Medicine and the Achievement of Justice in Egypt in the Late Roman Period (284-642 AD)

Physicians appear in many forms in the Late Roman Period (284-641 AD), particularly their important role in achieving justice. Many papyrus documents record physicians playing an active role in resolving many cases during this era. The physician assigned to this task was responsible for examining cases of physical assault and also writing death reports and their causes, especially in cases of suspected criminality. Documents show that they would only examine a case if there was an official request from an official. These roles varied between the official physician and the official midwife, depending on the case being examined. There might have been a committee of examiners rather than a single physician. Furthermore, witnesses to the physician's examination of the case were required to ensure the administration of justice. Therefore, we find the government physician (δημόσιοι ἰατροί) (dimosioi iatroi) under study, similar to the modern forensic doctor, with a different title. Alternatively, the forensic doctor is the modern name for one of the duties of the government physician in Egypt during the Late Roman Period. From an analytical study of the documents that mention these general practitioners, it appears that they were spread throughout Egypt, and through their meticulous work to assist the judiciary in achieving justice, we can say that Egypt had forensic doctors - in the modern sense - in the late Roman era.