Über Geschmack lässt sich nicht streiten?

This article examines the role of taste perception in Galen's research on simple drugs in relation to the acquisition of knowledge. To this end, 1.) I make it plausible through an examination of sources that the sometimes increased, more detailed and divergent indications of taste compared to his predecessors, especially Dioscorides and Sextius Niger, are based on Galen's own research, 2.) reconstruct Galen's research practice and 3.) examine the presentation of his results in linguistic and logical terms and explain the differences to traditional pharmacology. I argue that a) gustatory perception has a special significance in Galen's work that goes far beyond its traditional descriptive function and b) that,…

• PM
  Philipps-Universität Marburg