Medicina antiqua

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Medicina antiqua ("ancient medicine") is the name of numerous medical collective manuscripts of late ancient origin.

It is a collection of popular medical tracts from late antiquity, which has come down to us in numerous compilations and editors. The texts were written in the 4th or 5th century, the oldest surviving manuscript dates from the 6th century. More than 50 text witnesses are known from the Middle Ages. One of them is the Codex Vindobonesis 93 , which has the most elaborate picture decorations. In contrast, a Montecassinian manuscript from the 9th century formed the basis of the first printed edition in 1481. At least nine prints appeared in the 16th century.

Since the texts are aimed at laypeople, they contain many magical applications, even if the authors drew on the materia medica of Dioscurides and the natural history of Pliny to varying degrees . The attributions of the contained tracts to well-known personalities are essentially incorrect. Authors are Pseudo-Apuleius , Pseudo-Musa (mostly handed down together with the Herbarius of Pseudo-Apuleius), Pseudo-Dioscurides and the otherwise unknown Sextus Placitus Papyriensis , which refers to Pliny .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ See for example Hans Zotter : Ancient medicine. The collective medical manuscript Cod. Vindobonensis 93 in Latin and German. Academic printing and Verlagsanstalt, Graz 1980 (= Interpretationes ad codices. Volume 2); 2nd, improved edition, ibid. 1986, ISBN 3-201-01310-2 . Contains the transcription and German translation.
  2. ↑ a b Medicina antiqua. Glanzlichter der Buchkunst , Graz: Akademische Druck- und Verlagsanstalt 1996 Volume 6. Commentary by Hans Zotter pp. 3–9 ISBN 3201016594
  3. ^ Wolfgang Wegner: Pseudo-Musa. In: Werner E. Gerabek , Bernhard D. Haage, Gundolf Keil , Wolfgang Wegner (eds.): Enzyklopädie Medizingeschichte. De Gruyter, Berlin / New York 2005, ISBN 3-11-015714-4 , p. 1189.
  4. ^ Heide Grape-Albers : Late Antique Pictures from the World of the Doctor. Illuminated medical manuscripts from late antiquity and their medieval tradition . Pressler, Wiesbaden 1977, ISBN 3-87646-037-9 (also philosophical dissertation Vienna 1973: The late antique illustrations for the medical writings of Pseudo-Apuleius and Sextus Placitus and their medieval tradition ).
  5. ^ Ernst Howald, Heinrich E. Sigerist: Antonii Musae De herba vettonica liber, Pseudoapulei Herbarius, Anonymi De taxone liber, Sexti Placiti Liber medicinae ex animalibus etc. Leipzig 1927 (= Corpus medicorum latinorum. Volume 4).