Department of Ancient Studies

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The concept of the sanus homo in the de Medicina of Celsus
(Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch, 2007-03) Brand, Nadine; Zietsman, J. C.; Cilliers, L.; University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Ancient Studies.
The purpose of this thesis is to discuss the concept of the sanus homo as presented by Celsus in the de Medicina. The first (introductory) chapter outlines the importance of Celsus’ de Medicina in the study of Roman medicine. The de Medicina is one of five treatises on various subjects written by Aulus Cornelius Celsus in the 1st century AD. When scientific Greek and Latin texts were recovered during the Renaissance the text of the de Medicina was one of the first medical texts to be put into print. Medical practitioners, ancient, medieval and modern, have been universal in their opinion that Celsus’ descriptions are correct, precise and complete, and of practical use. Furthermore a brief outline of the composition of this important work is also given in this chapter. The preface (Prooemium) of the de Medicina forms a unique component of the work and gives the reader insight into the thoughts and personality of its author. The rest of the de Medicina - eight books, which Celsus introduces by systematically setting out the contents of each particular book - is divided into three parts: health preservation, diseases and healing. Each part, in turn, is introduced by a schematic outline for that part ...