What if Gaul was not conqueded by Rome?

erhaps the decline in the supposed skill of Gaulish Physicans correlated with druidism declining, was due to druidism being part os some institution that educated people?
Druids were physicians and educators, almost by definition, in Gaul. Pliny's consideration on druids in his Natural History is where they are considered as learned men and physician of the first order, due to their knowledge of natural remedies and astronomy/astrology.
Now, Pliny was making a point : physicians in ancient Rome are often labelled as little more than butchers or foreigners (essentially Greeks) with hazy theories and speculation; while Druids actually used their knowledge of natural history with success. Take that you liberal elitist east-coast Greeks and your death panels! Note that Pliny still considered Druids as a bloodthirsty sect whom disappearance at the hands of Tiberius was a net benefit.

Of course, there is little doubt that druids had indeed a particularly good grasp on medicine (on the same grounds than Greeks, meaning mixing philosophy and medical theory with natural knowledge) : they were considered the equals of philosophers of Greece, magi of Persia and gymonsophists of India for a reason.
But, overall, Gallic medecine was distinguishable from Druidism and might have survived its decline, as Druids as a group in Gaul lost more and more institutional and social importance by the IInd century BCE, as their ethical ideological basis significantly declines (Caesar doesn't seems to realize that Diviciacos is a druid or educated as a druid) : it's possible that the temptation of direct political action (due to the hand-down approach of Druidism as well the social origin of most of them, accentuated by the elite differenciation was an as much important factor than Roman culture influence) provoked a social withdrawal of druids in Gaul but on the same time, their knowledge roughly survived while mixed (and dominated) by Hellenistic medicine.
 
Where did you read this? Perhaps the decline in the supposed skill of Gaulish Physicans correlated with druidism declining, was due to druidism being part os some institution that educated people?

Ahh, if I remembered where I read it, I would have named it in the first place and yes the decline is correlated with the decline of Druidism.
 
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