Rogerius (before 1140 – c. 1195), also called Rogerius Salernitanus, Roger Frugard, Roger Frugardi, Roggerio Frugardo, Rüdiger Frutgard and Roggerio dei Frugardi, was a
Salernitan surgeon
In modern medicine, a surgeon is a medical professional who performs surgery. Although there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon usually is also a licensed physician or received the same medical training as ...
who wrote a work on medicine entitled ''Practica Chirurgiae'' ("The Practice of Surgery") around 1180 (sometimes dated earlier to 1170; sometimes later, to 1230). It is also called ''Chirurgiae Magistri Rogerii'' ("The Surgery of Master Rogerius").
Rogerius' work is clear, brief, and practical, it is also unburdened with long citations derived from other medical authorities. The work, arranged anatomically and presented according to a
pathologic-
traumatological systematization, includes a brief recommended treatment for each affliction. Rogerius was an independent observer and was the first to use the term
lupus
Lupus, technically known as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), is an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue in many parts of the body. Symptoms vary among people and may be mild to severe. Commo ...
to describe the classic malar rash.
He recommended a dressing of egg-
albumen
Egg white is the clear liquid (also called the albumen or the glair/glaire) contained within an egg. In chickens it is formed from the layers of secretions of the anterior section of the hen's oviduct during the passage of the egg. It forms a ...
for wounds of the neck, and did not believe that
nerves
A nerve is an enclosed, cable-like bundle of nerve fibers (called axons) in the peripheral nervous system.
A nerve transmits electrical impulses. It is the basic unit of the peripheral nervous system. A nerve provides a common pathway for the e ...
, when severed, could be regenerated (''consolidari''), though he thought they may undoubtedly be reunited (''conglutinari'').
Rogerius' work was the first medieval text on surgery to dominate its field in all of Europe, and it was used in the new universities in
Bologna
Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different na ...
and
Montpellier
Montpellier (, , ; oc, Montpelhièr ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the department of Hérault. In 2018, 290,053 people l ...
. Rogerius' work was kept relevant by the new edition (1250) made by his pupil
Rolando da Parma, a professor at Bologna.
Glosses later added include ''Additiones'', ''Chirurgia Rolandina'', ''First Salernitan Gloss'', ''Roger Marginalia of Erfurt'', ''Four Masters Gloss'', ''Therapeutic Roger Gloss'', ''Chirurgia Jamati'' and the widely extended
Middle High German
Middle High German (MHG; german: Mittelhochdeutsch (Mhd.)) is the term for the form of German spoken in the High Middle Ages. It is conventionally dated between 1050 and 1350, developing from Old High German and into Early New High German. Hig ...
''Roger Complex''.
Many of these manuscripts include lavish illustrations detailing medical treatment.
Rogerius' work maintained the strong tradition of
Salerno's medical school, in existence since the ninth century, which pioneered the study of
anatomy
Anatomy () is the branch of biology concerned with the study of the structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old science, having i ...
and
surgery
Surgery ''cheirourgikē'' (composed of χείρ, "hand", and ἔργον, "work"), via la, chirurgiae, meaning "hand work". is a medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a person to investigate or treat a pa ...
.
By the thirteenth century, many European towns were demanding that physicians have several years of study or training before they could practice.
Surgery
Surgery ''cheirourgikē'' (composed of χείρ, "hand", and ἔργον, "work"), via la, chirurgiae, meaning "hand work". is a medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a person to investigate or treat a pa ...
had a lower status than pure medicine, beginning as a craft tradition until Rogerius composed his treatise, which laid the foundation for the species of the occidental surgical manuals, influencing them up to modern times.
References
Further reading
* Leonard D. Rosenman, ''The Chirurgia of Roger Frugard'' (2002).
"History of Medicine - School of Salerno" New Advent website
*BIFULCO M.
CAVALLO P.http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/thy.2006.0277 ''Thyroidology in the Medieval Medical School of Salerno''], Thyroid, 2007.
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rogerius
12th-century Italian physicians
Italian surgeons
12th-century births
1195 deaths
12th-century Italian writers
12th-century Latin writers
Medieval surgeons