Pedro Jaime Esteve

Pedro Jaime Esteve (latinicized: Estevius, Catalan: Pere Jaume Esteve; c. 1500 in Sant Mateu del Maestrat – 1556 in Valencia) was a Spanish doctor, botanist, and humanist.

Life and work

Pedro Jaime Esteve studied in Valencia, Paris, and Montpellier. Later, he worked as a professor of medicine and mathematics at the University of Valencia. In 1551, he published the Hippocratic work "Epidemics II" in Greek, with numerous illustrations and a Latin translation. This book was the medical foundation of humanism in Spain. In 1552, he published a critical edition of "Theriaca", a work on the poisons and bites of snakes and scorpions, by the ancient Greek doctor Nicander of Colophon. He made his Latin hexameter version available with Latin and Catalan nomenclature and taxonomy of some plants from the region of Valencia. Later, Esteve wrote a volume on medicinal herbs, which, however, has been lost.

Notes

The American plant genus Stevia is named after Pedro Jaime Esteve.

References

• Enciclopèdia Catalana: Esteve, Pere Jaume. In: Gran enciclopèdia catalana. 2. Edition 5. Reprint 1992. Volume 10. Enciclopèdia catalana, Barcelona 1987, ISBN 84-7739-004-5, S. 322 (Catalan).(Note: In the Enciclopèdia Catalana article, the Spanish first name of "Pedro Jaime" appears in its original Catalan "Pere Jaume" form)

Bibliography

• Helmut Genaust: Etymologisches Wörterbuch der botanischen Pflanzennamen. 3., complete edited and extended edition. Nikol, Hamburg 2005, ISBN 3-937872-16-7, S. 611 (Entry „Stevia“) (Reprint of 1996).