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THE SCHOOL OF SALERNO. 199
The fame of its doctors increased more and more, and
patients came from distant countries to be treated by them.
The lyric poet HARTMANN VON DER AUE laid the scene of
his famous poem " Der arme Heinrich " here but made his
knight recover from his leprosy not through the skill of the
doctors but by a miracle.
Even as early as the nth century no certain information
existed about the age and origin of the school of Salerno.
ALPHANUS, well known both as poet and physician who
afterwards was raised to the bishopric of Salerno, states that
medicine flourished there even before GuAlMARUS II., that
is in the 9th century.* The Norman historian ORDERICUS
VlTALlS who lived about the year 1140 narrates that when
the famous RODOLFUS known as MALA CORONA came to
Salerno, even for a long time previously important medical
schools had existed there, f On yet another occasion this
author bears witness to the long existing reputation of the
place. In the ancient Chronicle of Salerno, made use of
by ANT. MAZZA and rediscovered by S. DE RENZI.J it is
stated, that the medical school there was founded by four
doctors, namely, the Jewish Rabbi ELINUS, the Greek
PONTUS, the Saracen ADALA, and a native of Salerno, who
lectured each in his native language. Amongst the first
teachers are mentioned GuGLlELMUS DE BONONIA, MiCHAEL
SCOTTUS, GUGLIELMUS DE RAVEGNA, ENRICUS DE PADUA,
TETULUS GRiECUS, SALOMONUS EBR^US, and ABDANA
SARACENUS.
It is clear that these reports should not be regarded as
historical facts; but some grains of truth probably lie
hidden in them. There was a desire to point out that
persons belonging to different nations—Jews, Arabians,
* DE RENZI : Collect. Salern. i, p. 95, note.
t Ord. Vit. Hist, eccles. iii in Hist. Normann. scriptor. ed. DUCHESNE, Paris,
1619, p. 477 " ubi maxima medicorum scholce ab untiquo tempore habentur."
X MAZZA: Urbis Salern. hist, et antiq., Nap. 1681, printed in GRSV'IOS
et PURMANN: Thesaur. antiq. et hist. Italia., Lugd. Bat. 1723, t. ix, pars 4.
DE RENZI : Storia docum., p. xxvi et seq. & Collect. Salern. i, p, 106 et seq.