With the surrender of Rome to the invading barbarians from the north in the fifth century, the medical teachings of Hippocrates, Aristotle, Soranus, and Galen were preserved for posterity in the east by a series of Bysantine doctors. These included Oribasius (325–405 AD), Aetius of Amida (502–575AD), who was physician to Justiniun I, Moschion (6th century), and Paulus Aegineta, the last of the Greek masters.

Paulus was born on the island of Aegina in AD 625. Apart from the fact that he studied at Alexandra and travelled widely, little is known of his life. His fame rests on a great epitome of medicine in seven books written around 660 AD.1 To a great extent it is a compilation of the work of previous authors, and in particular that of Aetius. The work was translated by Francis Adams and published by the Sydenham Society in 1844.1

Although Paulus admitted to being only a humble scribe of the work of others, he was, in fact, a capable surgeon. His work included original descriptions of lithotomy, trephining, tonsillotomy, paracentesis and amputation of the breast. He also gives a full account of eye surgery. Disorders of menstruation, embryotomy, manual removal of the placenta, and the use of the lithotomy position for abdominal surgery are all discussed. He is also recognised for his use of a conical bronze two-bladed vaginal speculum whose valves, after insertion, could be separated by means of a screw. The following extracts from his work illustrate his all round interest in medicine, surgery, obstetrics and paediatrics: