MOSES MAIMONIDES' TWO TREATISES ON THE REGIMEN OF HEALTH

Fi Tadbir al-Sihhah
* * *
and
Maqalah
fi
Bayan
Ba'd al-A'rad
wa-al-Jawab 'anha
Translated
from
the Arabic and edited in accordance with the Hebrew and Latin versions
by
ARIEL BAR-SELA, M.D., HEBBEL E. HOFF, M.D., and ELIAS FARIS
CONTENTS
PAGE
Introduction .......................................... 3
R eferences ........................................... 14
The
Regimen
of Health ................................ 16
C hapter I .......................................... 16
Chapter I I ........................ 20
C hapter II I........................................ 23
C hapter IV ......................................... 27
The Treatise on Accidents .............................. 32
G
lossary
............................................. 4 1
Ind ex ................................................ 4 5
INTRODUCTION
From Asia Minor, Greek medicine was carried
by
the Nestorians to the East where it was taken
up
by
the Arabs surging out of the desert under the
banners of Islam. The
conquering
Arabs were
willing
students; the medical works of
Hippocrates
and Galen
were translated into Arabic
along
with the works of
Plato and Aristotle. Blending
the
knowledge
of
Greece with the wisdom of the
East,
the Arabs further
developed
the arts and the sciences; under their rule
medicine attained a status in some
aspects unsurpassed
until modern times.
Toward the second half of the
eighth century,
the
Arab world was divided by
schism and
personal
rivalries to form the Eastern Caliphate
of the Abassids
with Baghdad
as its
capital,
and the Western Cali-
phate
of the
Umayyads
with Cordova as its
capital.
Two schools of
philosophy
and medicine
subsequently
developed;
the Eastern School of Rhazes and Avi-
cenna, and the Western School of Avenzoar and
Averroes.
With the decline of both Caliphates,
the seat of
learning moved centrally
to
Egypt,
then under the
enlightened
rule of the
Ayyubites.
It was in this
period that one of the most celebrated
physicians
of
old, Moses ben Maimon,
came from the
Maghrib
to
Egypt. Embodying
the best in Arabic medicine of
both East and West, he contributed to its
propagation,
and played an
important
role in its introduction to
Europe.
Moses ben Maimon ha-Sefardi
(the Spaniard)
is
commonly referred to as the Rambam, an abbreviation
of Rabbi Moses ben Maimon. He is also known as
the Maimoni, hence the name Maimonides. In Arabic,
the
language he employed
in most of his writings, he
is known as Abfu 'Imran Mfisa ibn 'Ubayd Allah ibn
Maymfin. This name poses a
question; the name
Abu 'Imran is obviously a kunya, a nickname, while
ibn 'Ubayd Allah, the Arabic equivalent of Obadiah,
appears to be the nisba, or patronymic name. Ibn
Abi
Usaybi'ah does not list ibn 'Ubayd Allah in his
discussion of Maimonides (21),* whereas some Jewish
medieval scribes list its Hebrew transliteration 'eved
elohim as an honorific title
(43,
45, 46) while others
maintain the original form (43); such is the case also
with Latin manuscripts. Considering the usual form
of Arabic names, this is rather unusual, but all authors,
accept Maymun
(Maimon)
as the name of the
father.
The earliest known biography of Maimonides was
written by the noted medical biographer Ibn Abi
U~aybi'ah (1203-1270),
himself a physician and an
acquaintance of Maimonides' son Abraham. His ac-
count of the life of Maimonides and his son Abraham,
translated from the Arabic edition of his work
(21),
is as follows:
al-Ra'is Musa is al-Ra'is Abu 'Imran Mfsa ibn May-
mun, the Cordovan, a Jew. He was learned in the Laws
of the Jews, and was counted among their learned and their
sages. He was their head (Ra'is) in the Province of
Egypt. He was unique in his time in the Art of Medicine
and its practice, versed in the sciences and possessed of an
excellent knowledge of philosophy. al-Sultan al-Malik
al-Nasir $alah
al-Din saw him and consulted him, and
likewise his son al-Malik al-Afdal 'Ali. It is said that
al-Ra'is Mfsa became a Moslem in the
Maghrib,
memo-
rized the Koran and was occupied in its studies. Then,
once he arrived in the Province of Egypt and settled in
Fustat, Cairo, he recanted. Said
al-Qadi
al-Sa'id ibn
Sanaa' al-Mulk in praise of al-Ra'is Musa:
I deem Galen's Medicine fit for the body alone,
But Abu 'Imran's for both body and mind.
Had the Medicine of the Time on him come to call,
Through knowledge he would have cured it of
ignorance's ills.
Had the
ripening moon his counsel
required,
She could attain the
perfection to which she aspired.
The day of the full-moon he would cure her of
spots,
And save her from waning
at the end of her month.
*
Numbers in parentheses indicate references listed on page 14.
3
BAR-SELA, HOFF,
FARIS: MOSES MAIMONIDES
The books of al-Ra'is Musa are the extracts of the
sixteen books of Galen, a treatise on hemorrhoids and their
treatment, a treatise on the regimen of health compiled
for al-Malik al-Afdal 'Ali ibn al-Malik al-Ndair
$alab
al-
Din Yfisuf ibn Ayyfub, a treatise on poisons and protection
against lethal drugs, a book in explanation of drugs, and a
large book on the religion of the Jews.
Ibrahim ibn al-Ra'is Misa is Abf al-Mani Ibrahim ibn
al-Ra'is Miusa ibn Maymun, born in Fustat, Egypt. He
was a famous physician, knowledgeable in the Art of
Medicine and excellent in its practice. He was in attend-
ance on al-Malik al-Kamil Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr ibn
Ayyfub. He also went frequently from the palace to the
hospital
in Cairo, and treated the sick there. I met him
in the year six hundred and thirty one or thirty two
(1233-4) when I was practicing
in the hospital there.
I found him a tall old man, thin of body, handsome in
appearance, pleasant-spoken,
and discriminating
in medi-
cine. Ibrahim ibn al-Ra'is Mfisa died in
Egypt
in the
year six hundred thirty . . .
(missing).
Ibn Abi
Usaybi'ah's narrative, wanting
in both
details and scope, leaves much to be desired, and in the
absence of better
contemporary biographies,
informa-
tion about Maimonides' life had to be drawn from
other sources such as his
correspondence
with his
students and followers, and the writings
of others who
knew him. Many of these sources, though
written by
contemporaries,
are questionable. Typical
of these
is a narrative, found in MS.
Opp.
Add. 8?36 of the
British Museum, written by an unknown person
who
identifies himself as follows: "I, who write this letter,
am from Tulitula and
my birthplace
is
Spain;
I also
escaped
. . . and left Tulitula in the year
4946
(1186)
. . .and went to the land of Fez." Thus this author
is a
Spaniard
who sought refuge
from
persecution
in
Fez, only twenty-five years
after Maimonides did the
same. His narrative contains only
a few
biographical
details about Maimonides, and these are often in con-
flict with well-established facts, while most of the work
is devoted to a
description
of a fanciful and chimerical
letter, said to have been written
by
Maimonides to a
certain Isaac,
son of Nathan, which
appears
to be both
apocalyptic
and
apocryphal.
It is apparent
that even in his own lifetime, legends
and fables obscured the
image
of Maimonides the man,
and made it difficult to understand him and his
contributions in terms of his
personality;
too
many
questions
remain unanswered if not unanswerable.
This is even more apparent
with
respect
to Maimon-
ides the
physician;
in fact,
in the
eyes
of later
genera-
tions his
religious
and
philosophical
contributions
outshone those in medicine to such an extent that
many
students of his works, while aware of his fame
as a
physician,
were totally
unfamiliar with the nature
and the
scope
of his medical contributions.
Rabbi Moses Maimonides was born in Cordova,
Spain,
the seat of the Western
Caliphate,
on March 30,
1135; his father and mentor was a well-known scholar
and author in the
Jewish community
that flourished
there
(53).
It is
believed, though
not
proven,
that
the Maimon family
were descendents of the House of
David (53, 55). Little is known of Maimonides' early
life and education, but, judging by his later works, he
was
thoroughly tutored in mathematics, astronomy
and astrology, medicine, philosophy, theology, and
Jewish studies. Undoubtedly, it was the latter sub-
ject which captured young Maimonides' fancy, and to
this he devoted most of his time and energy.
It is not clear where and with whom Maimonides
studied medicine, although there is no doubt that he
acquired the foundation of his art in the West. In his
Regimen of Health he states, in support of a
prescrip-
tion, "this is what we have received from the Elders
of the Art," and, again, in his Treatise on Accidents
he states, "thus we have seen the outstanding Elders
do in the land of Andalusia," but he does not mention
these Elders by name. Some authors claim him as a
student of Abu Marwan ibn Zuhr
(Avenzoar;
1091-
1162),
who lived in
Spain, while others place him as a
student of Ibn Rushd
(Averroes; 1126-1198),
himself
a Cordovan and
only ten years older than Maimonides.
Maimonides himself, however, claims neither as his
teacher. He frequently refers to the venerable ibn
Zuhr, but he makes little mention of Ibn Rushd. In
his treatise on asthma
(44),
he records an incident
involving Ibn Zuhr, but he states that he heard it
from his son Abu Bakr with whom he was acquainted.
Thus, while there is no doubt that Maimonides was
well acquainted with the works of these two masters
of the school of medicine of the Western Caliphate,
the exact source of his medical education is not yet
established (17, 41, 57).
In 1148 Cordova, along
with the rest of Moorish
Spain, was conquered by the al-Muw'ahhidin (Almo-
hades), a sect of unitarian Moslem zealots. An era
of
religious intolerance and
persecution ensued, and
the Jews were often given the choice of conversion to
Islam or exile. Choosing the latter, Maimon's family
escaped
in 1160 to the city of Fez, Morocco, and
spent
a few years there, apparently disguised as Moslems.
There is no evidence whatsoever supporting
Ibn Abi
Usaybi'ah's claim that Maimonides ever accepted
Islam. In fact, it was during that time that he en-
dangered
his own life by publishing
his
Iggeret
ha-
SHemad, the Epistle on
Apostasy, following which his
family
fled Fez and in 1165 arrived in
Acre, Pales-
tine
(53). According
to the British Museum manu-
script cited above, Moses' father voluntarily
left for
Fez so that his children might study under the great
Rabbi
Judah ha-Kohen; then, when Rabbi Judah died
a
martyr's death, they
fled to Palestine.
Their
sojourn
in Palestine was brief, and they
finally sought refuge
in
Egypt. Maimon, the father,
died on the last stage
of their journey, and in 1165
Moses and his brother David settled in Fustat
(old
Cairo). According
to the above-mentioned manu-
script, the father died in
Jerusalem,
while according
to others he died in Fustat (18, 53, 57).
While David turned to commerce, Maimonides con-
4
[TRANS.
AMER. PHIL. SOC.
TWO TREATISES ON THE REGIMEN OF HEALTH
tinued to devote his time to his studies, and in 1168
he published
his first major religious work, Kitdb al-
Siraj, a commentary on the Mishnah. By that time
he was already known through
his treatises on the
Art of Logic
and the Jewish Calendar (published
in
1151 and 1158,
respectively),
and was recognized in
Egypt as an authority on Jewish subjects. When his
brother David perished
in the Indian Ocean not long
after the settlement in Cairo, Maimonides had to earn
his livelihood in order to sustain himself and his
brother's family. Refusing to accept remuneration
for rabbinical
duties,
he turned to the only other
profession he knew-medicine
(15,
18).
