Serapion the Younger
Encyclopedia
Serapion the Younger was an Arabic medical writer who wrote in the 12th century (estimated date). He is called "the Younger" to distinguish him from Serapion the Elder, aka Yahya ibn Sarafyun
, an earlier Arabic medical writer with whom he was often confused. Unlike other notable medieval Arabic medical writers, nothing about Serapion the Younger's biography is on record in medieval Arabic writings. A possible or partial explanation for this omission may be that he was not distinguished from Serapion the Elder. In Serapion the Younger's written work, there is a quote from something by Ibn Wafid, a medical writer who died around 1075. That puts a lower bound on when the younger Serapion wrote. It is generally believed he wrote in the 12th century. It remains possible that he wrote in the early 13th century. His work was translated to Latin in the later 13th century. Nothing is known about his life, but circumstantial evidence suggests he may have been a Christian.
Serapion the Younger is known for one work, The Book of Simple Medicaments (where "simple" means non-compound -- a practical medicine often consisted of a mix of two or more "simple" medicines). The work was written for physicians and apothecaries. The most original part of it is the Introduction, in which he classifies substances according to their medicinal properties, and discourses on their actions. The remainder is a compendium of information on medicine in the writings of Dioscorides and Galen
, with some additional remarks by himself and the older Arabic authorities. Latin translations were widely circulated among apothecaries in Europe in the 14th and 15th centuries under the title Liber de Simplicibus Medicamentis or Liber de Simplici Medicina. The work was sometimes coupled with the works of the elder Serapion, as for a long time they were supposed to have been the same person. An edition was printed in Latin in Venice in 1497. The primary historical interest in Serapion's work arises from the fact that it was widely circulated in Latin in the late medieval era. The work is judged today to be considerably inferior to a work by Ibn al-Baitar with the same title dated about 1240. Ibn al-Baitar's work in Arabic was not translated to Latin during the medieval era.
Yahya ibn Sarafyun
Yahya ibn Sarafyun a Syrian physician, known in Europe as Johannes Serapion, and commonly called Serapion the Elder to distinguish him from Serapion the Younger, with whom he was often confused.-Biography:...
, an earlier Arabic medical writer with whom he was often confused. Unlike other notable medieval Arabic medical writers, nothing about Serapion the Younger's biography is on record in medieval Arabic writings. A possible or partial explanation for this omission may be that he was not distinguished from Serapion the Elder. In Serapion the Younger's written work, there is a quote from something by Ibn Wafid, a medical writer who died around 1075. That puts a lower bound on when the younger Serapion wrote. It is generally believed he wrote in the 12th century. It remains possible that he wrote in the early 13th century. His work was translated to Latin in the later 13th century. Nothing is known about his life, but circumstantial evidence suggests he may have been a Christian.
Serapion the Younger is known for one work, The Book of Simple Medicaments (where "simple" means non-compound -- a practical medicine often consisted of a mix of two or more "simple" medicines). The work was written for physicians and apothecaries. The most original part of it is the Introduction, in which he classifies substances according to their medicinal properties, and discourses on their actions. The remainder is a compendium of information on medicine in the writings of Dioscorides and Galen
Galen
Aelius Galenus or Claudius Galenus , better known as Galen of Pergamon , was a prominent Roman physician, surgeon and philosopher...
, with some additional remarks by himself and the older Arabic authorities. Latin translations were widely circulated among apothecaries in Europe in the 14th and 15th centuries under the title Liber de Simplicibus Medicamentis or Liber de Simplici Medicina. The work was sometimes coupled with the works of the elder Serapion, as for a long time they were supposed to have been the same person. An edition was printed in Latin in Venice in 1497. The primary historical interest in Serapion's work arises from the fact that it was widely circulated in Latin in the late medieval era. The work is judged today to be considerably inferior to a work by Ibn al-Baitar with the same title dated about 1240. Ibn al-Baitar's work in Arabic was not translated to Latin during the medieval era.