In his encyclopedic work Natural History, Pliny the Elder records the sudden and unusual death of Gaius Laecanius Bassus, a prominent Roman senator who had served as an ordinary consul in 64 AD. [1]

Writing in Book 26, Chapter 4, Pliny uses Laecanius as a cautionary medical example: [1]

• The Cause of Death: Pliny states that Laecanius died from a carbuncle (a severe, infected skin boil).[1, 2]
• The Fatal Mistake: Laecanius tragically caused his own demise by taking a needle and trying to prick or tear out a splinter (or small boil) from his left thumb. [1]
• The Tiny Scale: Pliny emphasizes the irony and misfortune of the situation, noting that the initial blemish on his thumb was so incredibly small that it could scarcely be seen. [1]
• Historical Context: Pliny mentions that Laecanius passed away in the very same year that Pliny was composing that specific part of his book (around 77–78 AD). He laments that two men of elite "consular rank"—Laecanius Bassus and Julius Rufus—both died of carbuncles in the span of that single year (Rufus supposedly dying due to the ignorance of his doctors). [1, 2]

Because Laecanius died without a direct heir, his vast family estates and famous amphora-making workshops in Istria were subsequently absorbed by the Emperor Vespasian. [1, 2]

Are you researching the genealogy of the Laecanius family, or are you looking for more details on ancient Roman medical practices and how Pliny viewed them?