On the other hand, those who are called “Empirici” because they have experience, do indeed accept evident causes as necessary but they contend that inquiry about obscure causes and natural actions is superfluous, because nature is not to be comprehended. The Empirics believed that since many causes in nature are hidden from view, they were bound to remain obscure to us, so it was necessary to rely on observations. Celsus also identified a third school-the Methodic School-which shared some characteristics of the Empiric and Dogmatic schools. Dogmatics insisted that theory about how a treatment works is essential for choosing effective treatments. Celsus distinguishes between the ‘Empiric’ (empiricist) and the ‘Dogmatic’ (rationalist) schools.Ĭelsus describes empirics as proponents of empirical observation to decide whether a treatment was followed by its hoped-for effects, based on empirical observations. De Medicina was rediscovered in the 15th century ( Celsus 1478) and Donaldson has commented on and compared aspects of the English translations that have become available since then (Donaldson 2014 2016). The Empirics might be classified as empiricists, while the Dogmatics might be classified as rationalists. What we do know from Celsus’ famous book De Medicina is that he lamented the practice of medicine for money and, more importantly, that he distinguished between those he designated ‘Empirics’ and ‘Dogmatics’. Arguments (that have not been resolved) have long continued about whether Celsus himself practised medicine or had only read about and observed its practice. But this conjecture is based solely on his mentioning a grape variety said by Pliny to originate there. It may have been in Gallia Narbonensis – roughly the region of modern France west of the Gulf of Lions. In previous ages his first name was thought to have been Aurelius but this was not a Roman praenomen and it is now widely accepted that his name was Aulus Cornelius Celsus.
Though it is generally accepted that Celsus lived between about 25 BC and 50 AD, his date of birth is unknown. The first mention of this debate of which we are aware comes from the Roman encyclopaedist Aulus Cornelius Celsus. The rationalists insist that to identify the cure of disease we need to understand the underlying (and often hidden) causes and mechanisms that explain how the treatment works.
The empiricists hold that actual observations of ill health and treatment effects provide the main basis for trustworthy knowledge. An enduring debate in the history of medicine exists between empiricists, and rationalists.
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