Theon, on the Composition of Purgative Medicines An Unedited Text from Laur. Plut. 75.3

Abstract

Among the treatises in the codex Plut. 75.3 of the Laurentian Library (Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana) in Florence, there exists a text entitled: “Theon, On the composition of purgative medicines” (Θέωνος, Περὶ τῶν καθαιρόντων φαρμάκων). There is limited information available about a physician named Theon. Photios (9th century), in his work “Bibliotheca”, mentions a Theon from Alexandria, who authored a medical treatise called “Man” (Ἄνθρωπος). The text in codex Plut. 75.3 comprises two distinct parts: In the first section, eight plants are described in detail: colocynth, flax-leaved daphne, white hellebore, caper spurge, aloe, scammony, dodder, and black hellebore. The second part contains eight recipes, including antidotes for the liver and spleen, as well as unguents for scabies, dropsy, and kidneys. All pharmaceutical recipes presented are unique and cannot be found in any other text. In this article, we are publishing this text for the first time.