[The Dominican Nicholas of Poland as a mediaeval poet, philosopher and doctor]

The person of Nicholas of Poland, living on the turn of the 13th century, has a documentary evidence in the so called Thraska chronicle, the preserved opuscules and in the document of some dukes of Poland from the years between 1271 to 1316. Nicholas was a friar of the order of Dominicans and achieved his education in Montepellier. In his poem entitled Antipocras, Nicholas of Poland for the first time expressed the point of view, that successful therapy may be possible, despite our ignorance about the real cause of illness. Nicholas expressed himself against Hipokrates and Galenus and also throwed off the standard urinoscopy. Nicholas payed attention to the fact, that not only precious medicines, but simple remedies may be effecacious in therapy. The opuscule Experimenta consists in a collection of prescriptions for preparation and application of different medicines. Nicholas of Poland was an advocate of remedies produced from snakes and amphibians. The surgical opuscule entitled Cyrurgia is the first writing and manual on surgery of Poland. It contents very interesting observations, especially about fistulas and cancer. This opuscule links to the so called snake therapy too. The Dominican Nicholas is the first in historical sources mentioned surgeon of Poland, who achieved high school education. The connections between Nicholas of Poland and the person and the court of the Duke Lestco Niger are documentary well foundated.