Maimonides' endeavors in his new occupation
proved successful, and within a short time he attracted
the attention of the Vizier
al-Qadi
al-Falil al-Baysani,
who obtained his services and introduced him to the
court of al-'Adid, the last of the Fatimid Imams of
Egypt. When the latter was deposed
in 1171, the
capable Vizier, who retained his
high office, introduced
Maimonides to the court of the new Sultan, $aldab
al-Din (Saladin) (38, 41). The details of Maimonides'
rise to medical fame are not altogether clear. Frieden-
wald
(18)
fixes his
appointment
to Saladin's court at
a much later date, while Zeitlin
(65)
maintains that
Maimonides lingered a few years
in Alexandria and did
not settle in Fustat until 1171, which appears
to pre-
clude the
possibility
of his
appointment
to the court
of al-'Adid.
Maimonides' fame as a
physician
had
spread,
and
he was now occupied
from morning
till
night attending
the court of Saladin, and catering
to a wide clientele.
In addition to his
practice,
he was
appointed by
Saladin a
Nagid
over the
Jewish community
of
Egypt,
a position
similar to that of the Exilarch in
Babylonia
who was a direct descendant of the House of David
(21,
38). So
heavy
was the burden on his shoulders, that
in a letter to his friend and translator Ibn Tibbon, he
wrote, in order to dissuade him from coming for a visit,
"I converse with and prescribe
for them while
lying
down from sheer fatigue,
and when
night
falls I am so
exhausted that I can scarcely speak" (18).
The
reputation
of Maimonides was
apparently
so
great that he received an invitation to become the
personal physician
of a
"Sovereign
of the Franks in
Ascalon," thought to be Richard Coeur de Lion, who
heard of him from Saladin's brother al-'Adil (41).
Maimonides must have declined the invitation, for it
is known that he never again
left
Egypt.
Nonethe-
less, it has been suggested
that the portrayal
of the
Hakim in Scott's Talisman was drawn after Mai-
monides
(11).
His medical practice notwithstanding, Maimonides
continued to
pursue
his
religious
and
philosophical
studies, and in 1180, he published
his
major religious
work, the Mishneh Torah,
in which he
organized,
edited, summarized, and codified the immense collec-
tion of laws, customs, opinions,
and regulations found
in the Talmud. This was no minor task, and by this
contribution alone, Maimonides earned himself im-
mortality. The
proverb still
prevails, "from Moses
to Moses there was no one like Moses." Composed of
fourteen books, the Mishneh Torah is often referred
to as Yad
ha-.Iazaqah,
The Mighty Hand, since the
Hebrew letters yod and dalet which made up the word
yad (hand)
have the numerical value of fourteen.
Maimonides himself was called Ba'al Yad
ha-Hazaqah,
Master of the Mighty Hand, in allusion to the very
last sentence of the Torah (Deuteronomy 34:
12),
"And in all the mighty hand and in all the great terror
which Moses wrought
in the sight of all Israel."
In 1190 he published the Daldlat al-.Hayrin, The
Guide to the Perplexed, the crown of his
philosophical
achievements. This was an attempt to reconcile
Jewish thought and Aristotelian philosophy, a phil-
osophical
feat that was greatly acclaimed and often
quoted by Christian scholastics, as well as by Jewish
and Moslem scholars, and the influence of which
reached into the
age
of Spinoza and Kant as well as
into our own
age
(7, 55, 56).
As his reputation
as a physician and a healer spread,
Maimonides had to devote more and more time to his
practice at the expense of what he considered his
prime
interest. In a letter to Rabbi Jonathan of Lunel he
wrote:
Before I was formed in the belly the Torah knew me, and
ere I came forth from the womb she had sanctified me for
its studies, and ordained me to spread wide its fountain.
She is my beloved doe, and the wife of my youth whose
love I have followed ever since. Nevertheless, many
foreign women became her rivals . . . and God knows
that at first they were not taken except to be her anointers,
cooks and bakers, to show the people and the nobles her
beauty
. . . now I have become remiss in
my duty to this
marriage, for my heart is divided among the various
sciences . . . (MS. Add. 27, 129, fol. 117-8; British
Museum).
Among these "foreign women" medicine was the fore-
most, and the one most
demanding
of his time. He
was now ailing;
in that same letter he noted:
my illness lingered for nearly a year, and now that I have
recovered, I am like a sick man no longer
in
danger.
Most
of the day
I recline in bed with the burden of the people
upon my neck, regarding matters of medicine, weakening
my strength. They do not leave me alone for an hour,
neither in the day nor at night, and what can I do now
that my reputation has spread in many countries . . . ?
Apparently,
he was never in sound health, and had
always been weak and ailing.
In his letter to al-Afdal,
the second treatise in this translation, he noted that
"the badness of his
original temperament
and the
weakness of his natural build-if when young
how
much more so in old
age-stood
between him and
many pleasures."
It was only during the last two decades of his life
that Maimonides devoted time to medical writing.
Not
only
was he well read and familiar with the works
VOL.
54,
PT.
4, 1964] 5
BAR-SELA, HOFF,
FARIS: MOSES MAIMONIDES
of the leading Greek and Arabic physicians
and
philosophers,
but he must have had a phenomenal
memory if we are to consider his mastery of the
voluminous Talmud together
with the abundance of
quotations found in his medical writings.
As noted
by Ibn Abi Usaybi'ah, Maimonides was known not
only for his vast knowledge of theory, but for his
mastery of the practical
art as well. It is with this
in mind that his writings should be viewed, for Mai-
monides has provided us with the very best of Arabic
medicine, both in
theory and in
practice,
and with a
selective view of Greek medicine through
its Arabic
transformation, "tempered
with rational criticism
based on direct observation" (57).
In essence, Maimonides was an adherent of Hip-
pocrates
and especially Galen, and it is only within
the framework of Galenical physiology
and medicine
that his works can be properly evaluated and ap-
preciated.
He was not, however, a mere disciple
echoing
the voice of his masters, but a critical student
who carefully examined and evaluated whatever he
learned in theory and in
practice,
and who did not
hesitate to offer and present
constructive criticism,
even of Galen, a virtue not too well
appreciated
in
those days (15, 39, 57).
In view of his mastery of the
Talmud, the absence of references to Talmudic
medicine in Maimonides' medical compositions ap-
pears
to be a convincing proof
that he was a funda-
mental Galenist.
Unlike most of his
contemporaries
and predecessors,
Maimonides had no respect
for magic and superstition,
and had no use whatever for astrology,
which he had
studied himself (52).
In his celebrated letter to the
Rabbis of Montpellier (MS. Add. 14,763, fol. 160-2;
British Museum) he stated that, "it seems to me that
there is not a thing on this subject left in the world
written in Arabic or translated from other languages
but that I read it, understood its subjects
and fath-
omed its meaning." Maimonides distinguished clearly
between astronomy and astrology.
"Know ye my
masters," he stated in this letter, "that the science of
the stars [i.e., astronomy]
is a true science." As-
trology,
on the other hand, was "not a matter of
science, but sheer stupidity."
He further noted that
"the sages
of Greece and the philosophers
. . . and
also the
sages
of Persia realized and understood that
all this . . . was folly
and deceit." "It behooves
man," wrote Maimonides,
to believe only
in one of three things.
The first is that for
which there is a clear proof from man's reason such as
mathematics . . .
;
the second is that which is
perceived
by man through
one of the five senses, such as knowing
with certainty that something is black or red . . .
;
the
third is that which is received by man from the prophets
or the sages. .... It is said of him who believes in
any-
thing which is not one of these three, "a fool believes
anything."
One can only conjecture whether it was the
phi-
losopher that dominated over the physician,
or the
physician-scientist
who guided
the philosopher, but
there is no doubt that there was no compartmentation
in his life; he
preached
what he believed to be true, and
he practiced what he preached. Medicine, religion,
and
philosophy
were always closely interwoven in his
works (20, 54,
56).
This unified approach
is well
exemplified
in his
major religious work, the Mishneh
Torah, wherein he states (Book 1, Chap. 4, A):
"Whereas by keeping
the body in sound health one
walks in the ways of God, for a man knows not nor
understands when ill, a man must remove himself
away from those things that destroy the body...."
On the twentieth of Tevet, 1204, Moshe ben Mai-
mon died in Fustat. Having left no instructions for
his burial, so the legend goes,
his coffin was put on a
camel and the animal was let loose while the mourners
followed. The camel went without stopping
for food,
water, or rest for seven days and seven nights, through
the desert, from Egypt
to Palestine. The camel at
last stopped on the shores of the Lake of Galilee out-
side the city of Tiberias, and there Maimoides was
buried. His
grave
still stands there, and pilgrims
still come to
pay homage to the great
teacher. For
three days, the people
of Egypt and Palestine mourned
the death of Maimonides. In recognition
of his
stature and authority, a passage
from the Prophets
(1 Samuel 4) was read in public (53), concluding with
the words, "the glory is
departed
from Israel, for the
Ark of God is taken."
All the medical works of Maimonides were written
in Arabic. In view of his mastery of the Hebrew, as
seen in the Mishneh Torah, this can only be explained
on the basis of the role of Arabic as the language
of
science and philosophy
of his
age.
Ibn Abi Usaybi'ah
lists
only five medical works of Maimonides: (a) ex-
tracts from Galen; (b) on hemorrhoids;
(c)
on the
regimen of health; (d) on poisons;
and (e) a work
in
explanation of drugs. Steinschneider
(61)
enu-
merates eight compositions;
Macht
(32,
33), on the
other hand, lists sixteen works, while Rabbinowicz
(35)
lists seventeen.
The authenticity
of some of the works attributed to
Maimonides is
open
to question. Such is the brief
collection of fifty aphorisms,
said to have been written
by
the author for his son, which was published
in
Hebrew by Grossberg (34).
These are actually
excerpts
from the
Regimen
which are
appended
in MS.
Add. 27,089 of the British Museum to what
purports
to be Maimonides' will; the authenticity
of this will
is doubtful and its contents are questionable.
An-
other work attributed to Maimonides which is often
cited,
is the Tractatus de Causis et Indiciis Morborum,
claimed to be an Arabic translation of a work which
had been originally written in Hebrew. The at-
tribution of this work to Maimonides, long
under
question (15, 16),
has finally
been
proven
false
by
Levy (30).
Nor has the authorship of the now
famous Maimonides' Daily Prayer of
a
Physician
been
6 [TRANS.
AMER. PHIL. SOC.
TWO TREATISES ON THE REGIMEN OF HEALTH
7
satisfactorily established
(6, 23). The only thing re-
sembling a
"physician's prayer" which we could find,
was a
poetical hodge-podge found in the
University
Library of Leiden (MS. Or. 4479, fol. 150). This
"prayer," entitled The
Prayer of
the Rabbi Moses, is
largely made up of
phrases and sentences drawn from
several
compositions by Maimonides, but is
obviously
not what it claims to be.
