Andreas ( grc, Ἀνδρέας) was the name of several physicians in

ancient Greece Ancient Greece ( el, Ἑλλάς, Hellás) was a northeastern Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of classical antiquity ( AD 600), that comprised a loose collection of cult ...

, whom it is difficult to distinguish from each other. Andreas Comes, quoted several times by

Aëtius of Amida Aëtius of Amida (; grc-gre, Ἀέτιος Ἀμιδηνός; Latin: ''Aëtius Amidenus''; fl. mid-5th century to mid-6th century) was a Byzantine Greek physician and medical writer, particularly distinguished by the extent of his erudition. His ...

was certainly the latest of all, whose title "Comes" here meant " Comes archiatrorum". He probably lived shortly before Aetius himself (that is, in the fourth or fifth century AD), as this title was only introduced under the Roman emperors. If, for want of any positive data, all the other passages where the name Andreas occurs are supposed to refer to the same person (which may be the case), he was a native of

Carystus Carystus (; el, Κάρυστος, near modern Karystos) was a polis (city-state) on ancient Euboea. It was situated on the south coast of the island, at the foot of Mount Oche. It is mentioned by Homer in the Catalogue of Ships in the '' Iliad' ...

Euboea Evia (, ; el, Εύβοια ; grc, Εὔβοια ) or Euboia (, ) is the second-largest Greek island in area and population, after Crete. It is separated from Boeotia in mainland Greece by the narrow Euripus Strait (only at its narrowest poin ...

, the son of a man named Chrysar or Chrysaor (ὁ τοῦ Χρύσαρος or Χρυσάορος), if the name is not corrupt, and one of the followers of

Herophilos Herophilos (; grc-gre, Ἡρόφιλος; 335–280 BC), sometimes Latinised Herophilus, was a Greek physician regarded as one of the earliest anatomists. Born in Chalcedon, he spent the majority of his life in Alexandria. He was the first sci ...

. The earliest known Andreas was physician to

Ptolemy IV Philopator egy, Iwaennetjerwymenkhwy Setepptah Userkare Sekhemankhamun Clayton (2006) p. 208. , predecessor = Ptolemy III , successor = Ptolemy V , horus = ''ḥnw-ḳni sḫꜤi.n-sw-it.f'Khunuqeni sekhaensuitef'' The strong youth whose f ...

, and was killed while in attendance on that prince, shortly before the

Battle of Raphia The Battle of Raphia, also known as the Battle of Gaza, was fought on 22 June 217 BC near modern Rafah between the forces of Ptolemy IV Philopator, king and pharaoh of Ptolemaic Egypt and Antiochus III the Great of the Seleucid Empire durin ...

(217 BCE), by

Theodotus of Aetolia Theodotus ( el, Θεόδοτος) was an Aetolian general, who at the accession of the Seleucid monarch, Antiochus III the Great (223–187 BC), held the command of the important province of Coele-Syria for Ptolemy Philopator (221–204 BC ...

, who had secretly entered the tent with the intent to murder the king. He wrote several medical works, of which nothing remains but the titles, and a few extracts preserved by different ancient authors. He may be the first person to write a treatise on

rabies Rabies is a viral disease that causes encephalitis in humans and other mammals. Early symptoms can include fever and tingling at the site of exposure. These symptoms are followed by one or more of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, vi ...

, which he called Κυνόλυσσος (Kunolyssos). In one of his works ''On Medical Genealogy'', he is said by Soranus, in his life of

Hippocrates Hippocrates of Kos (; grc-gre, Ἱπποκράτης ὁ Κῷος, Hippokrátēs ho Kôios; ), also known as Hippocrates II, was a Greek physician of the classical period who is considered one of the most outstanding figures in the history of ...

, to have given a false and scandalous account of that great physician, saying that he had been obliged to leave his native country on account of his having set fire to the library at

Cnidos Knidos or Cnidus (; grc-gre, Κνίδος, , , Knídos) was a Greek city in ancient Caria and part of the Dorian Hexapolis, in south-western Asia Minor, modern-day Turkey. It was situated on the Datça peninsula, which forms the southern side ...

; a story which, though universally considered to be totally unfounded, was repeated with some variations by

Varro Marcus Terentius Varro (; 116–27 BC) was a Roman polymath and a prolific author. He is regarded as ancient Rome's greatest scholar, and was described by Petrarch as "the third great light of Rome" (after Vergil and Cicero). He is sometimes calle ...

and John Tzetzes, and was much embellished in the middle ages. Eratosthenes is said to have accused Andreas of plagiarism, and to have called him "the Aegisthius (or Adulterer) of Books". The name occurs in several ancient authors, but no other facts are related of .Isensee, ''Geshichte der Med.''

Notes

* {{authority control 4th-century Greek physicians Ancient Greek science writers 3rd-century BC Greek physicians