The Tradition of Medical Sources

The Vallian construction of the medical section of his encyclopedia constitutes a genuine case study for understanding the use of the tradition of medical texts in Humanist translations. The reading of Byzantine epitomes and of a vast corpus of medical literature certainly informed the Valla’s work . In particular, through the analysis of the vocabulary relating to digestive processes, it is possible to reconstruct the complex network of sources on which Giorgio Valla draws in composing his medical cento. The use of the term ἔμφραξις in the Περὶ διαίτης of Theophanes Chrysobalantes, for example, and the Humanist’s translational choice, reveal upon close examination, his familiarity with the extensive Theophanean compilation of the Epitome as well as a correlation, mediated or immediate, with other Byzantine authors ( Alexander of Tralles).