About Cassius Felix
Lived 400 – 500. Cassius Felix was a Roman physician, writer and iatrosophist.
Cassius Felix (; ), also Cassius Felix of Cirta, was a Roman African medical writer probably native of Constantina. He is known for having written in AD 447 a Latin treatise titled De Medicina - although the exact date is transmitted only in a relatively late manuscript from the 13th century.
The little we can say of the author comes from his book, that is meant to be a simple handbook for practical use in which he wants others to be able to take advantage of his experience as a physician. His work appears to draw heavily, both directly and indirectly, on Greek medical sources, as was common in the African school of medicine. The work describes various diseases from the head to the foot (a capite ad calcem). In each case, the name of the disease is first explained, then the cause, diagnosis and development are described and finally a treatment method is recommended.
A Christian by faith, he may be the person mentioned in passing in the anonymous De miraculis Sancti Stephani, a work written between 418 and 427, where a certain Felix is referred as holding the high medical dignity of archiater, or chief doctor of his community. The editio princeps of his work was first published in 1879 in a Teubner edition edited by Valentin Rose. to Cassius Iatrosophista, an earlier Greek medical writer (2nd or 3rd century AD) known only as the author of 84 or 85 Quaestiones Medicae et Problemata Naturalia .
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Important facts
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Cassius Felix's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Cassius Felix?
Roman physician
When was Cassius Felix born?
Cassius Felix was born in 400.
When did Cassius Felix die?
Cassius Felix died in 500.
What was Cassius Felix's occupation?
Cassius Felix was a physician, writer and iatrosophist.
What nationality was Cassius Felix?
Cassius Felix was Roman.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Cassius Felix. https://biography.guide/cassius-felix/
MLA: "Cassius Felix." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/cassius-felix/.
Chicago: "Cassius Felix." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/cassius-felix/.
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