Life Andromachus the Elder (Ἀνδρόμαχος ὁ Κρητικός) was a Greek physician from Crete who practiced in Rome during the 1st century CE. He served as the personal physician (archiatros) to Emperor Nero [1][2]. The epithet "the Elder" distinguishes him from his son, Andromachus the Younger, also a physician [1].

Works His sole surviving work is the didactic hexameter poem Theriaca (θηριακά), which details the composition of his famous multi-ingredient antidote, the Theriaca Andromachi or "Galene" (Γαλήνη) [1][2]. A 174-line fragment of this pharmacological poem is preserved in the writings of the physician Galen [1][2].

Significance Andromachus holds a notable place in the history of pharmacology for formulating the Theriaca Andromachi, a complex panacea that remained a renowned pharmaceutical compound for centuries [1][2]. By composing the recipe in verse, he adhered to a tradition of technical didactic poetry to aid memorization [1]. His work was extensively quoted and analyzed by Galen, ensuring its transmission and enduring influence through Byzantine, Arabic, and medieval medicine [1][2].

Sources 1. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Stanford University): https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/galen/ 2. Encyclopædia Britannica (Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.): https://www.britannica.com/biography/Andromachus-the-Elder