Matthaeus Platearius
Illustration — Euphorbia lathyris, Beechwort, Mint and Fig, from "The Book of Simple Medicines" Matthaeus Platearius was a physician from the medical school in Salerno, and is thought to have produced a twelfth-century Latin manuscript on medicinal herbs titled "Circa Instans" (also known as "The Book of Simple Medicines"), later translated into French as "Le Livre des simples medecines". It was an alphabetic listing and textbook of simples that was based on Dioscorides "Vulgaris", which described the appearance, preparation, and uses of various drugs. It was widely acclaimed, and was one of the first herbals produced by the newly developed printing process in 1488.
Also recorded as Archimatheus Salernitanus · Archimatheus · Archimatthaeus Salernitanus · Archimatthaeus
Matthaeus Platearius
Robinet Testard (fl 1470-1531) · Public domain
- Died
- 1161
- Occupation
- physician · botanist · writer
- Education
- University of Salerno
- Known for
- Livre des simples médecines
- Languages
- Latin
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Born at Salerno, died in 1161.
Matthaeus Platearius studied at University of Salerno. The recorded working language is Latin. Works named in the authority record are Livre des simples médecines.
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The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Matthaeus Platearius, revision 1350405022 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
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These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Barlow HM. Old English Herbals, 1525-1640. Proc R Soc Med. 6. Sect Hist Med. 108–49. 1913.
- 2.Platearius, Matthaeus, physician (12th).
- 3.5. Historical assessments.
- 4.Chicago Journals vol4 no2 Oct 1906
- 5.Benton, John F. "TROTULA, WOMEN'S PROBLEMS, AND THE PROFESSIONALIZATION OF MEDICINE IN THE MIDDLE AGES", Humanities Working Paper 98, California Institute of Technology, November 1984. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 29 August 2026.
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