Oribasius
Oribasius was a notable physician in the Roman Empire, likely born into a prominent family and educated in Alexandria, Egypt. He served as the personal physician to Emperor Julian the Apostate and held the position of quaestor in Constantinople. After Julian's assassination, Oribasius faced banishment but was soon recalled due to his medical expertise. His extensive writings primarily consist of compilations of medical knowledge from earlier physicians rather than original research. Among his significant works is the "Medical Collection" (Synagôgai iatrikai), which preserves valuable insights from ancient medical practices. He also created a condensed version of this work called "The Synopsis" and wrote a pharmaceutical treatise known as "Libri ad Eunapium." Oribasius played a crucial role in safeguarding and transmitting the contributions of many ancient medical authors, influencing later scholars during the Renaissance, where his works were widely cited and translated. His legacy continues to be recognized in the history of medicine for preserving critical medical knowledge.
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Subject Terms
Oribasius
Related civilizations: Roman Greece, Imperial Rome
Major role/position: Physician, medical encyclopedist
Life
Oribasius (ahr-eh-BAY-zhuhs) was born of an important family, probably studied medicine in Alexandria, Egypt, and had four children, including the physician Eustathius. He was personal physician to the Roman emperor Julian the Apostate and served during Julian’s reign as quaestor in Constantinople. Banished after Julian’s assassination, he was soon recalled because of his medical skill. He provided much information about Julian to the biographer Eunapius.
Oribasius was a prolific writer, but his works are compilations of the medical discoveries of other physicians, not reports of his own original work. Only twenty-two complete volumes and some fragments of his gigantic seventy-volume Synagôgai iatrikai (n.d., also known as Collectiones medicae; known in English as “Medical Collection”) still exist. At Julian’s suggestion, he prepared an abridged version, Synopsis ad Eustathium (n.d.; known in English as “The Synopsis”), which survives. Also extant is his pharmaceutical treatise, Libri ad Eunapium (n.d.).
Influence
If not for Oribasius, the contributions of many ancient medical authors, practitioners, and researchers would have been lost. He was frequently cited, republished, and anthologized during the Renaissance. In the sixteenth century, his surgical works were of particular importance. Guido Guidi translated them into Latin and commented on them (1544). Swiss physician Conrad Gesner excerpted them (1555).
Bibliography
Allbutt, T. Clifford. Greek Medicine in Rome. London: Macmillan, 1921.
Grant, Mark. Dieting for an Emperor: A Translation of Books 1 and 4 of Oribasius’ Medical Compilations with an Introduction and Commentary. Leiden, Netherlands: E. J. Brill, 1997.
Scarborough, John. Roman Medicine. London: Thames and Hudson, 1969.