The History of Polyarchion (πολυάρχιον), John Chrysostom’s Illness, and Access to Medicinal Treatments at the End of Late Antiquity

Abstract

John Chrysostom’s (c. 347‑407) works are valuable for medical historians because they provide us with a first-hand insight into his health problems and the therapies he was treated with. John’s correspondence gives us a unique opportunity to assess the popularity of certain drugs and the availability of healthcare, enabling us to verify the extant medical data. In the present study we will discuss the information on Chrysostom’s illness including his mention of a medicament named polyarchion (πολυάρχιον) which had been sent to the archbishop by Carteria. On the basis of the recipes preserved in medical treatises by Galen as well as other medical data, we will introduce the main properties of the medicine and treatments in which it was administered. Having outlined the scope of its action, and having analysed the symptoms of Chrysostom’s condition described in his correspondence to Olympias, we will establish the nature of the ecclesiastic’s main ailments fully. Finally, we will also conclude on the drug’s availability in the Byzantine world and on the inclusion of drug formulas in early Byzantine medical works.

Keywords

• history of medical literature
• history of patristic literature
• history of ancient medicine
• history of Byzantine medicine
• pharmacology
• polyarchion