Jan Černý. The first physician to write in Czech. Biographical and historigraphical contribution to the research of natural science and medical terminology in Central Europe Cover Image

Jan Černý. Pierwszy medyk piszący po czesku. Biograficzno-historiograficzny przyczynek do badań dziejów myśli przyrodoznawczej i medycznej na obszarze Europy Środkowej
Jan Černý. The first physician to write in Czech. Biographical and historigraphical contribution to the research of natural science and medical terminology in Central Europe

Author(s): Piotr Wolski
Subject(s): History, Local History / Microhistory
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego
Keywords: Jan Černý; medicine and pharmacy in Bohemia; medieval pharmacy; materia medica; Hussitism; Bohemian Brethren; Stefan Falimirz

Summary/Abstract: This article presents information about the life and work of Jan Černy (circa 1450– circa 1530), who is considered the first physician to write medical texts in the Czech language. His biography is depicted against the backdrop of the era, which includes phenomena and events such as the decline of the Luxembourg dynasty’s rule in Bohemia and the Hussite Wars. This period was characterized by a vibrant economic and cultural development in the Kingdom of Bohemia, which the article connects to Černy’s medical activities. The detailed part of the text discusses the opus magnum of this writer, which is “Knie-ha lékarská, kteráž slove herbář aneb zelinář,” printed in Nuremberg in 1517, with particular focus on Černy’s method of describing medical matters and selected linguistic aspects of this work. Additionally, the article provides a brief comparison of Černy’s writings with those of Stefan Falimirz, highlighting potential similarities in the linguistic layer. The aim of the article is to acquaint the Polish audience with Jan Černy and emphasize his contributions to the development of pharmacobotanical lexicon in West Slavic languages, as well as outline preliminary issues for further research.

  • Issue Year: 30/2024
  • Issue No: Supl. 1
  • Page Range: 461-477
  • Page Count: 17
  • Language: Polish
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