Trimalchio was right about how doctors had to know what waas going on with people, what they had in their chests, and so on. However, doctors were looked down upon in Roman society because the profession was considered worthy of slaves (http://www.unrv.com/culture/ancient-roman-doctors.php), which is obviously a clear difference between Roman and American society.
Apparently, being a doctor in the ancient world required a much more well-rounded training than today. While modern doctors have to be familiar with human anatomy, behavioral problems, prescribing medicine, and various medical techniques, ancient doctors had to know how to use their instruments, what herbs cured what, and had to have some training in ritual (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicine_in_ancient_Rome).
The hypocrisy of having someone save your life and then you look down on them due to their socio-economic status made me think of two things. First, I noticed a parallel between medieval and Renaissance midwives being praised by mothers whom they helpe while they were in labor and then calling them witches in private. Second, this reminded me of James' Dave Chappelle post: maybe we shouldn't judge people by their accents and socioeconomic status after all.
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