Book of Simple Medicines - Codex Bruxellensis

Book of Simple Medicines - Codex Bruxellensis

Matthaeus Platearius, a physician trained at Salerno’s famous medical school, built on the works of Pliny and Dioscorides and blended them with more contemporary texts to create the Circa Instans or “Book of Simple Medicines”. This 12th century text was highly acclaimed during the Middle Ages and considered the equal of the herbals of the aforementioned ancient scholars. This manuscript is essentially an illustrated encyclopedia of 15th century medicine in the West consisting of a translation of the Tractatus de herbis by Bartholomew Mini of Siena, which was itself based on Platearius’ Circa instans, the pseudo-Apuleius, De virtutibus herbarum, Livre des secres de nature, and was subsequently supplemented with Arabic sources like Ibn Butlan’s Tacuinum sanitates. It is presented in a manuscript originating from France ca. 1480 that is furnished by 457 naturalistic and colorful miniatures: 394 botanical, 10 animal, 11 mineral, and 42 others.

A Mother’s Wisdom

Most people in the Middle Ages, from the highest social strata to the lowest, followed in the footsteps of their fathers professionally-speaking, or in the case of Matthaeus Platearius and his brother Johannes, their mother: Trota of Salerno. She is the author of numerous works on women’s medicine and health including one of the three texts in the so-called Trotula, which is named after her. She became famous across Europe from Sicily to England and some of her works were rediscovered during the 20th century, leading to a renewal of scholarly interest in her. While educated at the Schola Medica Salernitana, she specialized in women’s reproductive health and childbirth, making her arguably the world’s first gynecologist. Trota went on to teach as a professor and shared her knowledge with a generation of gynecologists who in turn spread it across the western world. She also wrote texts on personal health, diet, and hygiene recommending exercise, a good diet, and avoiding stress. These principles also lie at the heart of the Circa Instans and Matthaeus Platearius must surely have been heavily influenced by his wise and famous mother.