Switching Style towards Ease in a Medieval Textbook of Medicine: Revison of Constantine the African’s Pantegni, Theorica in Twelfth-Century Manuscripts

Abstract

The Pantegni of Constantine the African (d. by 1098/9) was the first ever comprehensive medical textbook written in Latin. It was translated and modified from an Arabic original in Salerno and in the monastery of Monte Cassino in south Italy. This article demonstrates that a large-scale stylistic revision of the Pantegni, or more precisely of its section Theorica, was carried out in the first half of the twelfth century at the latest. The existence of the revised version suggests there was a desire for Constantine’s translation to meet altered expectations and practical needs. Based on collation of a chapter from Book V and additional sample passages in both the standard version and the revised version of the Theorica, it is argued that the latter was compiled in order to simplify and clarify Constantine’s expression and make his train of thought as lucid as possible.