Aulus Cornelius Celsus is considered one of the most important contributors to medicine and scientific thought during the Roman Empire, and the most important source of present-day knowledge of Alexandrian medicine. Although apparently not a physician himself, Celsus gathered extensive writings from the Greek Empire, translated them into Roman, and compiled their vast knowledge into an encyclopedia entitled De artibus (A.D. 25-35). Originally, this great work contained five books on agriculture, and other books of unknown length on military science, government, history, law, philosophy, rhetoric, and medicine. The only books to survive, however, were The Eight Books of Medicine, or De medicina octo libri, the most comprehensive medical history and detailed description of medical and surgical procedures ever produced by a Roman writer. They were also the first translation of Greek medical terms into Latin--terms that have remained standard in medicine for 2000 years. However, these books are...