The catheter and its use in late antiquity and the early middle ages

Based on Greek and Latin sources the use of the urinary catheter in Western medicine between 200 and 1000 CE was reviewed.

Computerized databank searches permitted the identification and analysis of ancient and early medieval texts that include material on the catheter.

Ten medical authors mentioned the catheter and its use. In the Byzantine world they include the encyclopedists Oribasius, Aetius and Paul of Aegina. The best known Latin author is Caelius Aurelianus. These writers often put together summaries of earlier works. Innovation or independent research was not easily found at a time during which neither anatomical autopsy nor experimentation was widely practiced.

Old texts contain numerous instructions on how to skillfully use the catheter. As a technical achievement, it was independent of philosophical trends. Its primary indications, namely urinary retention, bladder stones and the administration of cures, changed little with time. As one of the oldest and most important instruments at the disposal of physicians, the history of the catheter should be known to every urologist.