Stylistic differences between two versions of Sextus Placitus' Liber medicine ex animalibus

Abstract

We provide a stylistic characterization of a high-medieval prescription text entitled Liber medicine ex quadrupedibus, comparing it with its main source, the Liber medicine ex animalibus by Sextus Placitus. We draw the conclusion that the style of the reworking is simpler and even plainer than that used by Sextus Placitus, as can be noticed, for instance, in the substitution of Greek technical lexicon for generic Latin equivalents. This type of replacement doesn’t occur in the sections deriving from other sources apart from the Liber medicine ex animalibus, thereby suggesting that different criteria might have been followed in the process of reworking. We also provide a critical comment on some excerpts of Sextus Placitus’ text which haven’t been correctly edited by Howald and Sigerist.