Nicola'us Myrepsus
3. Nicolaus Myrepsus (
Νικόλαος ὁ Μυρεψός, or the ointment-maker), the author of a Greek pharmaceutical work, which is still extant.
He is probably the same physician who is mentioned by Georgius Acropolita as being eminent in his profession, but very ignorant of natural philosophy. (
Hist. Byzant. 39, p. 34, ed. Paris. 1651.)
He was at the court of Joannes III. Vatatzes at Nicaea, when the eclipse of the sun took place (Oct. 6. 1241), that shortly preceded the death of the empress Irene. Here he was held in great esteem by the emperor, and attained the dignity of Actuarius (id.
ibid.; see
Dict. of A t. p. 611b.). All this agrees very well with the scattered notices of his date and his personal history that we find in his own work.
He mentions Mesie the younger (32.117, p. 706), who died A. D. 1015; "Michael Angelus regalis" (1.295, p. 420), who is probably the first emperor of the family of the Palaeologi, and began to reign A. D. 1260; "Papa Nicolaus" (2.9, p. 469), who seems to be Pope Nicholas III., who began to reign A. n. 1277; and "Dominus Joannes" (10.103, p. 575), and " Magister Johannes " (32.99, p. 703 ), who is probably Joannes Actuarius, who lived in the thirteenth century.
He mentions his having visited or lived at Nicaea (24.12, p. 657), and also Alexandria (1.241, 17.17, pp 412, 612), whence he is sometimes called Nicolaus
Alexandrinus.
Works
His work has hitherto only been published in Latin with the title
Antidotarium, or
De Composition Medicamentorum ; and has often been confounded with the similar work of Nicolaus Praepositus, from which however it may easily be distinguished.
This consists of forty eight sections, containing more than 2500 medical formulae, arranged according to their form and object, while the other contains only about 150 formulae arranged alphabetically.
The work of Nicolaus Praepositus has a short preface by the author, this has none: in this work there are sometimes mentioned several modes of preparing the same medicine, in the other never more than one: both works begin with the formula called
Aurea Alexandrina, but the composition of the different prescriptions does not always agree.
The work of Nicolaus Myrepsus is evidently written later than the other. which it frequently copies, and does not appear to have been so popular in the middle ages.
It is chiefly compiled from former writers, and contains several foolish and superstitious remedies.
Editions
It was first published in an incomplete form in 1541. 4to. Ingolst. by J. Agricola Ammonius, and
afterwards by Leonh. Fuchs, Basil. 1549, fol. translated from a much more complete MS. This translation is inserted in the second volume of H. Stephens's Medicae Artis Principes, Paris, fol. 1.567; and
has been several times reprinted.
Further Information
See Fabric.
Bibl. Graec. vol. xiii. p. 4. &c. ed. vet.; Choulant,
Handb. der Bücherhunde für die Aeltere Medicin.
