Nicolaus
4. Nicolaus, commonly called Praepositus, to distinguish him from Nicolaus Myrepsus, was at the head of the celebrated medical school at Salerno, in the former half of the twelfth century, as appears from the fact of his work being commented on by Matthaeus Platearius. He is said to have belonged to a noble family, to have acquired considerable wealth, and to have been the principal physician of his age.
Works
Antidotarium
He is sometimes said to be the author of two pharmaceutical works, a large one called Antidotarium Magnum, or Nicolaus Major (or Magnus), for the use of druggists, and a smaller one, chiefly used by physicians. and called Antidotarium Parvum, or Nicolaus Minor (or Parvus).
This, however, appears to be a mistake that has arisen from confounding his work with that of Nicolaus Myrepsus. though (as we have seen) they are totally different books, though treating of the same subject.
The Antidotarium is written in Latin, and was, during the middle ages, one of the most popular works on the subject.
Editions
It was first published in 1471, 4to. Venet., and was frequently reprinted in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Matthaeus Platearius wrote a commentary on the work, which is often printed with it.
Further Information
A very full account of the work, and the bibliographical questions relating to it, is to be found in the second edition of Choulant's Handb. der Bücherkunde für die Aeltere Medicin.
From William Smith (ed.), Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology. Text provided under a CC BY-SA license by Perseus Digital Library, http://www.perseus.tufts.edu, with funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities and Tufts University. Data accessed from https://github.com/PerseusDL/canonical-pdlrefwk/ on 17 October 2026.