Rufus of Ephesus

Late 1st and early 2nd century Greek physician

Rufus of Ephesus (Ῥοῦφος ὁ Ἐφέσιος, fl. late 1st and early 2nd centuries AD) was a Greek physician and author who wrote treatises on dietetics, pathology, anatomy, gynaecology, and patient care. He was an admirer of Hippocrates, although he at times criticized or departed from that author's teachings. While several of his writings survive in full and have been critically edited, most are fragmentary and lack critical editions. His writings explore subjects often neglected by other authors, such as the treatment of slaves and the elderly. He was particularly influential in the East, and some of his works survive only in Arabic. His teachings emphasize the importance of anatomy and seek pragmatic approaches to diagnosis and treatment.

Little is known about Rufus's life. According to the Suda, he lived in the time of Trajan (98–117), which is probably correct, as Rufus quotes Zeuxis and Dioscorides, and is himself quoted by Galen. He probably studied at Alexandria, for he makes personal comments about the citizenry's general health and specific diseases. He may then have established himself at Ephesus, which was a centre of the medical profession.

The following titles are mentioned by Ibn Abī Uṣaybiʿa (The Best Accounts of the Classes of Physicians 4.1.10.2):

On Melancholy (K. al Mālankhūliyā), written in two books. A work in forty books. On Naming the Parts of the Body (K. tasmiyat aʿḍāʾ al insān). The Disease of Rabies (Maqālah fī ʿillah allatī yaʿriḍu maʿahā al fazaʿ min al māʾ). Jaundice and Yellow Bile (M. Fī al yaraqān wa l marār). Gout (M. Fī al amrāḍ allatī taʿriḍu fī l mafāṣil). On the Reduction of the Flesh (M. Fī tanqīṣ al laḥm). Regimen for those Lacking Physicians (K. Tadbīr man lā yaḥḍuruhu al ṭabīb), in two books. On Severe Throat Conditions (M. Fī l dhubḥah). The Medicine of Hippocrates (K. Ṭibb Abuqrāṭ). On the Use of Wine (M. Fī stiʿmāl al sharāb). The Treatment of Infertile Women (M. Fī ʿilāj allawātī lā yaḥbalna). Precepts to Preserve Health (M. Fī qaḍāyā ḥifẓ al ṣiḥḥah). Epilepsy (M. Fī l ṣarʿ). On Quartan Fevers (M. Fī l ḥummā al ribʿ). Pleurisy and Pneumonia (M. Fī dhāt al janb wa dhāt al riʾah). On Regimen (M. Fī l tadbīr), in two books. On Coitus (K. al Bāh), in one book. On Medicine (K. al Ṭibb), in one book. Hospital Practices (M. Fī aʿmāl allatī tuʿmalu fī l bīmāristānāt). On Milk (M. Fī l laban). On Sects (M. Fī l firaq). On Virgins (M. Fī l abkār). Figs (M. Fī l tīn). The Traveller's Regimen (M. Fī tadbīr al musāfir). On Halitosis (M. Fī l bakhar). To Potamonianus, On Vomiting (M. kataba bihā ilā M ā ṭ w n y w n fī l qayʾ). Lethal Drugs (M. Fī l adwiyah al qātilah). Drugs to Treat the Illnesses of the Kidneys and the Bladder (M. Fī adwiyat ʿilal al kulā wa l mathānah). On Whether the Frequent Imbibing of Medicaments at Banquets is Beneficial (M. fī hal kathrat sharb al dawāʾ fī l walāʾim nāfiʿ). Hard Swellings (M. Fī l awrām al ṣulbah). On Memory (M. Fī l ḥifẓ). The Disease of Dionysius, i. e. Suppuration (M. Fī ʿillat Diyūnūsiyūs wa huwa al qayḥ). On Wounds (M. Fī l jarāḥāt). Diet for the Elderly (M. Fī tadbīr al shaykhūkhah). The Advice of the Physicians (M. Fī waṣāyā al aṭībbāʾ). On Clysters (M. Fī l ḥuqan). On Childbirth (M. Fī l wilādah). On Luxation (M. Fī l khalʿ). The Treatment of Amenorrhea (M. Fī iḥtibās al ṭamth). Chronic Diseases according to Hippocrates (M. Fī l amrāḍ al muzminah ʿalā raʾy Abuqrāṭ). Classes of Drugs (M. Fī marātib al adwiyah). Questions Physicians Must Ask Patients (M. Fīmā yanbaghī li l ṭabīb an yasʾala ʿan al ʿalīl). On Raising Children (M. Fī tarbiyat al aṭfāl). Vertigo (M. Fī dawarān al raʾs). On Urine (M. Fī l bawl). The Drug Named Liquorice (M. Fī l ʿaqqār alladhī yudʿā sūsan)
On the Congestion of the Lungs (M. Fī l nuzlah ilā l riʾah). Chronic Diseases of the Liver (M. Fī ʿilal al kibd al muzminah). On the Occurrence of Shortness of Breath in Men (Fī annahu yaʿriḍu li l rijāl inqiṭāʿ al tanaffus). On Purchasing Slaves (M. Fī shirā l mamālīk). The Treatment of Epileptic Children (M. Fī ʿilāj ṣabī yuṣraʿu). Diet for Pregnant Women (M. Fī tadbīr al ḥabālā). On Indigestion (M. Fī l tukhamah). On Rue (M. Fī l sadhāb). On Sweating (M. Fī l ʿaraq). Intestinal Obstruction (M. Fī īlāws). On Epilepsy (M. Fī ʾ b l m s ī ā).