The Anonymous of London is the conventional name for the unknown compiler of a Greek medical papyrus from the late 1st or early 2nd century CE, during the Roman Empire. This individual was not an original author but a scribe or scholar who created a compilation of existing medical texts. The papyrus itself was discovered in Egypt and is now housed in London, which is the source of the name.

The compiler’s work consists of two main parts preserved on a single, fragmentary papyrus roll. The first part is a detailed survey of medical theories, summarizing the opinions of about twenty different physicians and philosophers—including figures like Plato and Hippocrates—on the causes of disease. The second part is a collection of practical medical recipes and excerpts from known doctors. According to modern scholars, the compiler likely had access to a major library, possibly in a center of learning like Alexandria, and was engaged in the common practice of excerpting and summarizing technical knowledge.

The historical importance of this anonymous figure lies entirely in the content they preserved. The papyrus provides the most extensive surviving ancient summary of competing medical theories, offering crucial evidence for the ideas of many Hellenistic doctors whose own works are lost. It also illustrates the blend of theoretical debate and practical recipe-collecting in ancient medicine. As a physical artifact, it is a key witness to how scholarly knowledge was compiled and transmitted in the Roman world.