Archaeologists unearth medical ‘flasks’ for swilling urine

Ure-ally brave for this one, ancient Roman doctors.

Archaeologists in Rome have unearthed a treasure trove of illuminating artifacts at the site of an ancient hospital, including “urine flasks” — which doctors used to diagnose various ailments.

A study describing the diagnostic tool was published last month in the journal Antiquity, in which researchers asserted that the “assemblage” of objects, including “glass urine flasks,” are indicative of an ancient “medical dump.”

The fact that these artifacts would have been “potentially infected” with pathogens helps to shed light on the “urban waste-management practices” of Roman society, researchers also noted.

Initially excavated in 2021 by an international team of archaeologists, the 16th-century repository was discovered in the area of the Forum of Caesar in Rome, Science Alert reported.

This shrine was completed in 46 BC and dedicated to Julius Caesar before it was converted into a hospital during the Renaissance — a millennium and a half later — which came with its very own landfill.

Excavating this repository yielded a plethora of medieval medical-waste items, including a cistern containing ceramic vessels, broken glass jars and even a ceramic camel figurine. Scientists suspected these were part of a patient toolkit provided by the hospital.

Most notable among the refuse repository were what was known in Medieval Latin as matula — urine flasks.

These pee vessels were used for the practice of uroscopy, a diagnostic technique that involves examining the patient’s urine.

Dating back to the days of ancient Greek physician Hippocrates, this was the pee-eminent method of detecting disease in medieval Italy.

Of course, at that time the methodology required a more hands-on approach than it does today.

According to the study’s authors, the “patient’s urine would be poured into a flask,” whereupon the medical examiner would analyze the color, opacity, smell and even taste of the sample.

By using this rudimentary urinalysis, physicians would be able to sniff out conditions ranging from jaundice to diabetes, which is known for making urine taste sweet due to excess glucose.

English physician Thomas Willis (1621-1675), who was credited with discovering this sacch-urine quality, described the pee as “wonderfully sweet as if it were imbued with honey or sugar.”

Scientists deduced that the urine vessels and other items were disposed of in the cistern, which was then sealed in clay, presumably for hygienic reasons.

Despite being prohibited, depositing waste in cellars and cisterns was common practice, perhaps even the go-to disposal method for infectious waste, per the study.

Meanwhile, the abundance of “bespoke” ceramic wares indicate that the physicians knew about the antiseptic benefits of burning or cooking contaminated glass.

This “rare” discovery illuminates infectious-waste management during a time when other European cities were plagued by “repeat epidemics” thanks to poor hygienic practices, the study’s authors said.