Excluding the medical subjects discussed in the
Mishneh Torah and his other
religious and
philo-
sophical compositions, only ten works have been well
preserved and authenticated. These ten, known to
be those of Maimonides, are the
following:
1. al-Mukhtasardt-The Extracts
This is a
carefully selected collection
compiled
from
the various works of Galen. Of the extracts of the
sixteen books
reported by
Ibn Abi
Usaybi' ah
only
a
few are extant and
only
in Arabic. Three of these
books are found in MS. Arab. 6231 in
Ttibingen.
Several other
fragments
are contained in MS. Casiri
798 at the Escorial, and in MS. Hebreux 1203 of the
Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris. The
fragments
in the
latter
manuscript
are written in Hebrew
script
and
are bound
randomly
with other medical works.
According to Barzel
(4),
the content of the Paris and
Escorial
manuscripts
is the same, and
they appear
to
be
segments
of a
larger composition, parts
of which
are lost. The
excerpts
translated and
published by
Barzel under the title The Art
of Cure, give
the
impression
that this is Maimonides' own work and
not extracts from Galen. Careful examination of
these
manuscripts, however, revealed that
except
for
the extracts of the Art
of Cure, which are found in
both, they contain different
parts
of the Mukhtasarat.
IWflat al-Bard', the Art of
Cure,
is in fact the title of
the Arabic translation of a book
by
Galen which was
also
abundantly quoted by
Maimonides in his Medical
Aphorisms. The Extracts were
apparently very
popular
and much used as a
"digest"
of Galen's
work
(48),
but no translation into either Hebrew or
Latin is known.
2. Fusul Mzusa f al-.Tibb-The Medical
Aphorisms
of
Moses
This book, composed between 1187 and
1190,
was
perhaps
the most
popular
of Maimonides' medical
compositions,
as attested
by
the numerous
copies
of
the Arabic, Hebrew,
and Latin versions found in
many
European
libraries. The book was translated twice
into Hebrew; by Zeralb.yah
ben
Yiz4laq
ben Shealtiel
Hen (Gracian)
in Rome in 1277,
and
by Natan
Hameati, again
in
Rome,
in 1280. An edited version
of these translations was
published by
Muntner in
1959
(46).
The Latin translation entitled
Aphorismi
Secundum Doctrinam Galeni was made
by John
de
Capua
toward the end of the thirteenth
century.
This
composition contains over
1,500 aphorisms, most of
which are drawn from Galen. Muntner
(49)
lists 87
works of Galen quoted in the Aphorisms. In
addition,
Maimonides
quotes several Arab writers such as Ibn
Zuhr, al-Tamimi, Ibn Wafid, Ibn Ridwan and al-
Farabi. These
aphorisms, to which Maimonides
added his own as well as
commentary and
interpreta-
tions, are edited, systemized and combined into
twenty-five chapters. Of these the most
interesting
are the last two.
Chapter 24 deals with unusual oc-
currences, and with
subjects considered by the author
to be without
foundation, while the last
chapter,
revised and rewritten just before its author's death in
1204, is devoted in toto to the author's doubts and
criticism of Galen
(39).
3.
Shar.
Fusul
Abuqrdt-A Commentary on the
Aphorisms of
Hippocrates
Divided into seven books, this work contains Mai-
monides'
commentary on the
Aphorisms of
Hip-
pocrates as
they were translated into Arabic
by
HIunayn ibn
Isbaq. Written after the Aphorisms of
Moses, the work exists in
only two known Arabic
manuscripts, both of which are
incomplete. Accord-
ing
to Muntner (47) and Steinschneider (60), there are
two Hebrew translations, one made
by Moses ibn
Tibbon in 1257 and the other
by an unknown
person.
Having examined several Hebrew
manuscripts we were
able to
identify three
distinctly independent trans-
lations, and not two, all made from the Arabic
(3).
It was not translated into any European language
except the introduction and the
commentary on the
first
aphorism, which were translated into German
(48)
and English (3), respectively. An edited version of
the Hebrew translation was
published in 1961 by
Muntner (47).
4. Fi al-Jim2'a-On Coitus
Two treatises on sexual
hygiene and
aphrodisiac
remedies are attributed to Maimonides. The
longer
of the two was written at the
request of al-Muzaffar
ibn
Ayyfub, Sultan
(1179-1192)
of
Hama, Syria; no
Hebrew or Latin translations of this work are known.
The second treatise, written
apparently for another
nobleman
(60),
was translated into Hebrew, once by
Z. Hen and the second time by an
anonymous trans-
lator; a Latin
translation, titled De Coitu, was
ap-
parently
made from the Hebrew. The Arabic text
of the first treatise and the two Hebrew versions of the
second, together with a German
translation, were
published by
Kroner in 1906
(43). An inaccurate and
unreliable
English translation, made from Kroner's
work, was
published
in 1961
by Gorlin
(19).
5. Fl al-Bawasir-On Hemorrhoids
This brief treatise on the management and treat-
ment of hemorrhoids was
composed ca. 1187 at the
VOL.
54,
PT.
4, 1964]
BAR-SELA, HOFF,
FARIS: MOSES MAIMONIDES
request
of an unidentified
youth
of
prominent and
renowned descent
(10).
The book was translated into
Hebrew, Latin, and
Spanish; the identities of the
translators are not known. A German translation
was made by
Kroner and an
English
translation from
the German was
published by Bragman (10).
6.
Maqalah fi
al-Rabi--A Discourse on Asthma
This treatise includes not only a consideration of
asthma, its
symptoms,
treatment and
prevention,
but
a general discussion of the
regimen
of the
body
and
soul as well. Written ca. 1190, it was translated to the
Latin by Armengaud
Blasius of
Montpellier
in
1302,
and some twenty years later, from the Latin to the
Hebrew, by
Rabbi Samuel Benvenishti. Another
Hebrew translation, apparently
made toward the end
of the fourteenth
century directly
from the Arabic,
is
attributed to Joshua Schatibi
(44, 56).
An edited
version of the Benvenishti translation was
published
in 1940 by Muntner (41).
7. Kitdb al-Sumzum wa-al-Muta.harriz min
al-Adwiyah
al-Qittdlah-A
Book on Poisons and the Protection
Against
Lethal
Drugs
Written in 1198 at the
request
of Maimonides' bene-
factor, the above mentioned Vizier
al-Fadil,
this
treatise contains a discussion of
organic
and
inorganic
poisons, their toxicity, antidotes, and
remedies, as well
as general
advice for
emergency
measures. The book
was translated into
Hebrew,
first
by
Ibn Tibbon and
the second time
by
an
anonymous translator
(59).
A
Latin translation, titled De
Venenis,
was made
by
John de
Capua,
and not
by
Blasius as
reported by
Muntner (48).
It was translated into French
by
Rabbinowicz
(35),
and into German
by
Stein-
schneider
(59).
An
English translation from the
German was
published by Bragman (9).
8. Sharh Asmd'
al-'Uqqdr-A Commentary
on the
Names of
Drugs
This work, cited by Ibn Abi
Usaybi'ah, was
long
thought
to be lost or
apocryphal until its recent dis-
covery by
Ritter in the
library
of the
Aya
Sofia
mosque
of Istanbul
(41). Curiously enough,
this
manuscript
was
copied by
the
very
hand of the noted
Arabic
pharmacist,
Ibn al-Baitar,
a
contemporary
of
Maimonides' son Abraham (38, 41).
The Arabic text,
together with a French translation, was
published
in
1940 by Meyerhof (40).
This
composition
contains
some 2,000 names of
drugs
in an
alphabetical
list
composed of 405 paragraphs. The drug names are
given
in Arabic, Greek, Persian, Berber, and Spanish
with brief definitions, descriptions, or comments by
the author. Meyerhof (41)
considers it puzzling
that
Maimonides did not include Hebrew terms in this
glossary,
since this
practice
was not uncommon
among
Arabic
pharmacists.
9. Fl Tadblr
al-.SiMah-On
the Regimen of Health
The subject of the present translation, this work was
written at the behest of al-Malik al-Afdal Nfir al-Din
'All, the ill-fated son of the illustrious Salah al-Din
(Saladin).
The exact date of its
composition is not
clear, but it was certainly written sometime between
1193, the year of Saladin's death and 1198, when
al-Afdal was dethroned by his uncle al-'Adil Sayf
al-Din, the
Saphadin of the Crusades. The nature of
this work and the circumstances of its
composition are
best explained by the author himself in his own
introduction.
10.
Maqalahfi
Baydn Ba'd al-A 'rdd wa-al-Jawdb 'anhd
-A Treatise in Elucidation of Some Accidents
and the
Response to it.
This treatise, also the subject of the present trans-
lation, was written, like the
Regimen, at the
request
of al-Afdal. Unlike the Regimen it is not a discourse
on a general topic such as the regimen of health, but
rather a
compilation of detailed and often elaborate
answers to
specific questions posed by the
ailing prince
to his
trustworthy and famous physician.
The title of this treatise is in doubt, as neither of the
two extant Arabic
manuscripts bears an original title.
A later hand titled one of them (MS. A2)
maqalah fi
baydn ba'd al-a'rdd
wa-al-jawdb
'anhd-a treatise in
elucidation of some accidents and the response to it.
As can be seen in the
introductory paragraph of the
text, this title is
misleading since the treatise does not
contain an elucidation of accidents, but rather the
response
of the author to a letter containing such an
elucidation. The
misleading title has resulted in a
certain confusion in the literature regarding the proper
identification of this work and its contents. Only
recently,
in a review of the Hebrew edition of two of
Maimonides' medical works, Levey (29) mistook the
Arabic title of this treatise for that of the
Regimen,
and
consequently confused Kroner's German trans-
lation of this work with the translation of the Regimen.
The Hebrew
manuscript (MS. H6) bears a title cor-
rectly identifying this work as teshuvot 'al she'lot
peratiot-answers to
personal questions. Time, how-
ever, has sanctioned the
misleading Arabic title and
the
equally misleading Latin title De Causis A cci-
dentium, and we had no recourse but to keep the title
so often cited in the literature.
The date of the composition of the treatise on
Accidents has not been established, but the numerous
references to the Regimen contained in the text leave
no doubt that it was written after the
Regimen. The
lack of
any references to
royalty or
any acknowledg-
ment of al-Afd. al as
king, as in the Regimen, strongly
suggests that this work was written after the deposi-
tion of al-Afd. al by his uncle al-'Adil. Thus it appears
that this work was
composed after 1199; indeed, it
may well have been the last medical work written by
8 [TRANS.
AMER. PHIL. SOC.
TWO TREATISES ON THE REGIMEN OF HEALTH
Maimonides, with the
exception
of the last
chapter
of
his
Aphorisms, which he revised and rewrote
just prior
to his death in 1204
(41, 48).
The statements of
Kroner (27), Steinschneider
(60),
and Muntner
(48)
identifying al-Afdal as
king
of
Riqqah,
and the
speculations
of these authors about the
presumable
location of this
place
are interesting
and
amusing
in
that they are based
upon
a
misreading
of the Arabic
text. The
expressions
malik
riqqihl (MS. Al)
and
malik
al-riqq
(MS. A2), meaning
the holder
of
his
bondage,
are honorific
acknowledgments.
