Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
7551814 | Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part A | 2012 | 9 Pages |
Abstract
This paper examines the authorial strategies deployed by Galen in his two main pharmacological treatises devoted to compound remedies: Composition of Medicines according to Types and Composition of Medicines according to Places. Some of Galen's methods of self assertion (use of the first person; writing of prefaces) are conventional. Others have not received much attention from scholars. Thus, here, I examine Galen's borrowing of his sources' 'I'; his use of the phrase 'in these words'; and his recourse to Damocrates' verse to conclude pharmacological books. I argue that Galen's authorial persona is very different from that of the modern author as defined by Roland Barthes. Galen imitates and impersonates his pharmacological sources. This re-enactment becomes a way to gain experience (peira) of remedies and guarantees their efficacy.
Related Topics
Social Sciences and Humanities
Arts and Humanities
History
Authors
Laurence M.V. Totelin,