Antall József szerk.: Orvostörténeti közlemények 73-74. (Budapest, 1975)

TANULMÁNYOK - Schultheisz Emil—Tardy Lajos: Egy reneszánsz-korbeli orvosdiplomata (angol nyelven)

This "identity" of the Jewish physician and diplomat became so widespread in the courts of Castile, Aragon and Navarre that even after the end of the Moorish Khalifate the high ranking Jewish councillors of the Christian kings were given the epithet "alfaquim"

—whether they were doctors or not

5

. But not only Jewish physicians are known in the early period of diplomacy. One of the typical representatives of the late-medieval physician-diplomats was Bartholomaeus de Plumbino.

6 Here we are not concerned with his important medical work but consider only his diplomatic activities. The free state of Ragusa (today Dubrovnik, Yugoslavia) once flourished under the protection of the Hungarian kings. By historical right it claimed the islands of Curzola, Lesina and Brazza, which King Sigismund of Hungary was inclined to cede.

7

' According to a document dated from 14 August 1413 the town sent a deputation to Buda to present its case, and Magister Bartholomaeus de Plumbino was a member of the mission. The party included another physician-diplomat: Magister Jacobus de Saligheris de Paulus. Both are mentioned as "phisici et salariati communis Ragusi".

8 The important role often played by doctors in European diplomacy is also* testified by the activities of Jacobus de Castro, the court physician of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick III. Only a few surviving prescriptions and some personal data bear witness to his medical practice,

9 but his important political missions carried out in the service of the Emperor are known in details. The most outstanding was his mission to Milan in 1447. Aeneas Silvius Piccolomini, who later became Pope Pius II was a member of his committee.

10 According to our knowledge the first physician in the "world diplomacy" connecting Europe with Asia was the Spanish-Jewish Isaac Beg, the court physician of the Persian ruler. Doctor Isaac as Persian ambassador went round the courts of Europe (including that of Matthias of Hungary, one of the most farseeing monarchs of his age) to establish the "Grand Alliance" against the Ottoman Empire, threatening both East and West with absorption. Before describing Isaac's role let us make a review of the international setting which called fort his missions. * 5 Krauss, S.: Geschichte der jüdischen Aerzte. Wien, 1930, 16 p. Cf. Mirety Sans N.: Les médecins juifs de Pierres, roi d'Aragon. Revue des Études Juives, Vol. 57, 268 ff. f> Schultheisz E.: Colcodei seu liber de peste des Bartholomaeus Squarcialupis de Plumbino. Sudhoff's Archiv, Bd. 44, 1960, 333—341 pp.; — Über das Antidotarium des Bartholomaeus Squarcialupis. Zur Geschichte der Pharmazie, Bd. 13, 1961, 28—29 pp.; Bd. 14, 1962, 7—10 pp. 7 Gelcich, B.; Diplomatarium Ragusinum. Bp. 1887, 260, 288. ff. 8 Ibid, p. 226. 9 Kühnel, H.: Die Leibärzte der Habsburger bis zum Tode Kaiser Friedrichs III. (Mitteilungen des Österreichischen Staatsarchivs, No. 11.) Wien, 1958, 20. p. 10 Kühnel, H.: Mittelalterliche Heilkunde in Wien. Graz—Köln, 1965, 96 p. Cf. Krones, F.: Leonora von Portugal. (Mitteilungen des Historischen Vereins f. Steiermark. No. 49.) 1902. 69 p.