9 The Epistula in Ancient Scientific and Technical Literature, with Special Reference to Medicine

Abstract

Abstract This chapter offers a critical survey of a selection of ancient letters which form part of scientific and technical literature, and considers certain particular questions under the following four, interrelated, headings: the content of the letter, with regard to its ostensible purpose, and its subject-matter, length, and degree of technicality; the identity and standing of the letter's professed author and recipient; the function of the letter-form; and the style of the letter. Both Greek and Latin letters are examined, along with testimonia and surviving examples. The emphasis throughout is on epistulae relating in some way to (human) medicine or medical texts, but comparisons and contrasts are drawn with letters transmitted in the context of other technical disciplines and with letters of other types altogether.

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