Roman age medicine discovery

This video says about itself:

Aug 29, 2012

Remembering the great German physicist, ophthalmologist and philosopher, Hermann Ludwig Ferdinand von Helmholtz, on his 191st birthday. He brought unto us, amongst other pearls, the principle of modern ophthalmoscopy.

Translated from Dutch NOS TV:

Monday, January 7, 2013, 21:09

Italian scientists have discovered medicine that is more than 2000 years old. The goo, a lump of hardened eye ointment, was found years ago in a wrecked ship.

Researchers from the University of Pisa say the ophthalmological medicine included zinc, starch, resin, and plant remains.

The medicine was found in the remains of a ship which about 130 years before Christ sank off the coast of Tuscany. Probably it came from Cyprus or Syria. In 1974 the wreck was discovered. In the 1980s and 90s divers already took vases and lamps from the wreck.

Since the 16th century, Basel has been home to a mysterious papyrus. With mirror writing on both sides, it has puzzled generations of researchers. A research team from the University of Basel has now discovered that it is an unknown medical document from late antiquity. The text was likely written by the famous Roman physician Galen: here.

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