III: Matthiola
Slapping names on things for eternal fame.
Good morning. Today is tridi, the 3rd of Ventôse, Year CCXXXI. We celebrate le violier, a common garden flower with a beautiful scent.
Some people rise to prominence through their works, and others use their existing prominence to assign their own name to history. Examples of the latter include such name-slappers as Thomas Edison, Steve Jobs, and Donald Trump – a motley pack of men whose actual individual accomplishments vary from significant to negatory, but who have in common the ability to market their way to prominence, becoming bywords for achievement while achieving little beyond making themselves bywords.
Pietro Andrea Mattiola was one such man. While nobody would dispute his real contributions to the fields of medicine and botany – among other things, he was the first to describe cat allergies and advocated for the careful study of plants for reasons other than medicinal value – his biggest claim to fame was slapping his name on a book he didn't write, repeatedly, while using his vast influence to stamp out any rivals to his fame.
