or COE'LIUS, a very celebrated Latin physician, respecting whose age and country there is considerable uncertainty. Some writers place him as early as the first century of the Christian era, while others endeavour to prove that he was at least a century later. This opinion is founded principally upon the circumstance of his not mentioning, or being mentioned by, Galen, indicating that they were contemporaries or rivals. Numidia has been generally assigned as his native country, but perhaps without any direct evidence; it may, however, be concluded, from the imperfection of his style and the incorrectness of some of the terms which he employs, that he was not a native either of Greece or Italy.
But whatever doubts may attach to his personal history, and whatever faults of style may exist in his writings, his work affords us much valuable information respecting the state of medical science. He was a professed and zealous member of the sect of the Methodici, and it is principally from his work that we are able to obtain a correct view of the principles and practice of this sect. In his descriptions of the phaenomena of disease, he displays considerable accuracy of observation and diagnostic sagacity; and he describes some disorders which are not to be met with in any other ancient author. He gives us a very ample and minute detail of the practice which was adopted both by himself and his contemporaries; and it must be acknowledged that on these points his remarks display a competent knowledge of his subject, united to a clear and comprehensive judgment.
He divides diseases into the two great classes of acute and chronic, nearly corresponding to diseases of constriction and of
relaxation, and upon these supposed states he founds his primary indications; but with
respect to the intimate nature of these states of the system, as well as of all hidden or
recondite causes generally, he thinks it unnecessary to inquire, provided we can recognise
their existence, and can discover the means of removing them. Hence his writings are less
theoretical and more decidedly practical than those of any other author of antiquity; and
they consequently contributed more to the advancement of the knowledge and actual treatment
of disease than any that had preceded them. They contributed in an especial manner to perfect
the knowledge of therapeutics, by ascertaining with precision the proper indications of cure,
with the means best adapted for fulfilling them. The great defect of Caelius Aurelianus (a
defect which was inherent in the sect to which he belonged), was that of placing too much
dependence upon the twofold division of diseases, and not sufficiently attending to the
minute shades by which they gradually run into each other; which is the more remarkable in
one who shews so much attention to the phaenomena of disease, and who for the most part
allows himself to be so little warped by preconceived hypotheses. This view of the subject
leads him not unfrequently to reject active and decisive remedies, when he could not
reconcile their operation to his supposed indications; so that, although his practice is
seldom what can be styled bad, it is occasionally defective.
His work consists of three books On Acute Diseases,
On Chronic Diseases were first published in folio,
Basil. 1529On Acute Diseases in 8vo. Paris,
1533
Some academical dissertations on Caelius Aureiianus were published by C. G. Kühn, which are reprinted in his