Theorica Pantegni . Facsimile and Transcription of the Helsinki manuscript (Codex EÖ.II.14)

Abstract

The Theorica Pantegni constitutes the first part of the Liber Pantegni, which is the first comprehensive medical textbook written in Latin. The Liber Pantegni in turn was a translation and modification of Arabic medical texts. Theorica Pantegni deals with the anatomy and physiology of the human body and goes through the structure of the different organs and their tasks, bodily functions, external factors affecting health such as food, climate, and so on, diseases and their causes, and prognostics. Its underlying theoretical basis is humoral pathology, which goes back to ancient Greek medicine: The human body is composed of the four elements (air, water, fire, earth) and four humours (blood, phlegm, yellow or red bile, black bile), corresponding to four qualities (hot, cold, dry, moist). The characteristics of an individual were defined by the complexion. The complexion differs in each person, and several internal and external fac-tors may affect it. Health was considered to be dependent on the balance of the humours revealed in the complexion, whereas illnesses resulted from dis-turbances in this balance. The maintenance of health and the treatment of illnesses were based on the idea of keeping or restoring the balance of the complexion and the body.