Updated On: 02 February, 2026 07:34 AM IST | Paris | Agencies
A new study has found dark-brown flakes inside a Roman glass medicinal vial, offering the first direct evidence that human excrement was used to treat illnesses. The practice was linked to Galen of Pergamon, a renowned Roman physician

Fecal matter found in the vial. PIC COURTESY/ACS
A new study found dark-brown flakes inside a Roman glass medicinal vial, providing the first direct evidence that excrement was used for illness.
Between the 2nd and 3rd centuries, Pergamon, Turkey, became a major center for Roman medicine because of the presence of a famous physician named Galen of Pergamon.