Nicholas Myrepsos (or ''Nicolaus Myrepsus''; el, Νικόλαος Μυρεψός; flourished c. 1240–80) was a
Byzantine
The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
physician known chiefly for his compendium on
medical science
Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care practice ...
which is still extant.
Life
Little is known about the life of Nicholas. He is probably the same physician who is mentioned by
George Acropolites George Akropolites ( Latinized as Acropolites or Acropolita; el, , ''Georgios Akropolites''; 1217 or 1220 – 1282) was a Byzantine Greek historian and statesman born at Constantinople.
Life
In his sixteenth year he was sent by his father, the ...
as being eminent in his profession, but very ignorant of natural philosophy. He was at the court of
John III Doukas Vatatzes
John III Doukas Vatatzes, Latinized as Ducas Vatatzes ( el, Ιωάννης Δούκας Βατάτζης, ''Iōannēs Doukas Vatatzēs'', c. 1192 – 3 November 1254), was Emperor of Nicaea from 1221 to 1254. He was succeeded by his son, known ...
at
Nicaea
Nicaea, also known as Nicea or Nikaia (; ; grc-gre, Νίκαια, ) was an ancient Greek city in Bithynia, where located in northwestern Anatolia and is primarily known as the site of the First and Second Councils of Nicaea (the first and seve ...
, when the eclipse of the sun took place October 6 1241, that shortly preceded the death of the empress
Irene
Irene is a name derived from εἰρήνη (eirēnē), the Greek for "peace".
Irene, and related names, may refer to:
* Irene (given name)
Places
* Irene, Gauteng, South Africa
* Irene, South Dakota, United States
* Irene, Texas, United Stat ...
. Here he was held in great esteem by the emperor, and attained the dignity of ''
actuarius ''Actuarius'' or ''actarius'', rendered in Greek as ''aktouarios'' (), was the title applied to officials of varying functions in the late Roman and Byzantine empires.
In the late Roman Empire, the ''actuarius'' was an official charged with the dis ...
''. All this agrees very well with the scattered notices of his date and his personal history that we find in his own work. He mentions
Mesue the Younger
Masawaih al-Mardini (Yahyā ibn Masawaih al-Mardini; known as Mesue the Younger) was a Assyrian physician. He was born in Mardin, Upper Mesopotamia. After working in Baghdad, he entered to the service of the Fatimid caliph Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah. ...
, who died 1015; "Michael Angelus regalis," who is probably
Michael VIII Palaiologos
Michael VIII Palaiologos or Palaeologus ( el, Μιχαὴλ Δούκας Ἄγγελος Κομνηνὸς Παλαιολόγος, Mikhaēl Doukas Angelos Komnēnos Palaiologos; 1224 – 11 December 1282) reigned as the co-emperor of the Empire ...
who began to reign 1259; "Papa Nicolaus," who seems to be
Pope Nicholas III
Pope Nicholas III ( la, Nicolaus III; c. 1225 – 22 August 1280), born Giovanni Gaetano Orsini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 25 November 1277 to his death on 22 August 1280.
He was a Roman nobleman who ...
, who began to reign 1277; and "Dominus Joannes," and "Magister Johannes," who is probably
Joannes Actuarius
Johannes Zacharias Actuarius ( el, Ἰωάννης Ζαχαρίου Ἀκτουάριος; – c. 1328
), son of Zacharias ( el, Ζαχαρίας), was a Byzantine physician in Constantinople. He is given the title of '' Actuarius'', a dignity fr ...
, who lived in the 13th century. He mentions his having visited or lived at Nicaea, and also
Alexandria
Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...
, whence he is sometimes called ''Nicolaus Alexandrinus''.
Work
Nicholas compiled and revised Ancient Greek scripts including, but not limited to
Galen
Aelius Galenus or Claudius Galenus ( el, Κλαύδιος Γαληνός; September 129 – c. AD 216), often Anglicized as Galen () or Galen of Pergamon, was a Greek physician, surgeon and philosopher in the Roman Empire. Considered to be one of ...
, as well as writing his own compendium on
medical science
Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care practice ...
, named ''
Dynameron'' (Δυνάμερον). It consists of 48 sections, containing more than 2500 medical formulae, arranged according to their form and object. It is chiefly compiled from former writers, and contains many superstitious remedies. It remained the principal pharmaceutical code of the Parisian medical faculty until 1651. He is well known for the preparation,
Aurea Alexandrina Aurea Alexandrina, in pharmacy, was a kind of opiate or antidote, in great fame among ancient writers. It is called ''Aurea'' from the gold which enters its composition, and ''Alexandrina'' as having been first invented by a physician named Nicolau ...
.
See also
*
Byzantine medicine
Byzantine medicine encompasses the common medical practices of the Byzantine Empire from c. 400 AD to 1453 AD. Byzantine medicine was notable for building upon the knowledge base developed by its Greco-Roman predecessors. In preserving medical pr ...
Notes
Sources
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Myrepsos, Nicholas
13th-century Byzantine writers
13th-century Byzantine physicians
Medical writers