The present volume contains a 175-page substantial introduction, the edition of the text (text, apparatus criticus and translation), a critical commentary, an index verborum and engravings illustrating the treatise Fractures. The introduction consists of two parts: (i) the presentation of the treatise and its author; (ii) the history of the text.
In the first part J. studies the identity of the author of the two treatises entitled Fractures and Articulations. The use of rare words, which is common to the two treatises and not attested elsewhere in the Corpus Hippocraticum, leads J. to demonstrate the unity of authorship. The language criterion also allows him to determine the original developments that have disappeared and those heterogeneous items that have, on the other hand, been inserted.
Next, J. examines the composition modalities, namely the structure of the treatise and the method of arrangement used. He proceeds to a synthetic and relational analysis of the treatise, in which he notes the exceptional rigour of the author's thought, the coherent organisation, which goes from the simple to the complex, and the technique of the exhibition.
J. then illustrates the methods of communication, which allows him to interpret the treatise. In light of the theme of the dialogue between doctor and patient, J. highlights, on the one hand, the human relationship between doctor and patient and, on the other hand, the variability of the behaviour of patients coping with their illnesses. In addition, he highlights the doctor's relationship with colleagues. The emphasis is on the author's polemic against the errors and ignorance of colleagues. J. also describes the doctor as a designer and builder of machines and presents the usefulness of the machines that are designed to help the human force or to replace it.
The first part of the introduction ends with reflections on the art of medicine and the reputation of the doctor, which depends on the correct application of the rules of the art. To this are added the presentation of the exceptional qualities of the author as regards the mastery of the Greek language and consistency of the treatise as well as the interpretation of the author's rich personality that most commentators think is Hippocrates.
The second part deals with the history of the text. J. studies the direct manuscript tradition, which includes the papyri PBrookl 94 (MP3 538.02) and PAberd 124 (MP3 538.03) as well as the manuscripts recorded in Diels (Die Handschriften der antiken Ärzte [1905–1906]), the indirect tradition in Greek and other languages, including Latin and Syriac, and the printed tradition. This comprises the editions of Fractures of the first Renaissance (1526–1679), those of the second Renaissance (1841–1878) and those of the third Renaissance (by H. Kühlewein, Teubner [1902]).
Turning to text, translation and commentary, J. has produced a clear text based on a new collation of the three ancient manuscripts BMV and on Galen's Commentary to Fractures. This is explained by the fact that, in contrast to Kühlewein and his predecessors, J. believes that the presumed partial lemmata copied out by Galen in his Commentary are original. The text is accompanied by a detailed and judiciously selected apparatus criticus. The translation is innovative to the extent that it preserves with the greatest possible precision the author's vocabulary, avoiding the use of modern denominations. This is the main difference between the present edition and those by É. Littré and J.E. Petrequin. The commentary is marked by comprehensiveness. As a result, it shows the consistency of the author's positions and brings out the message he wanted to convey to the doctors of his time. Furthermore, it guides readers in the subtleties of the structure as well as in the history of the medical vocabulary and thought.
J.'s edition is a thoroughly researched, coherent and well-laid-out examination of Fractures by Hippocrates. It is also rich in precision and constitutes a fundamental tool for the interpretation of one of the most complex works of medicine ever written. The edition is highly recommended for its usefulness and deserves a wide readership among doctors, surgeons and literary scholars.
