The Alphabet of Galen is a critical edition and English translation of a text
describing, in alphabetical order, nearly three hundred natural products - including
metals, aromatics, animal materials, and herbs - and their medicinal uses. A Latin
translation of earlier Greek writings on pharmacy that have not survived, it circulated
among collections of 'authorities' on medicine, including Hippocrates, Galen of Pergamun,
Soranus, and Ps. Apuleius.
This work presents interesting linguistic features,
including otherwise unattested Greek and Latin technical terms and unique pharmacological
descriptions. Nicholas Everett provides a window onto the medieval translation of ancient
science and medieval conceptions of pharmacy. With a comprehensive scholarly apparatus
and a contextual introduction, The Alphabet of Galen is a major resource for
understanding the richness and diversity of medical history.