To
identify
these phrases as
meaning
malik
al-riqqah,
the
king
of
Riqqah,
is inadmissible for two reasons. First, the
word is malik (holder), and not malik
(king); second,
the scribe of MS. Al has made it
very
clear that the
second word does not designate
a
place
called
riqqah,
by adding vowels which
definitely
establish the word
as
riqqihi (his bondage). The
expression
malik
al-riqq
(MS. A2) is
merely
a variation of malik
riqqihi.
Like all of Maimonides' medical
compositions,
both
treatises were written in
Arabic,
the
language
of
science and medicine of his
age.
Together, they
are
preserved
in toto in
only two known
manuscripts,
both
of which are at the Bodleian
Library,
Oxford:
Al: MS. Pocock 313
(Regimen: fol. 3r-33v; Accidents:
fol. 33v-53v)
This
manuscript
was written in 1340 in clear large
Arabic script,
17 lines to the
page,
and is
very
well
preserved.
Of interest is the
flowery epilogue
of the
scribe: ". . . Muhammed ibn 'Ali ibn Abfi
al-Qasmir
ibn Khalil, born in Damietta and of the Shafiite sect.
May
God forgive him, his
parents,
and him who
studies this book, and
may
he be blessed for the re-
pentance
of
transgressions
and the fear of the
Day
he
is called for reckoning.
The
completion
of the trans-
cription
coincides with the
morning
of
Monday
the
twelfth of
al-Muharram,
of the months of the
year
forty
one and seven hundreds
(1340). May
God
render good
its
conclusion, and
may
we end it in
goodness."
A2: MS. Hunt 427
(Regimen: fol. 62r-80r; Accidents:
fol. 80-91v)
This
manuscript
was written in the second half of
the fourteenth
century
in a clear and
precise
Arabic
script,
19 lines to the
page.
The
manuscript
is com-
plete
and
very well
preserved.
A later hand titled
the Regimen
as
maqalah fi habs al-tabi'ah-A Treatise
on
Constipation,
and
gave
the Accidents the above
mentioned
lengthy
and
misleading
title. This manu-
script
contains an
interesting postscript
added
by
the
scribe: "This is the
writing
of the
slave, destitute for
the mercy
of his
Lord, Abii al-Hasan-be there
dignity
to the writer, may
God
pardon
him and
forgive
his
parents-completed by transcription from,
and
by
comparison with, the original." The last statement
is indeed intriguing, since this
manuscript appears to
be more accurate than the
preceding
one.
The other two Arabic
manuscripts
utilized in this
work were written in Hebrew
script,
a
practice not:
uncommon among Jewish scribes copying Arabic
works. Both of these
manuscripts contain
only the
Regimen.
A3: MS. EMC 789
(fol. lr-18r), of the
Library of the
Jewish Theological Seminary of America, New
York.
Bound alone in a thin volume of nineteen folios, this
manuscript
is believed to have been written ca. 1490.
It is well preserved, but the
script is small, 21 to 25
lines to the page, often not clear, and not well executed.
There are numerous corrections and omissions and
many sentences and
phrases are condensed. The
tenth and the thirteenth
chapters of the fourth tract
are inserted in the midst of the third tract
preceding
the discussion of the passions of the
psyche, while the
fifth
chapter of the fourth tract is omitted
altogether.
The work is introduced by a statement
composed of
Hebrew and Arabic phrases: "In the name of the Lord,
God of the Universe. An
Epistle on Medicine by our
Rabbi Moses ben Maimon, blessed is the
memory of
the righteous."
A4: MS. Hebreux 1202
(fol. 80v-121r)
of the Biblio-
thWque
Nationale, Paris.
This
manuscript was written in 1466 in
large and
clear Hebrew
script,
17 lines to the
page. It is the
only
one of the Arabic texts that is
clearly divided into
paragraphs,
the first word of each
being written in
large letters. The work is introduced by the state-
ment: "In the Name of Allah, the Merciful, the Com-
passionate; by
Him we are aided, Amen. This is the
most excellent treatise of our lord and master Mfusa
ibn Maymuin on medicine." Here, too, the fifth
chapter
of the fourth tract was omitted, and many
phrases and sentences were condensed or altered.
Edited versions of the Arabic texts of both treatises
were
published by Kroner
together with a German
translation; the
Regimen
in 1923-1925
(26),
and the
Accidents in 1928
(27). Unfortunately, Kroner had
access to
only
one Arabic
manuscript (Al), which, in
the case of the
Regimen, he edited in accordance with
the Hebrew translation, several versions of which were
available in
Germany. For this reason, both the
edition of the Arabic text of the
Regimen and its
subsequent German translation were
strongly in-
fluenced
by
the Hebrew version.
The
Regimen was translated into Hebrew in Prov-
ence,
in
1244, by Moses ibn Tibbon of the famous
family
of
physicians, scholars and
translators, all
named Ibn Tibbon. Six Hebrew manuscripts con-
9 VOL.
54,
PT.
4, 1964J
BAR-SELA, HOFF,
FARIS: MOSES MAIMONIDES
taining this translation were utilized:
HI: MS. Opp. 685 (fol. 142r-178r) of the Bodleian
Library, Oxford.
This manuscript
was written in 5135
(1375)
in a
clear and large rabbinical script, 17-19 lines to the
page,
and is well preserved except
for a few places
where the ink has partially
faded.
H2: MS. Opp. Add. 4? 108 (fol. 185r-198v) of the same
library.
Written in 5244
(1484)
in clear rabbinical script,
29 lines to the page,
the manuscript is well preserved
except
for the last 3 folios which were damaged by
moisture.
H3: MS. Or. Quat.
545
(fol. 33r-41v) of
the Uni-
versitdtsbibliothek, Tiibingen.
This manuscript
written early
in the fourteenth
century,
is
beautifully
executed with clear scriptural
writing,
37 lines to the
page.
It is well preserved,
but
the ink has faded considerably although
it is still
legible.
H4: MS. Or. Quat.
836
(fol.
52r-65v) of
the same
library.
This manuscript
was written in the fifteenth century
in German rabbinical (Rashi) script,
24-26 lines to the
page.
It differs from all other manuscripts
in that it
is divided into twenty
tracts instead of the
customary
four;
the 17
chapters
of the fourth tract were listed
as independent
tracts.
H5: Cod. Hebr. I11 (fol. 84r-93r) of
the
Bayerischen
Staatsbibliothek, Munich.
Written in 5090
(1330)
in a beautiful
Spanish
rabbinical script,
38-40 lines to the
page,
this old
manuscript
is
very
well
preserved.
H6: MS. Hebreux 1191
(fol. 73r-88v) of
the Biblio-
thUque
Nationale,
Paris.
Written in the fifteenth
century
in a clear rabbinical
script,
31 lines to the
page,
this
manuscript
is well
preserved.
All these manuscripts
contain the translation of Ibn
Tibbon,
and are essentially
the same. The Hebrew
version is a
relatively
free translation replete
with
inaccuracies, deletions, confusing statements,
and
explanatory
comments that are not found in the
Arabic texts. Of
special
interest is the
epilogue
found
in three of the Hebrew manuscripts (H2, 4, 5):
This is the treatise composed by
the
great Rabbi,
teacher of righteousness,
our master Moses,
the Servant of
God, ibn Maimon-blessed is the
memory
of the
righteous
-for a certain king of the Ishmaelites. And I, Moses son
of Samuel son of Judah ibn Tibbon, have translated it in
the year 5004
(1244)
from a book so inaccurate that I was
obliged to add words in various places in order to complete
the contents; I was so besought by one of my honorable
friends to translate it, that I could not refuse him. If I
am not worthy in one of the two tongues, especially having
translated it from an inaccurate book, may the Lord atone
for me. Amen.
The scribe who copied MS. H4 commented caus-
tically at the conclusion of the treatise: "Completed
is the treatise composed by Rambam, of blessed
memory, for one of the Kings of the Ishmaelites. It
was translated by
the Sage Rabbi Moses son of Rabbi
Samuel ben Tibbon, of blessed memory, who said what
is said by unworthy translators who find inaccurate
books; the Lord knows the truth of their thoughts."
A later hand added Ibn Tibbon's epilogue
on the
margin.
The Hebrew translation, edited by S. Muntner, was
published
in 1957
(45).
This text is profusely edited,
but almost completely
without any indication of the
source or basis for the many additions, deletions,
interpretations,
and interpolations.
We were there-
fore unable to utilize this text because it is impossible
to distinguish
textual variations from editorial inter-
polations
without resort to the original manuscripts.
Upon completion
of the
preliminary translation, we
chanced upon an English version of the Regimen by
H. L. Gordon, under the misleading title, The Pres-
ervation of
Youth (Philosophical Library, N. Y., 1958).
This work is claimed to be a translation "from the
original
Arabic." To
expound the exact nature of
this free, indiscriminate, and inaccurate translation
and its source, it is sufficient to point out that a
printer's error, through which lines 9 and 10 of page 54
of Muntner's book (45) were transposed, rendering
this passage incomprehensible,
was perpetuated
on
page
53 of Gordon's product.
The treatise on Accidents was translated into
Hebrew by an unknown person,
and only a few frag-
ments have survived in a single manuscript, found in
the Universitatsbibliothek,
Tiibingen:
H4: MS. Orient. Quat. 836
(fol.
116v-119r)
This manuscript,
which contains the Regimen,
as
well as several other medical works by Maimonides,
was described above. The treatise on Accidents is
introduced with the following
statement: "These are
greatly
beneficial answers of Rambam,
of blessed
memory,
to personal questions
asked of him by one
of the kings
in order to decide among the opinions
of the physicians
who were in
disagreement;
some of
them are written here with the aid of God." Aware
that these were only fragments
of a
larger work, the
scribe added a
postscript stating: "Behold, this I have
found of the great Rabbi, the Ram
(i.e.,
Rabbi Moses)
of blessed memory;
whatever else my soul has sought,
I have not found."
10
[TRANS.
AMER. PHIL. SOC.
TWO TREATISES ON THE REGIMEN OF HEALTH
Both the Regimen and the treatise on Accidents
were translated into Latin, in which
language they
are usually titled De
Regimine
Sanitatis and De Causis
Accidentium, respectively, with the latter often
ap-
pended to the Regimen as a continuation thereof.
The translation was made by John de Capua, an
apostate Jew, at the behest of a certain Guilhelmus de
Brixia who is identified by the translator as a physician
to the
Pope (MS. L2, fol. 206v).
The date of the translation is not certain. Stein-
schneider
(60)
states that the various translations of
John de Capua were made between 1262 and 1278,
but there is no doubt that this translation was
executed considerably later, since Pope B. VIII,
mentioned in De Capua's introduction which is cited
below, could only be Boniface VIII who
reigned from
1294 to 1303. A note, in honor Bened. VIII, added
by
a later hand on the
margin of MS. L4 is
obviously
incorrect, since it can hardly refer to Benedetto
Gaetano, the given name of Boniface VIII, and it can-
not possibly refer to Benedict VIII who was
pope from
1012 to 1024. A further clue to the identity of the
pope
in
question is
provided by the illumination of
the first page of the translation, contained in MS. L3,
which shows a
figure in full regalia seated upon a
throne. This
appears to suggest the
legend that when
the Vice-chancellor of France, acting on behalf of
Philip the Fair, came on the night of September 7,
1303, to arrest Pope Boniface VIII in
Angani,
he found
him seated on the throne in full regalia. Thus it can
be affirmed that the translation was made sometime
between 1294 and 1303.
