History of medicine: Pedanius Dioscorides

Also known as

• Πεδάνιος Διοσκουρίδης
• Pedanios Dioskouridēs

 

Life

• 40 CE - 90 CE 
• Born in Anazarbus, Asia minor (modern Turkey) 

 

Great works

• 50 CE - 70 CE : De Materia Medica (On Medical Materials)

 

Significance in history 

• Catalogued around 1000 potentially dangerous substances for reference.
• Matched the substances to their medical indications, such as pain.
• Created one of the longest lasting reference works for natural history. It was widely read for more than 1,800 years, until it became gradually supplanted by revised works in the late nineteeth century.
• The book was intended for use in South-Eastern Europe, but eventually became used across the whole of Europe and the Islamic world. This had dangerous consequences, since there was insufficient information in the descriptions. Many substances were misidentified.
• Despite pre-dating almost 2000 years of scientific and technological advancement, this book contains accurate information. Many of the indications listed within have recommendations for agents which are very similar to common modern therapeutics. For example: 
• Willow (painkiller): contains salicylic acid (from which aspirin is derived).
• Colchicum (painkiller): contains colchicine (gout therapy).
• Opium (painkiller): contains morphine.