
Theophilus Protospatharius (; ca. 7th century) was the author of several extant Greek medical works. Nothing is known of his life or the time when he lived. He is generally called "''
Protospatharius''", which seems to have been originally a military title given to the colonel of the bodyguards of the emperor of
Constantinople
Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...
(''
Spatharioi''); but which afterwards became also a
high court title, or was associated with the government of provinces and the functions of a judge.
It is conjectured that he lived in the 7th century; that he was the tutor to
Stephanus Atheniensis; that he arrived at high professional and political rank; and that at last he embraced the
monastic
Monasticism (; ), also called monachism or monkhood, is a religious way of life in which one renounces worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual activities. Monastic life plays an important role in many Christian churches, especially ...
life. All this is, however, quite uncertain; and with respect to his date, it has been supposed that some of the words which he uses belong to a later period than the seventh century; so that he may possibly be the same person who is addressed by the title "Protospatharius " by
Photius
Photius I of Constantinople (, ''Phōtios''; 815 – 6 February 893), also spelled ''Photius''Fr. Justin Taylor, essay "Canon Law in the Age of the Fathers" (published in Jordan Hite, T.O.R., and Daniel J. Ward, O.S.B., "Readings, Cases, Mate ...
, in the ninth. He appears to have embraced in some degree the
Peripatetic philosophy; but he was certainly a
Christian
A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
, and expresses himself on all possible occasions like a man of great piety: in his physiological work especially he everywhere points out with admiration the wisdom, power, and goodness of God as displayed in the formation of the human body.
Five works are attributed to him:
* , ''De Corporis Humani Fabrica''. The longest of his works, and is an anatomical and physiological treatise in five books. It contains very little original matter, as it is almost entirely abridged from
Galen
Aelius Galenus or Claudius Galenus (; September 129 – AD), often Anglicization, anglicized as Galen () or Galen of Pergamon, was a Ancient Rome, Roman and Greeks, Greek physician, surgeon, and Philosophy, philosopher. Considered to be one o ...
's great work, "''De Usu Partium Corporis Humani''," from which however Theophilus now and then differs, and which he sometimes appears to have misunderstood. In the fifth book he has inserted large extracts from
Hippocrates
Hippocrates of Kos (; ; ), also known as Hippocrates II, was a Greek physician and philosopher of the Classical Greece, classical period who is considered one of the most outstanding figures in the history of medicine. He is traditionally referr ...
' "''De Genitura''," and "''De Natura Pueri''." He recommends in several places the
dissection
Dissection (from Latin ' "to cut to pieces"; also called anatomization) is the dismembering of the body of a deceased animal or plant to study its anatomical structure. Autopsy is used in pathology and forensic medicine to determine the cause of ...
of animals, but he does not appear ever to have examined a human body: in one passage he advises the student to dissect an
ape, or else a
bear
Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family (biology), family Ursidae (). They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats ...
, or, if neither of these animals can be procured, to take whatever he can get, "but by all means," he adds, "let him dissect something."
[Theophilus, ''De Corporis Humani Fabrica'', v. 11. §3.]
* A treatise (Peri ouron), ''De Urinis'', which, in like manner, contains little or nothing that is original, but is a good compendium of what was known on the subject by the ancients, and was highly esteemed in the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...
, serving as a source of
Gilles de Corbeil
Gilles de Corbeil (Latin: ''Egidius de Corbolio'' or ''Egidius Corboliensis''; also ''Aegidius'') was a French royal physician, teacher, and poet. He was born in approximately 1140 in Corbeil and died in the first quarter of the 13th century. He ...
's poem ''De Urinis''.
* A short treatise , ''De Excrementis Alvinis''
* A ''Commentary'' on the "Aphorisms" of Hippocrates, which is sometimes attributed to a person named Philotheus:
** ''Philothei medici praestantissimi commentaria in aphorismos Hippocratis nunc primum e graeco in latinum sermonem conversa'', first Latin translation by Luigi Corado (?), from Mantoua, 1581
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* A short treatise , ''De Pulsibus''. It appears to be quite different from the work on the same subject by
Philaretus, which has been sometimes attributed to Theophilus. Also the source for a poem of Gilles de Corbeil.
Notes
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Protospatharius, Theophilus
7th-century Byzantine physicians
Byzantine writers
Protospatharioi
7th-century Byzantine writers