ABSTRACT
In recent decades, scholars have increasingly asserted the value of ancient and medieval medical lore, among them John M. Riddle, who early championed its importance and value. During his long career, Riddle has demonstrated that the medicine practiced by our distant ancestors is greatly undervalued and that a key to this medical knowledge is an understanding of the people relying on it. In his studies of Dioscorides, in his research on the use of contraceptives, and in his approach toward a myriad topics, astounding results have emerged, all of which provide valuable data for modern pharmacognosy-it is here that Riddle most effectively combines traditional knowledge with contemporary research.3 Encouraged by these pioneering efforts, today many scholars from
1 Research was divided according to competence; the collective “we” throughout the article indicates that Helmut Klug mainly contributed on medieval matters, Roman Weinberger on psychological and technical topics.
