Background
Aëtius of Amida was born in 502 A.D. in Amida, Mesopotamia (now Diyarbakir, Turkey).
Aetius of Amida
Aëtius of Amida, Aetii medici graeci contractae…. Front cover.
Aëtius of Amida, Aetii medici graeci contractae…. Dedication.
Aetii Medici Graeci Contractae
Aëtius of Amida, Aetii medici graeci contractae.
Aëtius of Amida, Aetii medici graeci contractae…. Front cover.
Aëtius of Amida, Aetii medici graeci contractae…. Dedication.
Aetii Medici Graeci Contractae
( )
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009F5Q1IQ/?tag=2022091-20
( )
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1396519866/?tag=2022091-20
( )
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1391185943/?tag=2022091-20
( )
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1246765667/?tag=2022091-20
( )
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001A7HH1C/?tag=2022091-20
( )
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0274669110/?tag=2022091-20
( )
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/3737214999/?tag=2022091-20
Greek: Ἀέτιος Ἀμιδηνός Latin: Aëtius Amidenus
Aëtius of Amida was born in 502 A.D. in Amida, Mesopotamia (now Diyarbakir, Turkey).
Aetius of Amida studied at Alexandria, which was the most famous medical school of the age.
Aëtius had the title cornes obsequii, which indicates that he had a relatively high rank, possibly of a military nature, at court. Since this title seems not to have been introduced until the reign of Justinian I, Aëtius cannot have lived before the sixth century. It is sometimes supposed that he was physician in ordinary at the Byzantine court, and this is occasionally stated as a fact both in books dealing with antiquity and in books on medical history. In any case, Aëtius lived after Oribasius, for the latter’s medical encyclopedia is one of his main sources. Several times in his work Aëtius speaks of a sojourn in Alexandria.
In any event, Aetius ought not to be confused with the physician and Arian Christian Aëtius who lived in the fourth century and is mentioned in Philostorgios’ church history, as well as in Gregory of Nyssa’s Contra Eunomium.
Aëtius wrote a large medical encyclopedia that is called either Sixteen Medical Books or Tetrabibloi (i.e., four volumes, each containing four parts or books). This form of a medical encyclopedia, typical of late antiquity and the Byzantine period, corresponds to that of the known encyclopedias of Oribasius and Paul of Aegina. They are all collections of more or less verbatim excerpts from the works of previous medical authors, primarily Galen.
Historians are not agreed about his exact date. He is placed by some writers as early as the 4th century. But it is plain from his own work that he did not write till the very end of the 5th or the beginning of the 6th, as he refers not only to Patriarch Cyril of Alexandria, who died 444 but also to Petrus archiater, who could be identified with the physician of Theodoric the Great, whom he defines a contemporary.
Aëtius was considered the best of medical writers of the Christian faith, who is famous for his medical manuscripts, such as a large medical encyclopedia that is called either Sixteen Medical Books or Tetrabiblo. His encyclopedia is not only a locus of preservation for the fragments of otherwise lost works, but also a major testimony to the transfer of medical ideas in late antiquity. Aetius was held in great esteem by Renaissance physicians and by the translator of this book, the renowned Janus Cornarius, who considered Aetius the best of medical writers.
( )
( )
( )
( )
( )
( )
( )
( )
( )
However, it cannot be proved for certain that Aetius of Amida was a Christian, for he does no more than mention Christian institutions and customs several times.
Aetius’ originality has often been questioned, but since there exists only an incomplete critical edition of his work (with proof of sources), the question cannot be answered conclusively. The Byzantine Photius stated that Aetius had “added nothing and left out much” from his original sources, but this must be viewed skeptically, for there are indications that Aetius evaluated his sources, using his own experiences and his own thoughts. For example, he described a method for removing tattoos. Aetius advised applying saltpeter and terebinth resin (or turpentine) to the tattoo and then abrading the skin with salt a week later. The process could then be repeated if necessary. Variations of Aetius's method of tattoo removal were used for centuries until the 1990s, when laser became the method of choice to remove tattoos.
