Ancient battlefield medics

[Luke Evans]

i just wanted to learn if there were ancient medics in battlefields during a battle and how it worked. wikipedia doesn't offer a whole lot on it and this forum is probably one of the best place to information on it.

[moisesjns]

This is a very interesting topic. I also would love to know about this. I mean we have a doctor ancillary.

[Shoebopp]

This is a very interesting topic. I also would love to know about this. I mean we have a doctor ancillary.

The way that battlefield surgery works in M2TW is really weird. Healed casualties are determined by percentage and order of incapacitation. If your battle surgery percentage is 40% thanks to a resident Doctor/Physician/Herbalist, it won't matter if you lost 10 guys or 1000. That healer will either slack off and heal 4 guys, or work overtime and heal 400. Also, only the first 40% of casualties will be healed. Maybe the healer begins treating casualties as they occur? This might've given rise to the myth that only missile-fire casualties are healed. After all, the first casualties are usually caused by initial skirmishing/archer duels, while later ones are the result of heavy infantry clashes and cavalry melee. Those healers really need to learn the concept of triaging. I don't give a damn about my levy slingers getting enemy stones wedged into their skulls, I want my elites to be prioritized and nursed back to full health ASAP.

[Victor1234]

I think I read somewhere on the internet (so not the most reliable...) that in the Polybian legionary structure, the velites may have performed this role of battlefield medic. After the initial skirmish where they retire through the hastati, etc and move to the back of the formation, they would play no more part in the battle collectively, but would individually dart through the ranks and pick up wounded and carry them to the rear.

Not sure how true it is, but it sounds logical (especially considering how light their equipment is). An argument against this would be how there are examples of battles which did not go to plan and the velites had to keep skirmishing throughout the whole battle and not just disappear in the rear (I think against Pyrrus and Hannibal especially)