HERB - Riddle's Dioscorides & primary sources

[Gaylin Walli]

Agnes wrote:

>I own Riddle's book on Dioscorides. I am very pleased with it.
>However: it is a scholarly commentary...you can't use it to answer
>"what did D recommend for bleeding?" unless Riddle happened to use
>that symptom.

Oooh. *bounce* Well, I just ordered a copy from an antiquities
store, so we'll see if they still have it. This sounds fascinating
to me. What's really suprising to me is that there doesn't appear
to be very much of this kind of work done. Perhaps I'm looking in
the wrong places using the wrong words? I can't believe that there's
so little. It's got to be me.

>Riddle is not a substitute for Dioscorides....For me its wonderful:
>someone else who has read and tried to analyse Dioscorides, but
>Riddle read it in the Greek!

Almost makes me jealous. If I didn't have this pesky mundane life
I could learn medieval latin and greek and french and spanish and....

>One of these days you'll own Dioscorides (or someone will put it
>online) and then you'll be really glad you have it.

Someday, I can hope. :) I'm actually quite suprised that Gerard
isn't online given his popularity. And no Dioscorides online
I *think*. At one time we gathered here on the list some of the
period online sources. Culpepper, Baptista, a bit of Menagier
(in the French and English) that's applicable. Any Pliny? I've
only found the latin online at:

http://www.ukans.edu/history/index/europe/ancient_rome/E/Roman/Texts/Pliny_the_E
lder/home*.html

(The URL line wraps, so make sure to copy all of it if you're going
to the website.)

Much of Aristotle's online. A lot of Hippocrates. What's new that
we've not seen since we first asked this question? Anyone have new
primaries we should be aware of? anyone? Buehler?

>PS Jasmine, to answer your question on what I planned to compare,
>I'd like to work through Dioscorides (or Macer, 12th C condensed
>version of D) comparing each treatment of a series of herbs to
>modern knowledge

It sounds great! A little daunting, but great. Are you going to
share with the rest of us when you're done? :)

Jasmine, jasmine at infoengine.com
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