The Latin Alexander Trallianus: The Text and Transmission of a Late Latin Medical Book

Description

The present work offers an extensive introduction to the text and transmission of the ancient Latin version of the medical works "Therapeutica" and "On Fevers" of the great sixth-century Greek doctor Alexander of Tralles. The importance of the Latin Alexander in medieval medicine in the West is seen in the richness of both mainstream and secondary, excerpting manuscript-traditions. The tradition is such that the reconstructed Latin text promises to be a much more important witness to the Greek text than the Greek is to the Latin, and of course a reliable edition is a prerequisite for any systematic work on questions such as the provenance of the translation and the Latinity of the translator(s). The volume comprises an introduction to Alexander; an outline account of his works in Greek compared with the Latin version; a description of the Latin manuscript copies, and a proposed reconstruction of the genetic relations between them; some preliminary remarks on the Latinity of the Latin Alexander; and a sample edition, with translation, critical apparatus, and extensive notes, of the chapters on coughing at the start of Book 2. Preface and Acknowledgements x Conventions and Abbreviations xiv Chapter 1. Alexander of Tralles and the "Therapeutica" 1 Chapter 2. The Greek "Therapeutica" and the Latin Version 13 Chapter 3. The Manuscript Tradition of the Latin Version 37 Chapter 4. Relating the Manuscripts: a Justification of and Commentary on the Stemma 103 Chapter 5. An Edition of the Latin Alexander on Coughing 175 Appendix: A More Detailed Overview of the Contents of the Latin Alexander (Comparing the Early Printing with Select Mainstream Manuscripts) 231 Index of Latin Words, Phrases and Constructions 263 Index of Greek Words, Phrases and Constructions 266 Index of Names and Subjects 268 Index of Passages Discussed 271 Index of Manuscripts 281