Codex of Medicine of Frederick II

Codex of Medicine of Frederick II

The comprehensive, small Codex of Medicine of Frederick II likely arose in mid–13th century Italy. The Emperor had an exceptional interest in science and commissioned the pharmacopoeia in order to make an entertaining and simultaneously instructive work, which cataloged knowledge concerning the healing effects of herbs and other remedies and treatments. There are various medical texts collected within the Codex of Medicine by the so-called Pseudo-Apuleius alongside other works on pharmaceutics. Richly illustrated, the text and wondrous miniatures describe different illnesses and cures alongside numerous depictions of plants.

A Glimpse in the Medical Treatment of the Middle Ages

Various illnesses with their consequences are pictorially depicted in a wonderful, lively way and are placed in connection with the corresponding treatment. Therefore, not only are the type and dosage of the drugs described, but the environment in which the medical treatment was normally carried out is also depicted. The patients lie in their beds, holding their feet in a small bath, or are treated in other, often bizarre ways. The attending doctors distribute medicine and impart upon the reader the therapeutic applications, which the dose and manner of application of healing herbs and plants require. For example, in an illustration of healing a snake bite is shown to be remedied with verbena.

Botanical Depictions and Shiny Gold Miniatures

These plants are reproduced in detail over countless pages throughout the manuscript, and are often placed in connection with symbolic depictions of animals and mythical images. In addition to these miniatures without a direct connection to the text, there are also full-page miniature pages in the manuscript. For example, there is a miniature page with a depiction of Hippocrates flanked by Plato and Dioscorides. Framed in a border with luxuriant golden décor and ornamentally designed figures of backgrounds, the pictures have a Byzantine aesthetic. This stems from their creation in Southern Italy. A total of 510 miniatures across 460 pages give a wondrous and striking overview of the status of medicine and healing in the 13th century.

An Emperor’s Pharmacopoeia

The Codex of Medicine of Frederick II features content that varies between mythical and popular scientific knowledge. The knowledge within the book is compiled from a collection of sources from the Late Antiquity, which by the Middle Ages had been widely distributed throughout Europe and enjoyed great influence. One finds texts from the herbarium of the Pseudo-Dioscorides, the Medicinis ex libris feminis et masculinis, as well as other collected works. Frederick II (1194–1250), the Holy Roman Emperor from the Hohenstaufen dynasty, was the patron of the manuscript. His court was considered to be the center for science and culture, and he himself was known to be an enthusiastic scientist. Frederick II was the most educated ruler of his time. He had a burning passion for medicine as an applied science. It comes as no surprise that he was the founder of the Salerno School of Medicine, wherefrom countless pharmaceutical books would arise. Additionally, he settled the separation of doctors and pharmacists as professions in a game-changing law, and required that they be licensed. Therefore, this grandly designed medical text fits perfectly into the interests of this famous, influential, and erudite Emperor.