Dr Monk's medical digest

The Liber passionalis is an early and hitherto mostly unexplored example of a composite medical work on diagnosis and therapy, similar to the better-known compilations circulating under the titles Petroncellus and Gariopontus (Passionarius Galieni). It shows the efforts made to provide comprehensive coverage of morbid conditions drawn from a choice of the best sources available to the compiler, sources which in some instances complement or enhance our knowledge of ancient medicine in a way overlooked by specialists in the field for a long time and which provide the best clue when trying to assess medical expertise at the turn of the first millennium. The paper explores the transmission, structure and sources of the Liber passionalis, touching on the body of medical literature available in the early Middle Ages.