Der gute Arzt Compositiones

Almost two millennia ago, the Roman physician Scribonius Largus wrote his book on medicine and remedies, the oldest surviving Latin book by a physician. He treated men and women, adults and children, the strong and the weak, as well as people of all social standings—from prisoners to the Roman Emperor Claudius and his wife Messalina. Scribonius Largus explains which natural remedies can bring healing and which ones should be avoided. Above all, he demonstrates what makes a good doctor: compassion and humanity. This work, presented here for the first time in a modern bilingual translation, remains a fundamental text of medical ethics and offers a fascinating insight into the world of antiquity.