Gilbertus Anglicus facts for kids
Gilbertus Anglicus (also known as Gilbert of England, or Gilbertinus; born around 1180 – died around 1250) was an English doctor from the Middle Ages. He is mostly known for his huge book, the Compendium of Medicine (Compendium Medicinæ). He probably wrote this book between 1230 and 1250. This medical book tried to cover all the best ways to use medicines, treat illnesses, and perform surgery at that time. His medical writings, along with those of John of Gaddesden, were a main part of what doctors studied for the next 400 years.
Contents
His Life Story
We don't know many details about Gilbert's life. He was born around 1180. He first studied in England. Then he traveled to Europe. We know he studied at the first and most important medical school in Western Europe. This was the Schola Medica Salernitana in Salerno, Italy. He likely studied under a famous surgeon named Roger of Parma.
Gilbert later came back to England. He worked for Archbishop Hugo Walter. But he left England again after the archbishop died in 1205. People think he spent the rest of his life in Europe. This is why he was called Gilbert the Englishman.
His Big Book: The Compendium of Medicine
Gilbert's most important work was the Compendium Medicinae. He wrote it in Latin sometime after 1230. This book has seven parts. It aimed to be a complete guide to all medical and surgical knowledge of his time.
Gilbert did not claim to invent most of the ideas in his book. He often quoted Roger of Parma. He also said his work was based on ideas from many Greek doctors. These included Galen, Hippocrates, and Theophilus Protospatharius. He also used ideas from Arab doctors like Averroes and Avicenna. Plus, he learned from many teachers at the Salernitan school in Italy. The Compendium covered all kinds of medical and surgical treatments used back then.
Why He Was Famous
Gilbert was one of the most famous European doctors of his time. His fame lasted for centuries after he died. His Compendium was first printed in 1510. It was printed again as late as 1608.
Gilbert is even mentioned with other great doctors in a poem by Chaucer. This shows how important he was.
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- Wel knew he the olde Esculapius
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- And Deyscorides and eek Rufus,
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- Olde Ypocras, Haly and Galyen,
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- Serapion, Razis and Avycen,
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- Averrois, Damascien and Constantyn,
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- Bernard and Gatesden and Gilbertyn.
Other Works
- Compendium Medicinae (around 1230)
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- Gilbert used ideas from many thinkers and doctors. Some of these were Pythagoras, Hippocrates, Plato, Aristotle, and Galen. He also used works from Arab doctors like Haly Abbas, Rhazes, and Avicenna. He also learned from teachers at the Salernitan school.
Gilbertus's Compendium medicinae was translated into Middle English in the early 1400s. Parts of this translation that talked about women's health were taken out. They were then shared widely as a separate book. This book is now known as The Sickness of Women.
Later, in the mid-1400s, this text was changed again. New information about childbirth was added from other sources. This new version is called The Sickness of Women 2. Both versions of The Sickness of Women were very popular. They were the most widely read English books about women's medicine in the 1400s. They were even more popular than the different English versions of the Trotula texts.
