A medieval medical school in Salerno, southern Italy, that grew from an early ninth-century Benedictine monastery dispensary into the most influential center of medical learning in Western Europe, reaching its height of influence in the twelfth century as the so-called Civitas Hippocratica. It synthesized Greek, Latin, Arabic and Jewish medical traditions, in part through Constantinus Africanus's Latin translations of Arabic medical texts, and produced the widely copied didactic poem the Regimen Sanitatis Salernitanum. Long-standing popular tradition credits its founding to four co-founders of different faiths, a story historians treat as legend rather than record. It was formally closed by Napoleonic decree in 1811 after roughly a millennium of activity.
Facts
Disputed
Founding YearThe earliest documented reference is an early ninth-century Benedictine monastery dispensary at Salerno. A popular legend credits four co-founders of different faiths (a Greek, a Latin, an Arab and a Jew), a story historians treat as legend rather than historical record. Founding DateSources place the founding in the 9th century with no specific year given; the school rose to prominence in the 10th century. ValueDate is a nominal mid-century placeholder read only at century precision. Connections
In the Other Atlases
- Also in Geography Atlas: Italy, found in there.
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Schola Medica Salernitana
WikipediaLead section
founded in the 9th century and rose to prominence in the 10th century
- Institutional profile classification
View the Source 2. Schola Medica Salernitana and medieval medical philosophy
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.
View At A Past Year
Choose a year to see this entry's facts and connections as the atlas records them at that moment: what it held then, what it held instead, and what it had not yet adopted. Choose Present for the current record.