Menomeni

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Menomeni grece dicuntur maniaci ut Theodorus Priscianus proprio capitulo.


Apparatus:

Menomeni B ef | Menomini AC

maniaci AC | mãiaci B | mainaci ef


Translation:

Menomeni is what the Greeks call "the insane", as does Theodorus Priscianus in the appropriate chapter.


Commentary:

The source for this entry which Simon refers to is Theodorus Priscianus, in his Euporiston, liber II Logicus, 17, 50, ed. Rose (1894: 150-1), which begins: XVII De maenomenis {Rose, the editor, has given this word a classical form, but his sources have menomenis, menomenos}. Sunt certa insignia quae maenomenos produnt. Primo ut cum sint sine febribus, caput sibi graviter dolore asseverent, sonitus suarum aurium expavescant. Cum autem commoveri coeperint, aliquando cum hilaritate commoventur, aliquotiens irascitur. … - "There are certain signs and symptoms that give away the maenomeni. Firstly: although they are without fever, they protest that their head is in pain, and they are terrified of any noise reaching their ears. However when they start to become agitated, they are sometimes excited with hilarity, at different times they go into a rage"….

The word μαινόμενος /mainómenos/ "mad person" occurs already in the Hippocratic corpus, Aphorisms, 7, 21, ed. Jones (1923-95: IV.184): Τοῖσι μαινομένοισι κιρσῶν ἢ αἱμορροΐδων ἐπιγιγνομένων, μανίης λύσις /Toîsi mainoménoisi kirsôn ḕ haimorrhoḯdōn epigignoménōn, maníēs lýsis/, which Jones translates (1923-95: IV.185): "Varicose veins or hemorrhoids supervening* on madness remove it" and he annotates: * "μανίη {/maníē/} includes every state when a person is 'out of his mind'. It is uncertain to which of these many states reference here is made".

The Ravennatic translation of the Aphorisms simply adopts the word: p. 90, 6,21 - Menomenis varices aut emorroidae innatae, maniam solvent - "if varicose veins or haemorrhoids are present, they disperse the madness".

The word also occurs in the Greek Dioscorides, 4, 1, ed. Wellmann (1906-14: II.167-9): κέστρον /késtron/ {"betony"}, (1906-14: II.168, § 3): θεραπεύει δὲ … μαινομένους /therapeúei dè …. mainoménous/ "it treats … the insane".

The Longobardic Dioscorides translation, 4, 1, ed. Stadler (1901: 9) De cestro, according to the Codex Monacensis uses a different term, a new word formation manioticus only attested here: manioticis … prodest - "it is good … for maniotici {'those with mania'}", but the codex Parisinus has: menomenis id est contra mania … max. presidium est - "for those called menomeni, that is against mania, it is of the greatest help".

WilfGunther 03/08/13

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