Four Latin
manuscripts and one
printed version
containing the translation of John de Capua were
utilized:
LI: MS. Fr. 571-6
(Regimen: fol. 186r-195v; Acci-
dents: fol. 195v-199r) of
the Friedenwald Collection,
the Hebrew
University, Jerusalem.
This
manuscript, the work of two scribes, was
written ca. 1450, two columns to the
page, 44-50 lines
to the column, and is
very well
preserved.
L2: MS. Palatine-Latin 1298
(Regimen: fol. 189r-
195v; Accidents:
fol. 195v-199r) of
the Biblioteca
Apostolica Vaticana.
Written in the fourteenth
century, the
manuscript
is
very well preserved and is the most
legible and the
least abbreviated of all the Latin texts. There are
two columns to the
page,
60 lines to the column. The
work bears no
original title, but a later hand added:
Rabi
Moyses de
regimine
sanitatis ad
regem hyspania
(or hyspalis; i.e., Seville). Amusingly enough,
the
scribe himself identifies this
work, composed
for
al-Afdlal,
as that, quem regi castelle composuit.
L3: MS. Cod. Latin 2280
(Regimen: fol. 89r-93r; Acci-
dents: fol. 93r-95r)
of
the Osterreich-National-
bibliothek, Vienna.
This
manuscript was written early
in the fourteenth
century,
two columns to the page, 71 lines to the
column. The statement in the catalogue that it was
written in the thirteenth
century cannot be
accepted
in view of the date of the translation discussed above.
The text begins with the rubricated illumination
described above, and the first letter of each
paragraph
is decorated. The
script
is
beautifully executed, but
the abundance of abbreviations and the style of the
scribe, who often does not allow for space between
words, render reading difficult. The work is intro-
duced with the statement: tractatus rabi moysi aben-
mynon
quem
domino et
magnifico
soldatis transmitunt
(sic).
L4: MS. Cod. Latin 5306
(Regimen: fol. 1-1lP; Acci-
dents:
fol. 11-17r), of the same
library.
Written in the fifteenth century, two columns to the
page, 48 lines to the column, the
manuscript
is
legible
and well preserved. A later hand added above the
first column: a Iudaeco converso lohanne traduct; the
same hand also inscribed the marginal note in honor
Bened. VIII. The treatise on Accidents is identified
by the scribe in a
postscript as de preservatione a
melancolia
passione.
Of some interest is the apologetic introduction of
John de
Capua contained in the manuscripts cited
above.
Freely translated, it reads as follows:
Says the translator: I turn away from darkness, led from
Jewish depravity into the serene splendor of the Catholic
Faith by the sole mercy of the Omnipotent Father to me;
the
inflowing
of His special grace, that Christ is the true
God's only begotten,
I
formerly refused to confess for a
long time. The hand of the Same, wrought graciously
upon me, not only taught me in a sufficient
tongue the
whole volume of the Old Testament of the
early patriarchs
and prophets, and other books that are unto this day in
the possession of the Jews, but also that language of the
Latins in which are written the various volumes of the
saints and many sciences that are so innumerable. It in-
structed my intellect, finally, to translate from this to that
what is contained in both, according to the capacity of
my mind, in a manner clear, refulgent and convenient.
Thus directing my studies upon those things specially
written in Hebrew, I have found them in diverse volumes
to be many, great and useful in no small degree. But,
passing over these
things for the time
being,
it is my inten-
tion for the present to translate that work which is
designated by the title On the
Regimen of Health. For,
in it, sufficiently and learnedly, the conservation of human
health is taught. By considering, therefore, the
great
purpose of this work, many perils
in the course of human
life might be avoided, and health induced, to the honor and
praise of the most holy Divine
Trinity,
and to the praise,
health, prolongation of days, fortitude of spirit and
strength of body of the most holy Father, the Lord
Pope
B. VIII, whose divine
person be ever
protected by divine
aid and
mercy, and whose
good
and
holy
life be
prolonged
VOL.
54,
PT. 4, 1964] 11
BAR-SELA, HOFF,
FARIS: MOSES MAIMONIDES
for his own, and for the common good of the entire holy
Christian Church.
I, John, humble in Christ, though my ability is limited
as mentioned above, have tried, putting forth my hand,
to translate the above work from the Hebrew tongue into
Latin. Therefore, most holy Father and Lord, deign to
accept this little work from the hand of a new Christian,
especially dedicated though unworthy, and deposit it in
the papal archives to accompany the number of other
medical books.
With the advent of
printing, the Latin translation of
De
Regimine
Sanitatis
appeared
in several editions in-
dicating the measure of its
popularity. Muntner
(45,
48) and Steinschneider
(60) report
no less than six
editions published
between 1477 and 1535. Having
examined these editions, we
agree
with Muntner that
they are identical. The following printed version
was utilized:
L5: The Latin translation
printed
in the Consilium of
Ferrari di Gradi entitled Consilia Secundum Viam
Avicen Ordinata. Additis
Antiquissimi
Medici
Rabbi Moysi . . . ,
Lugduni,
1535.
This printed version occupies nine pages, two
columns to the
page,
77 lines to the column. The
work is titled tractatus Rabbi
Moysi quem
domino et
magnifico
soldano Babilonie transmisit. There is no
mention of the translator's introduction contained in
the manuscripts. Only
the first
part
of De Causis
Accidentium appears
in the
printed version, and it is
incorporated
as the fifth
chapter
of the Regimen.
The first half of the first tract of the printed version
of the Regimen
differs
radically
from the translation
of John
de
Capua,
but
beginning
with the sentence
Nos vero adducemus, at the end of the
paragraph
initiating
the discussion of the
quality
of the good
nutrients, all Latin versions coincide. This first
part
of the printed
version was
undoubtedly
translated
from the Hebrew, and it is more than
likely
the work of
a translator possessing
a
copy
of De
Capua's
version
from which the
beginning
was lost.
Some aspects
of this difference give
rise to interest-
ing speculations. Intriguing
is the difference in the
translation of the dictum of
Hippocrates
cited in the
very beginning
of the first
chapter.
The Arabic text
quotes Hippocrates'
statement "that the conservation
of health lies in
abstaining
from
repletion
and forsak-
ing
the disinclination to exertion." The Hebrew
renders the latter
phrase "avoiding collapse
from over-
exertion." This error in
translation, due
perhaps
to
an overzealous transliteration from the Arabic, is
carried into the next sentence where the same idea is
paraphrased
as "that a man should not surfeit himself
and should not neglect
exercise." Here the Hebrew
further
corrupts
the sentence
by adding,
"that a man
should not surfeit himself nor over-exert himself so
that he would not
corrupt
the benefit of exercise." The
printed Latin version adheres closely to the Hebrew
rendition, but the
manuscript version of John de
Capua corresponds exactly to the correct Arabic text.
Since there is no evidence that De Capua's translation
was edited in accordance with the Arabic text, the
source of his version remains puzzling. We can
provide only two
possible explanations.
Either the
Hebrew translation available to John de Capua
was
more accurate, and the presently available versions
were altered by scribes who did not grasp the meaning
of the text, or, John de
Capua understood the text
correctly
in terms of the contemporary usage of the
Hebrew. The possibility that there was another,
more accurate, Hebrew translation which remains un-
known cannot be accepted in view of the fact that in
most
places the Latin corresponds exactly to the
version of Ibn Tibbon.
It is
apparently this variation in the first tract that
gave rise to the mistaken notion reported repeatedly
in
the literature that there exists a second Latin trans-
lation attributed by some to
Armengaud
Blasius of
Montpellier. This translation was supposed
to be
found in MS. 178/211 of the library of Gonville and
Caius College, Cambridge, England. Having
ex-
amined a microfilm of this
manuscript,
which indeed
contains translations by Blasius, it can be affirmed
that it does not contain Maimonides' De
Regimine
Sanitatis but rather his treatise on asthma.
The Latin texts of De Causis A ccidentium, in
general,
are in
agreement
with the Arabic text, allowing
for
errors attributable to the scribes. Since John
de
Capua
translated from Hebrew and not from Arabic,
it is evident that there existed at one time a
complete
and accurate Hebrew translation of this treatise, and
that it was made from the Arabic. The
fragmentary
nature of the presently available Hebrew text, how-
ever, makes it difficult to establish whether these are
sections from the
original version, or from another
translation, or
possibly
from a later rendition from the
Latin; the usefulness of the Hebrew text to us was
therefore greatly restricted.
In
comparing our translation of the Arabic with the
Hebrew and Latin versions, we have sought
to clarify
difficult
passages,
and to ascertain that our under-
standing
of the text corresponds
to the medical con-
cepts prevailing
at the time of its
composition.
With
respect
to the latter, we have relied heavily upon
the
Latin in
selecting
an
English terminology stemming
from a
contemporary source, although
reliance on
Latin stems is often restricted to a considerable extent
by the gradual change
in
meaning and usage
that have
taken place
with time. Thus, for instance, we could
not use such phrases
as "comfort the vigor," although
the word comfort stems from the Latin comfortare-to
strengthen,
since to the modern reader the term
comfort conveys
the idea of consolation rather than
strengthening.
The term "accident" (Arabic: a'arad)
12
[TRANS.
AMER. PHIL. SOC.
TWO TREATISES ON THE REGIMEN OF HEALTH
poses a different problem. Although the word
"event" or
"symptom" can at times substitute for
"accident," neither conveys accurately the exact
meaning of the latter. In its medieval medico-
philosophical usage, the term "accident" connotes a
phenomenon, change, or quality which, unlike "es-
sence," is present by chance, and is therefore not
essential to our conception of a given substance or
object. While some accidents can therefore be classi-
fied as
symptoms, others could not possibly be con-
sidered symptoms
in the usual medical sense of the
word. Hence, we often had to retain the term acci-
dent even though it might convey to the casual reader
a somewhat different meaning.
In
translating passages containing physiological
explanations, we have resorted to terminology which
would best
preserve
the Galenical concepts prevailing
in Maimonides' days. The three pneumas have been
rendered as "natural," "vital," and "psychic," be-
cause the Latin rendition of the latter as "animal,"
although acceptable
in its archaic meaning
and in
such English terms as "animate," might mislead the
modern reader to whom "animal spirit" conveys
a
quite different
meaning. Furthermore, although
the
Arabic nafs and the Hebrew nefesh usually correspond
to the English "soul," we have preferred
the Greek
psyche because of the
accepted philosophical
and theo-
logical attributes of "soul" which do not necessarily
reflect the
original meaning
of such terms as psyche
or "animal
spirit."
The weights listed in the text were translated when-
ever possible. Thus the Arabic ratl,
awqiyyah,
dirham, and
mithqal,
were rendered "pound," "ounce,"
"dram," and "miskal," respectively. The reader
should bear in mind that these are Troy weights com-
prising twelve drams to the ounce, and twelve ounces
to the
pound. The dram is equivalent to seven-
tenths of a miskal. The miskal, identical in
weight
to the dinar, corresponds, more or less, to the Attic
drachma. The
daniq,
which has no
English equiv-
alent, is one sixth of a dram. In
summary,
there are
six
daniqs to the dram, approximately one and a half
drams to the miskal, twelve drams to the ounce, and
twelve ounces to the pound. The
monetary
dram
and
daniq are nine-tenths of the
ponderal
dram and
daniq, respectively.
