Soranus of Ephesus (circa AD 98-138) and perinatal care in Roman times.

Correspondence to: Professor P M Dunn. Soranus was undoubtedly one of the most learned doctors of classical times. He was born in Ephesus on the coast of Asia Minor towards the end of the first century AD, the son of Menandrus and his wife Phoebe. Little is known of his life other than that he trained in the famous medical school of Alexandria and practised in Rome during the rules of Trajan and Hadrian. At that time most physicians were from Greece and Soranus quickly became established in practice. He belonged to the Methodist school of Asclepiades, which relied on the Hippocratic doctrine. Like Hippocrates he emphasised the importance of collecting facts, of accurate observation, of the healing virtues inherent in nature, and of considering what was in the best interests of the patient. Over 20 works have been ascribed to him, including those on acute and chronic disease, fractures, surgery and embryology. He also wrote a Life ofHippocrates. His most important work, though, was Gynecology, which, after being reconstructed from the original Greek by the philologists Rose and Ilberg in 1927, was translated into English by Tempkin in 1956.1 It represents the body of obstetric knowledge existing in the second century AD, sifted and enlarged by Soranus, and is the most complete account of gynaecology, midwifery, and paediatrics in classical times. It survived through the centuries, being translated into Latin, Arabic, German, French and English. Many ancient writers plagiarised his writings, including Oribasius, Aetius of Amida, Paul of Aegina, and Moschion. Even 1500 years later the works of Rosslin and Raynalde in the sixteenth century were largely derived from this source. Gynecology contains many remarkable contributions that might have been written today.