Ancient Medicine

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Galen, Simple Drugs, Book 11, Preface (II)

Garum, mosaic from the villa of Aulus Umbricius Scaurus, Pompeii: G(ari) F(los) SCOM(bri) SCAURI EX OFFI(ci)NA SCAURI. “Flower of Scaurus’ mackrel gaurum, from Scaurus’ manufacturer.” Image by Claus Ableiter CC-BY-SA 3.0 via wikimedia commons.

This is the last preface to the pharmacological entries of books 6 - 11 of Galen’s work on the capacities of simple drugs.

Galen’s Simple Drugs 11 preface (II)

This is the appropriate time for the only things still left in the whole treatise. For we have already spoken in the previous discussion about animals that are generated in the sea and water. Now we will speak about those things which are generated in or from water, but are not themselves animals.

μόνα ταῦτα ἔτι λείποντα τῇ συμπάσῃ πραγματείᾳ καιρὸν ἐπιτήδειον ἔχει τόνδε. τὰ μὲν γάρ ἐν θαλάττῃ τε καὶ ὕδατι γεννώμενα ζῶα κατὰ τὸν ἔμπροσθεν εἴρηται λόγον περὶ τῶν ζώων. ὅσα δὲ γεννᾶται μὲν ἐν ὕδασιν ἢ ἐξ ὑδάτων, οὐκ ἔστι δὲ ταῦτα ζῶα, νῦν εἰρήσεται.

Galen, On the Capacities of Simple Drugs, XI.2 proem, XII.369 K.