Since the
present work was not meant to be a critical
presentation of the text, grammatical annotations are
not included, and footnotes
appear only where we
deemed them
necessary
for the
understanding of the
text or whenever the differences
among
the Arabic
texts and
among the various translations should be
brought
to the attention of the reader. For the sake
of
brevity,
the
manuscripts
are
designated
in the foot-
notes by a letter indicating their language and the
serial number
appearing before the description of each
manuscript above. The designation of the manu-
script is as follows:
Al
A2
A3
A4
H1
H2
H3
H4
H5
H6
L1
L2
L3
L4
L5
Pocock
Hunt
EMC
Hebreux
Opp.
Opp. Add. 4?
Or.
Quat.
Or.
Quat.
Cod. Hebr.
Hebreux
Fr. 571-6
Palatine-Latin
Cod. Latin
Cod. Latin
313
427
789
1202
685
108
545
836
111
1191
1298
2280
5306
The Printed Latin
(Oxford)
(Oxford)
(N. Y.)
(Paris)
(Oxford)
(Oxford)
(Tiibingen)
(Tuibingen)
(Munich)
(Paris)
(Jerusalem)
(Vatican)
(Vienna)
(Vienna)
(Washington)
The transliteration of Arabic and Hebrew words is
in accordance with the rules approved by the Library
of
Congress (Bulletin 49, Nov. 1958, and rule 43, Feb.
1923).
The sections of the treatise on Accidents
which are extant in the Hebrew
(H4)
are
designated
by (H) at the end of the
appropriate paragraphs.
A
glossary of
drugs, vegetables, fruits, and animals
listed in this text is
provided for the reader's con-
venience at the end of the text.
We are
gratefully indebted to the various libraries
cited, for the
permission to examine the
manuscripts
mentioned and for the microfilms and
photostats
provided for our work, and to the U. S. National Li-
brary
of Medicine for
lending us the volume of Ferari
di Gradi's Consilium and the works of Kroner
(26, 27).
In the absence of al-Afd. al's letters, both these
treatises appear
to be
incomplete; nonetheless, these
unique
works
provide us a source of information which,
however indirectly, illustrates the medical problems
presented before the
physicians
of that
age. They
also
provide
a record of the
opinions held by
this
great
physician-philosopher who was obviously so esteemed
in his own
age
that he was called
upon
to referee the
conflicting opinions
of his
colleagues-at
no time an
unenviable role.
In
presenting these works to the
English-speaking
reader, we have
attempted
to achieve two goals: to
provide
an accurate and sound translation, and to
preserve
as much as
possible the flavor of the medieval
Arabic text, its
terminology, expressions,
and
syntax.
We
hope
that thus we have done
justice
both to the
author and the reader.
VOL. 54,
PT.
4, 1964] 13
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3. BAR-SELA, A., and H. E. HOFF. 1963. "Maimonides'
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4. BARZEL, U. 1955. "The Art of Cure-a Non-published
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5. BLOCKSTEIN, W. L. 1954. "Moses Maimonides, a Review
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6. BOGEN, E. 1929. "The Daily Prayer of a Physician."
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11. 1928. "Maimonides as Portrayed in Scott's 'Talis-
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12. CONRAD, R. 1955. "Moses Maimonides." Ohio State
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13. EDELMAN, R. 1952. "Maimonides on Medicine." Acta
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14. EINHORN, M. 1954. "Maimonides, a Short Biographical
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15. Feldman, W. M. 1935. "Maimonides as Physician
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16. 1935. "The Life and Medical Work of Maimonides."
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19. GORLIN, M. 1961. Maimonides "On Sexual Intercourse"
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20. GOTTHEIL, R. 1941. "Maimonides the Scientist." Essays
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21. IBN ABI USEIBIA. 1884. 'Uyun al Anbd' ft Tabaqdt
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117-118.
22. ILLIEVITZ, A. B. 1935. "Maimonides the Physician."
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23. KAGAN, S. R. 1938. "Maimonides' Prayer."
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24. KAHN, M. 1913. "Maimonides the Physician."
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25. KHAIRALLAH, A. A. 1946. Outline of
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228.
26. KRONER, H. 1923-1925. "Fi Tadbir As-Sihhat, Gesund-
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27. 1928. "Der medizinische
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28. LEIBOWITZ, J.
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29. LEVEY, M. 1962. "Review of Moses ben Maimon's
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30. LEVY, R. 1955. "The 'Tractatus De Causis et Indiciis
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31. LIBRACH, I. M. 1955. "Moses ben Maimon, Scholar-
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36. MARGOLITH, D. 1954. "The Impact of Maimonides upon
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37. MENDELSON, W. 1923. "Maimonides, a Twelfth Century
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-
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-
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-
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14
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VOL.
54,
PT.
4, 1964]
FI
TADBIR
AL-SIHJjAH
The Treatise Sent to the
King al-Afdal,
son of
Saladin, concerning
THE REGIMEN OF HEALTH
In the Name of God, Merciful and
Compassionate!
The high
command of the royal al-Afdal, may God
elevate and sustain him, has reached this minor
Servant Muisa ibn
'Ubayd
Allah
1
the Israelite of
Cordova. Sent by
the hand of a
messenger, it re-
quests
of him a
regimen
to be relied
upon
in
curing
the
ailments that occur in our Master, may God
keep
ailments afar from his
high abode, and may health and
peace accompany
him forever. The
messenger bring-
ing
this exalted command relates that our Master
complains
of the dryness
of his stools
2
which are often
so hard that they
cannot be moved
except
with effort.3
He also mentions the occasional occurrence of melan-
choly,
evil thoughts,
desire for solitude,4 and fore-
boding
of death. In addition, he has had much indi-
gestion
and most of the time his
digestion
is feeble.5
This is what he mentions.6
This Servant has thus seen fit to include in this
discourse four
chapters:
The first chapter
is on the regimen
of health in
general, applicable
to all men,
in a few words.
The second chapter
is on the
regimen
of the sick
in general,
when a
physician
cannot be
found,
or
when the physician
available is deficient and his
knowledge
is not to be trusted.
The third chapter
is on the Regimen
of our Master
in particular, according
to the
symptoms
of which he
complains.
1
'Ubayd Allah-literally,
"the Servant of God"-a variant of
'Abdallah; most Hebrew and Latin versions translate this name
in its separate form, rendering
it 'eved elohim and servus dei
respectively.
2
Arabic: fabi'-literally,
"nature"-a euphemism for feces.
All Arabic, Hebrew and the Latin versions use the term "nature."
Since there is no such usage
in
English,
where this word has
indeed quite
another connotation, we chose the term
"stools,"
a
euphemism approached closely by assellare,
a term which is also
employed
in the Latin text.
3
L-"he cannot go
to the stool except
with the greatest trial
and labor."
4
L-"he wishes to be alone."
6 L-"his stomach is debilitated so much that food
corrupts
in it without complete digestion."
6
Preoccupation
with the bowel as a source of numerous symp-
toms and disorders dates back to
antiquity.
In
fact,
the earliest
attempts
at a rational explanation
of the
etiology
of disease
ascribed the origin
of disease to the
ascending products
of de-
composition
and
putrefaction
of residues in the bowel-the
WHDW of Ancient Egypt,
and the Aristoletian
concept
of
Perittoma. It is interesting,
if not
altogether amusing,
that these
concepts
and ideas are still much in
evidence,
and that it is
commonly believed,
even in this
day
and
age,
that residues re-
tained in the bowel can
generate
such
symptoms
as
headache,
malaise, depression,
and
melancholy.
The fourth chapter consists of sections in the form
of advice that is beneficial in general and in particular,
for the healthy and for the sick, and in all places at all
times.
Let whoever examines this treatise and all that we
have composed, not censure us because we have
already mentioned some of the topics
of this discourse
in other treatises which we have composed earlier, for
each treatise was written to comply with the request
of an individual, not as a composition intended to
teach the Art of Healing to all men.
God is implored for success in what is right!
THE FIRST CHAPTER
On the Regimen of Health in General, Applicable
to all Men, in a few Words
Our intention in this chapter
is to set forth rules
that are easy to follow, and which are of
great value in
the regimen
of health. These are universal precepts
of the great physicians. Among these is the state-
ment of
Hippocrates
that the conservation of health
lies in abstaining from repletion and forsaking the
disinclination to exertion.7 Note how Hippocrates
embraces the entire regimen
of health in two dicta,
that is, that a man should not surfeit himself and
should not
negelct
exercise.8 This is because reple-
tion, that is, eating until the appetite departs and
repugnance commences, requires filling the stomach to
the utmost of its
capacity,
and distending it. When
any organ becomes distended, its connections are
loosened and its vigor
is necessarily weakened. The
stomach will in no wise digest such a meal
adequately;
indolence,9 feebleness of movement and heaviness of
the meal will occur, and even more so when much
water is drunk after the satiating
meal. This is
necessarily required in repletion, for nature requires
water to float the meal and ease the stomach.
Perforce, there is no
escape from the occurrence of
one of two
things:
either an indigestion,
a severe one
causing
death or a mild one causing illness, or
corrup-
tion of the digestion. The kinds of corruption vary
?
H-"in guarding against satiety and avoiding the collapse
from exertion"; L5-"avoidance of great repletion and super-
fluous labor."
8
H--"a man should not overeat and should not overwork so
that he would not lose the benefit of the exercise." L5 renders
it in accordance with the Hebrew. Both thus modify the text to
avoid contradicting their version of the preceding statement.
9
L-dolor, pain.
16
THE REGIMEN OF HEALTH
greatly according to the various kinds of food eaten,
according to the various temperaments,
and
according
to the various predispositions
of the
organs
to disease.
When the meal is digested poorly
in the stomach,
its
second digestion in the liver is bound also to be bad,
and its third digestion
in all the
organs
will
perforce
be worst of all.10 This is the cause of all kinds of
diseases in
great variety. Galen has said in these
words: He who wishes to avoid all illness should take
care to avoid indigestion,
and should not move about
after the meal. Because of this
grave danger,
all
physicians
have cautioned against eating to
repletion
and ordered one to withdraw his hand from the meal
while
appetite
still remains,
before it
departs,
and to
abstain from
distending
the stomach
11
and over-
filling
it.
Physicians all
agree,
that taking
a little food of bad
quality
is less harmful than
taking
much
good
and
laudable food. This is because when a man takes
bad foods and does not overeat, they
are
digested well,
and the organs
derive from them all that is beneficial.
The
expulsive faculty
12 is
strengthened
and expels
their evil
superfluities,
and no
damage
at all occurs,
or if any occurs, it is not serious. But in
repletion,
even if it is with well
prepared
bread and laudable
meat, the
digestion
will in no wise
progress well;
we
have already mentioned the cause of this.
To
guard against repletion, physicians
have warned
against eating many
dishes and recommended
limiting
each meal to one dish,
so that one does not overeat,
and the
appetite
subsides before surfeit occurs. He
will also be saved from a
diversity
of
digestions,
for
different dishes are
digested
in different digestions,
each dish according
to its nature.13
The view of this Servant regarding
the determina-
tion of the
quantity
14
of food for
anyone
who wishes
to conserve his health, is to take in the
temperate
season
15
an amount that does not distend the
stomach,
or burden it and
impede
the
digestion.
When it be-
comes clear that this is a
good measure,16
inasmuch
10
Galen explained the physiology of nutrition in terms of three
orders of digestion: the first concoction taking place
in the
stomach, the second in the liver-the major nutritive organ where
the food is turned into blood-and the third in the rest of the
organs which the nutriments reach via the veins.
1
A3-members.
12
Galenical physiology ascribed to the bowel four faculties, or
powers:
the "attractive" and the "repulsive" which, together,
account for selective absorption, the "retentive" which holds the
residues inside the
gut,
and the "expulsive" which expels
the
superfluities,
in this case the feces, to the outside.
13
The belief, dating back to Hippocrates,
that different foods re-
quire different "digestions" and
produce different "superfluities,"
accounts for the great emphasis which the ancient physicians
placed on proper and selective diet.
14
Al-"quality."
16
Arabic: fi .n i'tidal al-hawa, literally,
"at the time of the
temperance of the air." The Hebrew and the Latin render it
"hour" rather than "season."
16
The Hebrew adds here, "he should choose food that is good
for his stools," as does the Latin.
as it does not cause evil eructation or arouse thirst,
but is pleasant and light, making the stools moderate,
continuous and tending slightly toward softness, then
this is the proper measure to keep on
taking.
When the weather becomes warmer, one should re-
duce the amount of food, since in the summer the
digestions are feeble because of the dispersal of the
natural heat.17 When the weather turns cooler, the
amount should be increased, for in the winter the
digestions are strong because of the increase
18
of the
natural heat in the interior of the body, owing to the
constriction of the pores, and satiety will not be
reached.
This Servant says:
If man were to conduct himself
as he
manages
the animal he rides, he would be safe-
guarded
from
many ailments. That is, you find no
one who throws fodder to his animal
haphazardly, but
rather he measures it out to her
according to her
tolerance. Yet he himself eats
indiscriminately, with-
out measure. Moreover, he takes into consideration
the activity
of his animal and exercises her, so that she
does not stand still forever and be ruined. Yet he
does not do this for himself, or
pay attention to the
exercise of his own body, which is the cornerstone of
the conservation of health and the
repulsion of most
ailments.
Long
before us, Hippocrates stated that the main-
tenance of health lies in
forsaking the disinclination to
exertion.'9 Nothing
is to be found that can substitute
for exercise in
any way, because in exercise the natural
heat flames up
and all the
superfluities are
expelled,
while at rest the flame of the natural heat subsides and
superfluities
are
engendered
in the
body, even
though
the food is of the
very best
quality and is moderate
in
quantity.
And exercise will
expel the harm done
by
most of the bad
regimens that most men follow.
Not all motion is exercise to the
physicians. What
is termed exercise is
powerful or
rapid
20
motion or a
combination of
both, that is, vigorous motion with
which the respiration alters, and one
begins to heave
sighs.21
Whatever exceeds this is exertion, that is to
say
that very strong
exercise is called exertion. Al-
though
not everyone can endure
exertion, or needs it,
it is nonetheless better in the conservation of health
than the omission of exercise.22 It is not advisable
17
L5 adds here the explanatory phrase "to the exterior."
8
A3 & A4-"kindling."
19
Here L5 cannot avoid translating "he who wishes to conserve
his health should employ exercise" but in order to be consistent
with its previous rendition of this statement it further adds: "but
in such a
way that he would not perceive pain in his members or
superfluous heaviness."
20
H-"strong
or weak." L3 & L4-"strong or debilitating."
21
H & L-"to multiply his breaths"; interestingly enough, all
versions are correct. We recognize today increases in both rate
(polypnea) and depth
as
components of hyperpnea, the re-
spiratory response
in exercise.
22
H & L-"but it is better for the conservation of health to
shorten the exercise."
VOL.
54,
PT.
4, 1964]
17
BAR-SELA, HOFF,
FARIS: MOSES MAIMONIDES
to exercise except upon
an empty
stomach and after ex-
pulsion
of the superfluities,
that is, the urine and the
feces.23 Nor should one exercise in the intense heat or
in the intense cold. The best time for exercise is at the
beginning
of the day, upon awakening
from sleep,
and after the expulsion
of the superfluities,
as we have
mentioned.
Among the sayings
of Galen, embracing
the regimen
of health, it is said: Just as motion before the meal is
all good,
so motion after the meal is all evil. You
should know that any
movement after the meal is most
harmful; by that I mean no strenuous movement,24 no
coitus, and no bath,
because these are very harmful,
especially
to those whose veins are by
nature narrow
and thin.25 To them the danger
is
grave.
But it is
permissible
after the meal to walk a little from one side
of the room to another, so that the meal will settle to
the bottom of the stomach and remain there until it is
digested.26 Sleep
aids the digestion,
and especially
in
those who are accustomed to sleep during
the day.
It is one of the rules of the regimen
of health not to
introduce one meal
upon another, and not to eat except
after true hunger,
when the stomach is empty,
the
saliva is drawn into the mouth, and the hunger
is
justified.
This is the time when a meal is beneficial.
One should not drink water except
after genuine
thirst;
that is to say,
that should one be hungry
or
thirsty,
he should wait a while since a false hunger
and
also a false thirst can arise from an evil and mordicant
humor vexing
the mouth of the stomach.27 Should
these subside,
one should not take anything,
but if this
hunger
or thirst increases,
one should then eat or
drink. Drinking
water following
a meal is bad,
cor-
rupting
the digestion, except
when one is accustomed
to it. One should not drink
anything
with the
meal,
or after it,
as
long
as it is in the stomach, except pure,
cold water;
it should not be mixed with anything.
It is one of the rules of the regimen
of health not to
retain
28 the
superfluities
in
any way; rather,
when
there is need to
expel them,
one should hasten to do so.
It is not proper
to take food,
or enter a bath,
or
copulate,
or
sleep,
or exercise,
until one takes account
of himself and tries to
expel
the
superfluities; following
these five things
one should also take account of
himself.
Another rule in the regimen
of health is to
pay
attention to the quality
of the food. This is a
very
23
The Latin renders this "superfluities
of the first and second
digestions, namely,
the feces and the urine,"
in accordance with
Galenical physiology.
24
H & L-"local movement"; Kroner-"stretching
move-
ments."
25
L-"narrow veins and tight nerves"; (L5-"narrow
and
dry.")
26
H & L-"warm up until it is digested."
27
The Latin adds here "and generate hunger
that cannot be
satisfied."
28
Kroner-"one should not use the clyster
on residues...."
broad topic, requiring
a knowledge of the nature of all
the foods, of each and every kind. The physicians
have already compiled lengthy
books on this subject,
and they are justified,
for it is a very important
matter.
But considering
the intention of this discourse, and
taking into account the foods that are customary
among us, and in great abundance, I shall offer some
beneficial generalizations.
One of these is that the good foods, that ought to be
adopted by every one who desires the continuation of
his health, are wheaten bread properly prepared,
the
meat of sheep
29
that are one or two years old, the
meat of the chicken, the francolin, the grouse,
the
turtle dove and the partridge,
and the yolk of the
hen's
egg.
What I mean by properly prepared
bread
is that is should be made from fully ripened wheat,
dried of its superfluous moisture, in which
spoilage
30
from
age
has not begun.
The bread should be made of
coarse flour; that is to say, the husk should not be
removed and the bran should not be refined by sift-
ing.31
It should be well raised and noticeably salty.
It should be well worked during kneading,
and should
be baked in the oven. This is the bread that to the
physicians
is properly prepared;
it is the best of foods.
You ought
to know that all that is made from
wheat except
this bread is in no wise good
food. On
the contrary, very bad foods are made from it, such
as unleavened bread, dough
cooked like noodles and
vermicelli-that which the Persians call tutmaj,
flour
that is cooked like pap
and porridge,32 dough that is
fried like a pancake,
and bread that is kneaded in
olive oil or in any other oil. All these are very bad
nutrients for all men.33 Likewise, white bread, bread
made of semolina, and the harisah,34 are not good
nutrients. Although they are good
once they are
digested, they require
a stomach with a powerful
digestion,
and only then do they nourish well and
abundantly.
Those meats that we have mentioned are not all of
the same nature, and are not equally
laudable. The
best meat of cattle
35
is that of the sheep
36
that graze
29
H-"the kid and the lamb"; MSS. L3 & LI read "kids and
young
cattle" while MS. L4 surprisingly reads "kids and young
pigs" (see note 36.)
30
Al-"spoilage
and sprouting."
31
This statement is intriguing in view of our knowledge of the
nutritive virtues of bran, which present-day
bakers of highly
refined bread reintroduce by "enriching" their product with
vitamins, etc. It would be interesting to find out whether this
injunction
was based upon empirical observations or was due to
the less sophisticated
universal concept that the crude and the
unrefined connote strength and health.
32
The Hebrew and the Latin identify this as "farina."
33
A4 adds "except for him who becomes accustomed to it, or
was raised on it."
34
Harisah-a dish of boiled crushed wheat to which oil, butter,
meat, spices,
and aromatic herbs are added.
35
Cattle-in the archaic sense of the term. The Hebrew and
the Latin render it "meat of quadripeds."
36
LI & L3 render this carnes pecorum, while L2, L4 & L5
18 [TRANS.
AMER. PHIL. SOC.
THE REGIMEN OF HEALTH
on the foothills, are one or two years old, and are
moderately fat.37 The best of this meat is the fore-
quarter,38
and that which adheres to the bone. All
that is in the abdomen is bad. Fat is all bad; it sur-
feits, corrupts the digestion, suppresses the appetite
and generates phlegmy
humor. Likewise, the head of
all animals has more
superfluities
than the rest of their
members. The extremities of animals, by that I
mean the shanks,39 are devoid of
superfluities
and their
nutritive quality is not bad. Lamb has
many super-
fluities, and there is no
good
in it, but the
suckling
kid
is a good
nutrient and is rapidly digested.
The meat
of the fowl in general is lighter than the meat of cattle,
and is digested faster. The best of the meat of the
fowl is that which we have mentioned.
Freshly drawn milk is a good nutrient for those in
whom it does not sour in the stomach, or resolve into
flatus, or
give rise to ventosity in the loins. One
ought to add to it a little honey with a
grain
of salt,
as Galen has mentioned, so that it will not curdle in
the stomach. The best of all milk is the thinnest,
such as
goat's
milk;
40 the milk of the she-camel
41
is
also good.
All that is made from milk or mixed with it is very
bad, that is to say, the curdled, the mixed, and the
strained;
42
similarly,
all that is cooked from milk or
cooked in it are bad foods. As for cheese, it is a very
bad and heavy nutrient, excepting
the cheese that is
fresh, white in color, sweet of taste and light
in fat.
Galen says
that its nourishment is
good,
and
praises
it, but all that is similar to it is very bad, and
par-
ticularly aged
cheese rich in fat. As for butter and
clarified butter, there is no evil in their
nourishment;
they
are
permissible
to all men.
Bees' honey is
good
nourishment for the old, but is
contraindicated for the
young,
and
especially
for those
of hot temperament,
for it will
change
into yellow
bile.43
Most fish are bad nutrients, especially
for those of
humid temperament and for the aged. The large
of
body among them, the salted, those that congregate
in bad water, and those that abound in fat and
surprisingly render it carnes porcorum (L4-porcorum juvenum).
