Case Histories in Late Byzantium: Reading the Patient in John Zacharias Aktouarios' On Urines.

Abstract

This paper provides the first analysis of case histories in the Byzantine period as they feature in the On Urines of John Zacharias Aktouarios (ca. 1275-ca. 1330). This group of clinical accounts is of special importance in that they have no counterpart in the Greek-speaking world since Galen. This study aims to illustrate various factors determining the patient's response to the physician's advice through close examination of John's clinical narratives. The first part deals with the terminology that John uses to indicate the patient's gender, age, social status, and clinical condition. The second part explores the significance of John's acquaintance with the patients, the patient's socio-economic background, and also the patient's experience in connection with the physician's professional expertise.