ENCOMIUM

(A TRIBUTE)

C

Even if we grant that foreign drugs have sharper powers—for who could deny that?—nonetheless, God, the Greatest and Best, has tempered the herbs of each land to suit the specific natures of the people living there. That spike of grain which we call Nard original: Nardinam, referring to Spikenard or a local variety of valerian. will work no less effectively, if applied correctly, than those Stoechas A type of lavender used medicinally. brought from furthest Arabia. Indeed, I could pile up many such things which they call substitutes original: antiballomena, a pharmaceutical term for equivalent replacements for rare drugs.. Therefore, while those foreign drugs may have greater strength, they have it for the people of their own climate, for whom they were created.

As for the objection they raise—that we can produce nothing from our own lands that strengthens and warms as effectively as Cloves, Cinnamon, Pepper, Galangal, or Nutmeg—we respond that this is our own fault, for we are ignorant of our own resources. Furthermore, some despised herb, or one that is not even very fragrant, might be just as powerful and effective if we were not so delicate. But truly, our palate cannot bear it; it does not tickle our fancy unless it is imported from Calicut A major trading port on the coast of India, famous for the spice trade..

Perhaps one of those people will object: "Are you then condemning those masterly compositions of Mesue, Avicenna, and Serapion? Famous medieval Persian and Arab physicians whose works were standard medical textbooks. Or those two Lights of the Apothecaries, the Great and the Small? original: Luminaria apothecariorum, standard reference books for preparing medicines. Or that Cornucopia which they call the 'Treasury,' from which medicines are brought forth for all diseases?" Peace, friends. I do not condemn the writers, except where they have been foolishly translated into Latin for us; and there is a danger in this, for we often imitate them at our peril. But I do not condemn anyone's merchandise either (a point I made at the very beginning). I merely say that they wrote for their own ages and for their own people—Arabs for Arabs, Barbarians for Barbarians—and they wrote for their own climate under their own skies.

D

When they reproach me with the same arguments regarding Dioscorides and Pliny Greek and Roman authorities on natural history., and for that reason approve of them even less, why should I not be allowed to make a similar case if the distance between places must be so carefully considered? However, the matter is quite different with Dioscorides, who deals only with Simples Medicinal plants used in their natural state rather than complex chemical mixtures.. Although these may have sharper powers in certain places, they nonetheless work the same way in any climate according to their own temperament. A Nettle burns, dries, and expels no less in our climate than it does among the Sabaeans People of ancient South Arabia (modern Yemen). or the most distant Asians. I will say nothing of the fact that these are different ages. Furthermore, we are practicing medicine in Germany, not in Asia or India; and it is well established that those nations have a different temperament, a different sky, and a different celestial influence.

Finally, foreign drugs are unnecessary if only because we have many substitutes original: succidanea.. For who would deny that our herbs also have power, as I said before? One would have to boldly disparage the Creator to say otherwise, especially since great writers and experienced practitioners confirm this with full consensus.

A manicule (pointing hand) in the left margin points toward the start of the final paragraph.
Furthermore, just as it does not greatly concern me how sumptuously anyone dines—even if someone were to devour and waste all of Arabia like the Emperor Heliogabalus—so too we do not care, provided they allow and grant us this: that the Simples of our own land can provide the same benefits as those from overseas. Let those who are wealthier have their spices, their Musk, Sandalwood, Ben-oil, Rhapontic, and Rhubarb; indeed, if they wish, let them even swallow pearls and gems like Cleopatra, costing many thousands of gold pieces. Let them only not begrudge the poor their own "vintage"—that is, Horehound, Hart's-tongue fern, Elecampane, Hyssop, Sage original: Elelisphacon, the Greek name for Salvia., and Bugloss.