. And next time, we might look at another aspect of Marcus's reign that gets little attention — maybe his relationship with the Roman Senate. Luna: I'd like that. For now, let's leave listeners with that image: Marcus, not just with a scroll, but with a physician at his side. Lucas: Perfect. Until next time.