Acesias

Acesias (Greek polytonic|Ακεσίας) was an ancient Greek physi­cian whose age and country are both unknown. [Citation
last = Greenhill
first = William Alexander
author-link = William Alexander Greenhill
contribution = Acesias
editor-last = Smith
editor-first = William
title = Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology
volume = 1
pages = 7
publisher =
place = Boston
year = 1867
contribution-url = http://www.ancientlibrary.com/smith-bio/0016.html ]

It is ascertained however that he lived at least as early as 4th century BC, as the proverb polytonic|Ακεσίας ιάσατο, "Acesias cured him", is quoted on the authority of Aristophanes. This saying (by which only Acesias is known to us) was used when any person's disease became worse instead of better under medical treatment, and is mentioned in the Suda, [Suda, "s.v. polytonic|Ακεσίας"] Zenobius, ["Proverb." Cent. i. § 52] Diogeniantis, ["Proverb", ii. 3] Mi­chael Apostolius, ["Proverb", ii. 23] and Plutarch. ["Proverb," quibus Alexandr, usi stint", §98] [See also "Proverb, e Cod. Bodl." § 82, in Gaisford's "Paroemiography Graeci", 8vo. Oxon. 1836.]

It is possible that an author bearing this name, and mentioned by Athenaeus as having written a treatise on the Art of Cooking (polytonic|οψσαρτυτικά), [Athenaeus, xii. p. 516, c.] may be one and the same person, but of this we have no certain information. [J. J. Baier, "Adag. Medic. Cent." 4to. Lips. 1718]

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