Cleopatra the Physician is an early Greek medical writer and author of a manual entitled Cosmetics. Six fragments of her Cosmetics survive as references by later medical writers. She's also credited with gynecological research and writings.
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Nothing is known about her life, but her work can be dated to the first century CE. She's immortalized in citations of her writing, all from Cosmetics. At the time of her research the Hippocratic philosophies of the four humors are the fundament of Greek medical science.
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Cleopatra the Physician is active during a vibrant intellectual period triggered by the late Ptolemaic era in Egypt. Successor to Alexander the Great, Ptolemy is a Macedonian Greek.
The Ptolemaic (c. 305 - 30 BCE) is the last dynasty in ancient Egypt, ending with the death of Queen Cleopatra VII. It's marked by close interaction and merging of Greek, Roman and Egyptian cultures. The Ptolemaic dynasty adopts Egyptian titles and iconography.
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The dynasty respects local traditions while also promoting Greek language and culture. After this period of enlightenment the Romans incorporate Egypt into their Empire. Roman medicine is strongly influenced by the work of the Greeks.
Cleopatra the Physician is quoted by the Greco-Roman Galen, and Byzantines Aetius of Amida and Paulus of Aegina. She's cited in work also called Cosmetics by the Greek Criton of Heraclea (Latin: Titus Statilius Crito), who's known as Crito.
Crito is the chief physician of Roman Emperor Trajan (98 - 117 CE) in the campaign in Dacia, north of Thrace on the Black Sea to the Carpathian Mountains. The four books making up his writings are popular in the time of Galen.
Galen, or Claudius Galenus (c. 129 - 216), quotes her from Crito's writings. His records preserve works on the same subject by Heraclides of Tarentum of the Empiricist school, and other physicians or medical writers.
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Cleopatra the Physician, like Cleopatra the Alchemist, has no relation to Egyptian queen Cleopatra VII (died 30 BCE). Cleopatra may have chosen this name as a pseudonym in reference to Queen Cleopatra, or it could be her real name.
The name Cleopatra (Κλεοπάτρα) is common in ancient Greece from the mid-7th century BCE and means glory of her father from κλέος (kléos, "glory") and πᾰτήρ (patḗr, "father"). Cleopatra the Physician is not the same person or people as Cleopatra the Alchemist.
The word "cosmetics" comes from the Greek κοσμητικὴ τέχνη (kosmetikē tekhnē), meaning "technique of dress and ornament," from κοσμητικός (kosmētikos), "skilled in ordering or arranging," and from κόσμος (kosmos), meaning "order" and "ornament."
In medicine, "cosmetics" is defined as the science dealing with elements or compounds meant to be applied on the human body or any of its parts. It refers to beautifying, cleansing, physical attractiveness; promoting and/or modifying the appearance.
The Cosmetics is a manual offering advice and instructions for preparing remedies. She lists several cures for skin and scalp issues such as dandruff and baldness.
The cures use natural ingredients such as plant products and liquids including oil, wine, and vinegar. She mentions healing properties of lead and soda (ash). Animal products of medicinal value include roasted horse teeth, marrow from a stag, and mouse droppings.
The surviving fragments of Cosmetics also include a recipe for perfumed soap and instructions for curling and dyeing hair. The writings of Cleopatra include lists of different weights and measures systems used in the Mediterranean.
The manual appears to be directed at an international audience of physicians. Greek doctors might provide both medicines and cosmetic products. They're largely based on plant and animal products and exploration of natural cures.
Two works on genecology are also attributed to an author named Cleopatra: the Gynaecia, a recipe collection of cures for gynecologic issues, and the Pessaria, a list of twenty pessaries.
A removable device placed into the vagina, a pessary is designed to support areas of pelvic organ prolapse, or muscle weakness of the pelvic organs. It can be used to treat incontinence and as support for the bladder, rectum and/or uterus (womb).
Both are preserved in Latin versions, though the preface of Gynaecia refers to its having been translated from Greek. It is possible the original Greek versions are initially part of the Cosmetics. The writings cover a broader range than suggested by the title.
Cleopatra the Physician is mentioned in Jewish medical texts. With Cleopatra the Physician, another Cleopatra, Metrodora ("On the Diseases of Women") are the only two ancient women to have surviving medical texts attributed to them.