DCLP Transcription [xml]
Introduction
Fragment of a medical catechism on afflictions of the head. The small scrap of papyrus (4.8 x 11.6 cm) is copied on the verso of a roll across the fibers (on the recto possibly accounts) from the bottom portion of a column; both top and left margins are lost; a lower margin (1.8 cm) is preserved after l. 20. The text follows the question-and-answer format typical of the catechistic genre (for ἐρωταπόκρισις on papyrus, cf. Andorlini 1999;Hanson 2003; Leith 2009). Three topics are discussed. The second one (ll. 3-18) concerns the types and the etiology of hydrocephalus (ὑδροκέφαλον), the last one the caries of the skull known as τερηδών. The content is paralleled by the ‘continental version’ of Ps.Sor. Quaest.med. 234-6 (MS Carnot. 62, f. 13r-v) and other medical texts, cf. Antyllus ap. Orib. Coll.med. 46.28.2 (CMG 6.2.1, 237.29-32 Raed.), Paul.Aeg. 6.3 (CMG 9.2, 46.16-7 Heib.), Loenidas ap. Aët. 6.1 (CMG 8.2, 123.15-9 Oliv.) and 15.12 (34.12-37,18 Zer.). Antyllus ap. Orib. is the only Greek author to use vocabulary and word order identical to ll. 7-10 of the papyrus, but it is not its direct source (Antyllus’ words do not fit in the lacunae at left in ll. 8-10). The hand, rather quickly-written, is a practiced ‘informal round’ and exhibits rough bilinearity. It is sloping to right, with medium sized letters and frequent ligatures. Three high dots mark significant pauses (ll. 6, 10 and 18). Blank spaces at right (ll. 2-4, 7, 10, 11, 18-9) are articulating ἐρωτήματα (either indented from left, or centered at mid-column) and responses.
(This papyrus has been digitally edited by Isabella Bonati as part of the Project "DIGMEDTEXT - Online Humanities Scholarship: A Digital Medical Library based on Ancient Texts" (ERC-AdG-2013, Grant Agreement no. 339828) funded by the European Research Council at the University of Parma (Principal Investigator: Prof. Isabella Andorlini). The digital edition is mostly based on the previous edition (A.E. Hanson - S.P. Mattern, GMP I 6))
1[ -ca.?- ] ̣[ -ca.?- ]
[ -ca.?- ]δ̣ε̣ν̣ vac. ?
[τί ἐστι τὸ ὑγρὸν ὅν] vac. ?
[ἔν τινι μέρει τῆς κεφ]α̣λῆς vac. ?
5[τὸ πάθος προσαγορεύεται] ὑδροκέ[φαλον]
[διὰ τὸ ὑγρὸν ἐν κεφαλῇ συ]λλεγόμενον· ((high-punctus))
[πόσαι αἱ διαφοραὶ τῶν ὑδρ]ο̣κεφάλων vac. ?
[τέσσαρες ἢ γὰρ μεταξὺ τοῦ] δέρματος καὶ
[περικρανίου ἤ -ca.?- καὶ ὀ]σ̣τ̣οῦ(*) ἢ μεταξύ
10[ὀστοῦ καὶ μήνιγγος ἤ -ca.?- ἐγ]κεφάλου· ((high-punctus)) vac. ?
[πόσαι εἰσὶν(*)] α̣ἱ̣ [αἰτί]α̣[ι]̣ vac. ?
[ -ca.?- ̣]π̣ο̣σ̣τειν(*) ̣ ̣ ̣[ -ca.?- ]
[ -ca.?- λέ]γ̣ε̣τ̣αι τὴ̣ν̣ συλλ̣ο̣-
[γὴν εἶναι ἐξ ἀδήλου αἰτία]ς ἢ ἐκ πρ[ο]δ̣ήλου
15[ -ca.?- ]τατον τόπον ἀγη
[ -ca.?- ] μεταβαλόντος ε̣ἰ̣[ς](*)
[ -ca.?- ] εὑρίσκεται τὰ οὔλ[α]
[ -ca.?- ] ̣ ἀθεράπευτος· ((high-punctus)) vac. ?
[τὶ ἐστι] τ̣ερηδών vac. ?
20[ -ca.?- ] τερηδών̣ [ -ca.?- ]
Apparatus
Notes
- 1-2.
Poss. discussion of calcification (porosis), cf. Ps.Sor. Quaest.med. 233.
- 5.
Cf. Leonidas ap. Aët. 6.1 (CMG 8.2, 123.1-2 Oliv.) τὸ ὑδροκέφαλον πάθος προσαγορεύεται κτλ. = 15.12 Zer.
- 5-6.
Cf. Leonidas ap. Aët. 6.1 (CMG 8.2, 123.15-6 Oliv.) and 15.12 Zer.; Anon. ap. Paul.Aeg. 6.3 (CMG 9.2, 46.10-1 Heib.).
- 7-10.
Cf. esp. Ps.Sor. Quaest.med. 235; Antyllus ap. Orib. Coll.med. 46.28.2 (CMG 6.2.1, 237.29-32 Raed.).
- 13-4.
Cf. Leonidas ap. Aët. 6.1 (CMG 8.2, 123.5-6 Oliv.) γίγνεται δὲ τοῦτο ἢ ἐξ ἀδήλου ἢ ἐκ προδήλου αἰτίας and 15.12 Zer.
- 18.
Cf. Antyllus ap. Orib. Coll.med. 46.28.14 (CMG 6.2.1, 239.1-2 Raed.) ἥ τε διάστασις τῶν ῥαφῶν ἀθεράπευτός ἐστιν; Ps.Gal. Introd. 19 (14.783.7 K).
- 19-20.
Teredon in close proximity to hydrocephalus also in Ps.Sor. Quaest.med. 236 and Ps.Gal. DM 390 and 395 (19.442.15-7 and 443.11-3 K).