Abstract

My purpose here is to point out a use of the Greek word κλῖμαξ, lit. ladder, which has not been recorded in the lexica of ancient and medieval Greek. To be specific, the term is found twice in the Therapeutics, a work by the sixth-century a.d. author and practising physician Alexander of Tralles, in reference to a particular kind of composite drug. In the first case, the author refers to the so-called ‘ladder of Hermes’ without providing any recipe. According to him, this is an antidote for the treatment of epilepsy and similar in action to the well-known theriac. However, in the second case referring to an antidote for the treatment of gout, the ‘so-called ladder’, he provides the following recipe : ἀντίδοτος ποδαγρικὴ ἡ καλουμένη κλῖμαξ.ἀγαρικοῦοὐγ. α´φοῦοὐγγ. β´πετροσελίνουοὐγγ. γ´μαίουοὐγγ. δ´ὑπερίκουοὐγγ. ε´γεντιανῆςοὐγγ. ς´ἀριστολοχίαςοὐγγ. ζ´κενταυρίουοὐγγ. η´χαμαίδρυοςοὐγγ. θ´μέλιτος τὸ ἀρκοῦν. As evidenced, the term denotes a unique category of composite drugs in which the quantity of each subsequent ingredient is increased by one unit, thus metaphorically alluding to an ascending scale.