DIVI BOTANICL. 189 



by Galen* in his Discourse on the Composition of Medicines ; by 

 Oribasiust in his Medical Collections ; by Otitis of AmidaJ in his 

 Principles of Pharmacy ; by Alexander of Tralles,|| in his Prac- 



" Consult his treatise noted on a preceding page, and his whole works edit- 

 ed and illustrated by Rend Chartier, M.D. in thirteen volumes ; Jolio, grace 

 et latine, Parisiis, 1639, — a magnificent collection in which the works of 

 Hippocrates are included. 



f Oribasii Sardiani Collectorum Medicinalium libri septcmdecim ; J. B. Ra- 

 sario, M.D. interpret ; 8vo, Parisiis, 1555, p. 197- His eleventh, twelfth, 

 and thirteenth Books contain the description of Simples and their medical 



properties, from Dioscorides, in alphabetical order Oribasius was a native 



ofSardis; he rose to the high rank of " archiater" to the emperor Julian 

 whose confidence and friendship he deservedly enjoyed. On the death of 

 his sovereign in A..D. 363, the physician had to endure much spiteful and 

 malicious persecution. This was consummated by his banishment beyond 

 the Roman pale, with deprivation of all his honours and property. His 

 fortitude however, and his " useful knowledge" soon gained for him the 

 good-will and veneration of the " Barbarians :" his wonderful cures astonish- 

 ed them, and so overpowered their minds with gratitude that they adored 

 him as the tutelary deity of their nation. Ultimately, he was restored to 

 his country; rewarded with wealth and dignities: secured the imperial fa- 

 vour ; and died at the beginning of the fifth century, in the possession of an 

 extraordinary reputation for learning and virtue. 



£ ./Etii Amideni Librorum Medicinalium primi scilicet octo, grace ; folio, Ve- 

 neris, 1534. JEtii Amideni contracts ex veteribus medicine Tetrabiblos, hoc est 

 XVI Sermones, curante Jano Cornario ; folio, Basilece, 1542. — Some time near 

 the beginning of the sixth century, jEtius was born at Amida, a Mesopota- 

 mian town little noted in history, save in connexion with his name. He 

 studied at the schools of Alexandria, and then entered on active life in that 

 celebrated city. Afterwards, on accepting an invitation to Constantinople, 

 he was advanced to the dignified office of " physician in ordinary" to the 

 emperor Justinian, who also conferred on him an important civil appoint- 

 ment at the imperial court. yEtius enjoys the credit of having been a chris- 

 tian ; but, if sincere, his creed was tainted with the freaks of a fantastic cre- 

 dulity. Both in physiology and pathology, he possesses claims to considera- 

 ble approved originality ; and, in being the first to describe the " tetragna- 

 thus" a four-jawed venomous spider, he merited the honour of discovering a 

 contribution to medical entomology. 



|| Alexandri Tralliani libri duodecim, grace et latini, cum Joannis Guinterii, 

 M.D. 8vo, Basilea:, 1549 — Alexander was born at Tralles, about the com- 

 mencement of the sixth century. His father practised in that place as a 

 physician, and had the happiness of seeing his five sons attain great distinction 

 in their professions. Olympius became eminent as a barrister, Metrodorus 

 as a grammarian, Alexander and Dioscurus as physicians, and Anthemius as 

 an architect : in A.D. 532, he was employed in building the church of Saint 

 Sophia, now a Mahomedan mosque, at Constantinople by the Emperor Jus- 

 tinian its founder. After travelling through the provinces of Gaul and Spain 

 for the improvement of his experience, Alexander made a protracted Stay in 



