Papyri.info

Introduction

Receptarium (P.Mich. inv. 21 = P.Mich. 17.758). Thirteen pages from a papyrus codex, written on both sides, containing a collection of therapeutic prescriptions. The codex was probably commissioned by its owner, a practicing physician, who considerably expanded it with additional recipes written in the bottom margins, corrections to the main text, and personal annotations on the employment of the prescriptions (e.g. H,8-9). The owner's corrections, in a faster and smaller hand, are quite distinguishable from those made by the first copyist (hand 1). Many other errors remained uncorrected, giving us the impression of a quick, careless copy. The prescriptions are paralleled by literary examples, and are composed in the common, fourfold format consisting of title (prographe), indication of destination (epangelia), enumeration of the ingredients (synthesis), and method of preparation (skeuasia). Each heading is written in eisthesis; some preparations are named, as usual, after their creator (Azanites - B,2; Dionysius - C,8; Heras - E,5; Telamon - E,9-15; Hygienus - D,4). The organizing principle seems to be according to type of medication, with pills and lozenges preceding wet and dry plasters (see a similar arrangement in Gal. Comp.med.sec.loc. 13.116-27 K); the current alphabetical denomination (A-M) does not follow the original articulation of the work (the most likely, true arrangment would be Ir-v, Jr-v, Lv-r, Gr-v, Hr-v, Kr-v, Mr-v, A-F).

This papyrus has been digitally edited by Francesca Bertonazzi, Francesca Corazza, Lisa Rizzardi, Maria Elena Galaverna, Cristina Bottioni, Marcella Catania, Francesca Giraldi, Pasquale Lillo, Giulia Saccani, Enea Mazzetti, Lara Mazzolari, Angelica Brunazzi, Erica Angolani, Nuria Pajares Collado, C.M. Ferrari, Luca Iori, Margherita Centenari, Isabella Bonati, and Nicola Reggiani as part of the Project "DIGMEDTEXT - Online Humanities Scholarship: A Digital Medical Library based on Ancient Texts" (ERC-AdG-2013, Grant Agreement no. 339828) funded by the European Research Council at the University of Parma (Principal Investigator: Prof. Isabella Andorlini). The digital edition is mostly based on the previous edition (L.C. Youtie, ZPE 65, 1986, pp. 123-49 + ZPE 66, 1986, pp. 149-56 + ZPE 67, 1987, pp. 83-95 + ZPE 69, 1987, pp. 163-9 + ZPE 70, 1987, pp. 73-103 = P.Mich. XVII 758, ed. A.E. Hanson).

Notes

• 2-4.

  Restorations e.g. from Hp. περὶ ἑλκῶν 4 (= 6.404 L), but cf. also Aet. 15. p.103,11 Zervos.

• 5ff..

  Restorations e.g. from Gal. 12.325,7 K. Cf. also Gal. 13.952 and Aet. 15, p. 80 Zervos.

• 6-7.

  παρύγρῳ - the name of the plaster is guaranteed by the four ingredients of the recipe, which appear also in Gal. 13.953 K in the same order and with the same amounts (in ounces instead of drachmas), and with the same concluding direction.

• 8-11.

  For a discussion of white plasters (i.e. those containing white wax, litharge, and white lead) see Gal. 13.409ff. K.

• 13-16.

  Restorations e.g. from Gal. 13.399-400 K.

• 4.

  πυξξίδη - for pyxis see Medicalia Online s.v.

• 2ff..

  Supplements e.g. from Gal. 13.784-5 K. Azanites' recipe also in Aet. 15, p. 123 Zervos. The uses described here do not appear in Galen nor in Aetius, but cf. Orib. Coll.Med. 3.561 and 563.

• 7.

  ἐπουλωτική corr. ex αφουλωτική - ἀφολυτικός is found only in Paulus of Aegina (e.g. 6.5,26; 7.17,28 and 63) but appears corrected in ἀπο- in some MSS, and the form with ἀπο- does appear elsewhere in Paulus himself. Medical writers used ἐπολύω and ἀπολύω alternatively, therefore the form with ἀφο- must be a secondary phonetic variant.

• 8-9.

  For a possible parallel see Archigenes ap. Paul. 4.26,4 (= Gal. 13.733,9ff. K). Other recipes involving river crabs e.g. in Dsc. Eupor. 1.145,4; 193,1; Gal. 13.436,4; Orib Coll.Med. 7.46; Paul. 3.79,3.

• 7.

  πηγανηρὰ "rue-plaster" (cf. Paul. 7.17,70; Aet. 15, pp. 94 and 131 Zervos; etc.). Recipes of Dionysus (l. 8) are reported by Gal. 20.206; Cels. 3.629; Marcell. CML 5.285; Orib. 4.615,7, but non of them is a πηγανηρὰ.

• 8.

  Among papyri there is at least one example of a recipe of Dionysus, SB 8.9860e,4-16. There is also a good chance that Dionysus is the addressee of the letter P.Mert. 1.12 , containing a request for information on specific medical recipes.

• 2.

  ἡ λευκὴ διὰ ῥοδίνου - "the white plaster with rose oil" is titled differenty in the seven extant parallel texts (Gal. 13.448,11 ἡ Ῥοδιακή; Orib. 4.608,31 and 615,24 ἡ διὰ ὠῶν; Aet. 15, p. 128,1 Zervos ἄλλη Ἀσκληπιάδου ῥοδίνη καλομένη καλλίστη; Aet. 15, p. 128,9 Zervos Φυκοτύχη or Φικοτύχη; Aet. 15, p. 127,7 Zervos "the plaster of Oribasius with eggs"; Paul. 7.17,26 "the plaster with white lead, or white eggs"). Note that Galen's recipe is reported by Heras as taken from Asklepiades.

• 4ff..

  This recipe of Hygienus was previously unattested. For other prescriptions of the same physician see Gal. 12.788; 488; 13.353; 512 = 747 K.

• 2ff..

  For the structure πρὸς ... μετὰ ... see PSI 10.1180,56ff.