Wino, ciemierzyca i mirra albo o lekarzach i ich pacjentach. Analiza fragmentu V księgi „De materia medica” Dioskurydesa

• Published in: Przegląd nauk historycznych 2019, Vol.18 (2), p.5-37
• Main Authors: Rzeźnicka, Zofia, Kokoszko, Maciej
• Format: Article
• Language: Polish
• Subjects: Ancient World; Health and medicine and law; History
• ISSN: 1644-857X

The present article is based on an analysis of a passage included in book V of De materia medica by Pedanius Dioscorides, the leading authority on materia medica of the 1st c. AD. The authors, focusing on the extract devoted to therapeutic wines flavoured with hellebore, emphasise the role of selected flavouring substances in order to elaborate on the financial status of addressees of the prescriptions. This perspective allows the researchers to present not only the significance of wine in contemporary medicine but also underscore the importance of myrrh, which was a high-priced resin imported from Arabia Felix, and was highly valued owing to its exceptional flavour as well as pharmacological actions. The comparison of six selected recipes turns out to have given a valuable insight into Mediterranean society. Firstly, it shows that Dioscorides felt the obligation to treat both the poor and the rich. Secondly, it demonstrates his medical competences, proving that he was able to adjust market value of components used in his prescriptions to financial capacities of his patients. Next, it circumstantiates the commonness and popularity of medial knowledge in ancient society. Finally, it proves that medical treatises are an important source of knowledge for historians dealing with economic and social history of antiquity.