Alexander of Tralles

Alexandros of Tralles ( Latinized Alexander; * 525, † 605 ) was a Greek physician of the 6th century.

Life

Alexandros, the youngest son of the physician Stephanos, was from the Asia Minor city of Aydın. He went on educational trips to Italy, Africa, Gaul and Spain, before he settled in Rome, where he lived and worked ever since. There he devoted himself at first mainly the practical work, until he began to medical treatises in old age with the work.

Alexandros is particularly through his treatise on pathology and therapy in 12 books known (Book 1-11: internal diseases, Book 12: fever ), which should long remain a textbook for physicians after his death. It was printed from the Greek into Latin first ( Libri duodecim de re medica ) and translated into Arabic and later in the 16th century. He also wrote about eye diseases and intestinal worms. Alexandros, who faced wonder and folk remedies open, leaning in spite of his many years of professional practice primarily on older sources.

Tradition

Expenditure

• Theodor Pusch man (ed.): Alexander of Tralles: original text and translation accompanied by an introductory essay. A contribution to the history of medicine. 2 volumes, Vienna 1878-1879 ( reprinted Amsterdam, 1963 ).