Surviving the demise of his humoral pathology and anatomy, Galen's works on simple and compound remedies (the so-called 'galenicals') formed the backbone of Western pharmacology up until the Industrial Revolution. Over its long and multicultural tradition-spanning the Roman Empire and Byzantium, through Islamicate societies, India, and China, to the New World and even Japan-Galenic pharmacopoeia evolved to incorporate new remedies, foods, philosophical rationales, and modes of preparation, including chemical ones. Despite its endurance, a systematic exploration of the use of galenicals beyond the Renaissance remains overdue.
Addressing this gap, the contributions in this volume bring together leading scholars who illuminate how this medical tradition unfolded in the early modern period and its underlying dynamics, often drawing on new or overlooked archival material. Challenging the prevailing narrative of decline, they examine how pharmacological knowledge was transmitted across languages and medical traditions. Each contribution highlights an aspect of the various conceptual adaptations this process entailed, including textual transmission, debates over the structure of matter, occult qualities, dosage quantification, apothecary regulations, patient treatment, and the integration of galenicals into household medicine. Special attention is also given to the commodification of materia medica in Atlantic trade, while a comprehensive introduction contextualises the main themes of Galen's post-Renaissance legacy and explores the reasons for its enduring vitality.
Chapter 13 is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.
This book provides a detailed exploration of Galenic pharmacopoeia, tracing its evolution and enduring influence from the Roman Empire through to the Industrial Revolution. Galen's works on simple and compound remedies, known as 'galenicals,' formed the cornerstone of Western pharmacology, adapting across diverse cultures and eras. Despite their historical significance, a systematic study of galenicals beyond the Renaissance has been long overdue. Drawing on new and often overlooked archival sources, leading historians examine how Galenic pharmacopoeia was adapted and transmitted across regions as diverse as the Islamic world, India, China, the New World, and Japan. Contributions trace the incorporation of new substances, preparation methods, and philosophical frameworks into Galenic medicine, as well as its integration into household and commercial contexts. This collection challenges the conventional narrative of Galenism’s decline and instead highlights the resilience and adaptability of his pharmacopeia across cultures and medical traditions. Topics covered include textual transmission, theories of matter, occult properties, dosage regulation, apothecary practices, and the commodification of materia medica in Atlantic trade.
Fabrizio Bigotti is the Director of the Centre for the Study of Medicine and the Body in the Renaissance (CSMBR) in Italy, DFG Research Fellow at Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg, Germany, and Honorary Fellow at the University of Exeter, UK.
John Wilkins is Professor Emeritus of Greek Culture at the University of Exeter, in the UK. He works on the history of drama, food, and medicine, with an emphasis in recent years on nutrition and pharmacology in the ancient world.
