The Iapyx Episode of "Aeneid" 12 and Medical Tales in Myth and Mythography

This analysis of the medical episode in "Aeneid" 12 examines the links between the doctor Iapyx, who treats the hero's wound in a miraculous way in this passage, and healers and their remedies from medical tales in Greek myth and mythography. This article also argues that these same l...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Phoenix (Toronto) 1997-10, Vol.51 (3/4), p.374-392
Main Author: Noonan, J. D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal tales
Folk medicine
Folktales
Healers
Healing
Homeric epics
Homosexuality
Medical practice
Narrative poetry
Physicians
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:This analysis of the medical episode in "Aeneid" 12 examines the links between the doctor Iapyx, who treats the hero's wound in a miraculous way in this passage, and healers and their remedies from medical tales in Greek myth and mythography. This article also argues that these same lines (12.391-429) reflect Vergil's antiquarian research into medical lore that he imagined was more "primitive" than the medical lore in Homer. / L'étude de cet épisode du Chant 12 de l'"Éneide" (ll. 391-429) nous montre les liens entre le médecin Iapyx (qui soigne de façon miraculeuse la blessure du héros), les guérisseurs, et leurs remèdes mentionnées dans les mythes grecs concernant l'art de guérir. Ces mêmes vers montrent, nous semble-t-il, que Virgile s'est intéressé au savoir médical des Anciens qu'il croyait beaucoup plus "primitif" que celui d'Homère.
ISSN:0031-8299
1929-4883
DOI:10.2307/1192545