Is this a scribe's error for pecorum or did the Latin translator
follow Galen's recommendation of the
pig, iam vero suillae carnis
usus ex omni animalium
quae pedibus fidunt
numero saluberrimus
est. (Galenus, Claudius. De Euchymia et Cacochymia, seu de
Bonis Malisque Succis Generandis. Paris, Apud Simonem
Colinaeum, 1530, 46 II).
37
H & L add here castrates of medium fatness.
38
Kroner surprisingly rendered this "superficial."
39
L-"feet and privates."
40
A3 & A4-"the best of the milks and the thinnest is the milk
of the goat." The Hebrew is similar.
41
H & L-"cow."
42
Arabic: shiraz, a
special preparation of strained curdled milk;
also, a special kind of cheese.
43 H & L-"for, it will quickly change to red bile."
viscidity are particularly bad.44 But the fish that are
small of body, white and
frangible
of flesh, sweet of
taste, from the sea or running waters, like those called
mullet or
pilchard, are not bad nutriments; nonethe-
less, one should restrict them.45
It is known among all physicians, that the best of
all nutriments is that which was prohibited in Islam.46
It combines the laudable qualities of all foods, because
it nourishes with good, abundant, and delicate nourish-
ment, it is quick to be digested, and at the same time
it aids the digestion, expels the superfluities
from the
pores, and pours forth the urine and the sweat. It
has other virtues besides these, and many advantages
already enumerated by the physicians. But words
about that which is illicit are futile, and therefore we
have omitted mentioning its varieties and the manner
of its consumption from the standpoint of the regimen
of health.
Those vegetables that are generally
bad for all
people, are garlic, onion, leek, radish, cabbage, and
eggplant; these are very bad for whoever wishes to
conserve his health. The cucumber and the gourd are
less harmful. As for the yellow melon, if it is eaten
alone at the beginning of the day on an empty
stomach, and there is no evil humor
present
in the
stomach nor is there a bad
temperament
in it, then it
will be
digested well, and it will cool the body a little,
pour forth the urine, cleanse the veins, and empty
what is in them.47 On such occasions its nourishment
will not be bad; I have mentioned this only because
people eat much of it.
As to fresh fruits, it should be known that all that
the trees
produce
are generally bad nourishment for
everyone; some, moreover, excel in badness. Among
these are those that are very bad nutrients like the
carob, the lota fruit and the azarole, and those of lesser
badness, close to being good, like
figs
and grapes.
Galen says that figs
and
grapes are like
princes
to the
rest of the fruits, and that they are less evil; nonethe-
less, they are not exempt from the censure that at-
taches to the
consumption
of all fruit.48 Let no one
mistake my statement that all that the tree produces
is of evil nourishment, since conserves of fruits, their
44
H & L add here "for, they increase the humidity."
45
The Arabic manuscripts vary greatly in this passage. Al
omits "sweet"; A3 & A4 render it "fresh" rather than "from the
sea"; A4-"and which is not in running water"; A3 omits
"pilchard."
46
I.e., Wine.
47
L1-"clean the veins of the humors which are in them";
L3, L4 & L5-"cleanse the nerves of their humors."
48
All translations render this sentence as a physiological ex-
planation of the preceding. Hence the Hebrew, and subsequently
the Latin, translate freely: "But the blood generated from fruits
is not good." Kroner follows suit. This is hardly consistent
with the preceding text. The error is due to the use of the word
dam (blood) as in MSS. Al & A4, instead of dhamm (blame) as in
MS. A2 & A3.
VOL.
54,
PT.
4, 1964] 19
BAR-SELA, HOFF,
FARIS: MOSES MAIMONIDES
syrups and the confections made from them are
beneficial in
particular diseases, because consideration
of the nutrient, as a nutrient, is different from its
consideration as a medicament. This is clear to
anyone who knows the
principles of the Art of
Medicine.
Galen has a dictum
expressed in the form of a
precept, swearing to God that it is the ultimate in
advice, in which he
prohibits the
eating of fruits.
He said that he used to have a fever every year until
his father forbade him to eat any fruit at all, and he
was saved from the fever that year. He continued
all his days to avoid fruit, and he swore that he did not
have a fever from then on
up to the time he made that
statement, except
an
ephemeral fever. What he says
is the truth, for the fruits of the summertime are the
substance of fever.49 It does not argue against us that
many people eat fruit and do not have fever, for in-
deed, custom and differences of
predisposition have
their own laws. Were a Hindu to eat the
properly
prepared bread and mutton he would
perforce sicken,
or were one of us to persist in eating rice as the Hindus
always do, he would
necessarily
become sick. But the
purpose of this treatise does not require elucidation
of the reasons for
this; rather, its intention is to make
it clear that fruits are
generally bad and that one
should restrict them.
They should not be
mingled with the meal in
any
way. One should
partake
of such of them as are
aperient,
like
prunes and
grapes
and
figs,
before the
meal, and should not eat a meal
following
them until
they leave the stomach. One should eat those that
are
astringent, like
quinces
and
pears,
after the
meal,
and
only a little of these should be taken, in an amount
that will
strengthen the stomach.
As the best of the fruits are
grapes
and
figs,
so the
worst are the
peach
and the
apricot. Digestion will
not, in
any way, overcome these two kinds, and of
necessity the
superfluities
of their
juices
50
will remain
in the veins mixed with the blood,
and will boil. This
is a
major factor in the
generation
of
putrid fevers.
But dry fruits, such as currants, dry figs, and the
kernels of dried almonds and
pistachio, are not bad.
It is good to partake of them after the meal, especially
of the currants and the
pistachio,
for
they
are
greatly
beneficial to the liver. In the health of the liver lies
our livelihood, as Galen has also said. It is also
good
to take a few sweets after the
meal,
so that the
stomach retains the meal and
digests
it.
This is what I have seen fit to mention in this
chapter; it is sufficient for
my purpose.
49
H & L-"the moisture of fruits is the substance of fever";
this general injunction against the use of fresh vegetables and
fruits should not be surprising considering their role as vectors
of disease, especially those of the bowel,
a common occurrence
which many
a
tourist, even in our own days, has cause to lament.
60
H-"they will generate humors which ...."
THE SECOND CHAPTER
On the
Regimen
of the Sick in General when a
Physician cannot be Found or when the
Physician Available is Deficient and
his
Knowledge is not to be Trusted
The
sages
51
have
already observed that the
practice
of medicine is most
necessary for man, especially for
the
people
of the cities which abound in food,52 and
that the
physician cannot be
dispensed with at any
time, or in
any way. This is because the art of
medicine
comprises three
regimens, of which the first
and most noble is the regimen of the healthy, that is,
the
regimen
of the state of health so that it is not lost.
The second is the
regimen of the sick, that is, the
employment of the craft
53
to restore lost health; this
is known as the art of cure. The third is the
regimen
Galen calls
vivification,54 that is, the
regimen of those
who are neither in
perfectly sound health, nor
sick,
such as the
regimen of the convalescent and the old.
It is therefore manifest that man requires the
guidance
of a
physician
in all
circumstances, and at all
times.
Nevertheless, the need for the
physician
in
time of illness is more intense, and the lack of the
physician at that time is most perilous. Because of
this the
populace
55
supposes that a physician is not
needed
except during illness, not otherwise. Yet
frequently a man falls sick while on a journey, or in a
town wherein there is no
physician, or when, if avail-
able, the physician's knowledge is not to be trusted.
Therefore this Servant has seen fit to give advice as
to what
ought to be done in such a case.
I
say regarding this, that Galen has already ex-
plained to us that all the ancient Greeks, when the
disease was obscure to them, would not treat it with
anything, rather
they would
relinquish the sick to
Nature, for she is sufficient in the cure of diseases.
Hippocrates has already dilated in numerous
places
in his books in commendation of Nature, stating that
she is dexterous and
sagacious in
doing what is
proper,
that she
requires nothing
in the cure of
ailments, and
that the
physician is needed only to sustain her, not
otherwise, and to follow in her
path.
Al-Razi
56
has said in one of his notable
treatises,
that if the disease is stronger than the
vigor of the
sick, there is no
hope
of
saving
them and a
physician
6
Arabic: ahliu al-nazar; the Latin rendition, "speculators,"
cannot be used because of its modern connotation.
62
H-"because he husbands ailments due to the abundance of
foods."
63
The double meaning of "craft" is to be found in the Arabic as
well as in English.
64
Arabic: al-in'dsh;
H-"taking
advice and performing ac-
cordingly in order to restore health."
55
"Populace"-the Hebrew and the Latin render it "fools."
66
Abii Bakr Muhammad ibn Zakariya al-Razi, known in the
West as Rhazes (850-932), was one of the foremost
physicians of
old, and a prolific writer, considered together with Avicenna as
the very best in Persian and Arabic medicine.
20
[TRANS.
AMER. PHIL. SOC.
THE REGIMEN OF HEALTH
will not be of any benefit at all. If the vigor of the
sick is stronger than the strength
of the disease, there
is no need for the physician
57
at all; Nature will cure
them. But if the disease and the vigor are equal,
then the physician is needed to aid the vigor. This is
so when the physician is accomplished, and knows
how to aid Nature, assist her and remove what im-
pedes her. Most physicians err greatly in this, sup-
posing that they are aiding the vigor, yet they destroy
her, or hinder her, or confuse her ways. For this
reason, Aristotle says in his book on Perception and
the Perceptible
58
that most of those who die, die from
the treatment,59 because of the ignorance
of most phy-
sicians about Nature. Physicians mean by Nature,
in this connection, that power which governs the
bodies of
living creatures;
60
its existence and the
soundness of its action have been demonstrated in the
learned books of the wisdom of the ancients. For
these reasons
kings gather
numerous
physicians
and
select from
among them those endowed with
wisdom,
and those of
long experience,
for
perhaps by the com-
ing together of such minds they will be saved from
error.
It has become manifest from all that we have pre-
sented above, that it is proper
to relinquish the sick to
Nature
61
when an accomplished physician
cannot be
found. The meaning of leaving it to Nature is that
one should not take remedies other than those
customary for the healthy to take, or forsake nourish-
ment
altogether; when thirsty one should drink and
when
hungry one should eat, at whatever time it is his
habit to eat. At that time he should eat the lightest
meal that he is accustomed to eat. One should know
that even if attended by a well-known physician,
or
several
physicians,
he should not submit, and take the
strong remedies
except
on the advice of a
physician
who is
very accomplished, whose knowledge
has been
verified, and whose experience
has been attested.
Otherwise, one should, when ill, employ the weak
remedies, not the strong.
I shall declare what the strong remedies are. They
are:
phlebotomy with the extraction of much
blood;
evacuation by violently attractive purgatives such as
the
pulp
of the colocynth and the MahmuZdah;
62
evacuation by vomiting with the strong medications
such as the two hellebores and nux vomica; sharp
clysters containing colocynth pulp, sagapenum;
63
cas-
67
A3 & A4-"There is no need for medicine."
68
Arabic: kitdb al-has wa-al-mafisus; the Latin lists the title
as de sensu et sensato.
69
A3-"from their words."
60
Literally, "animals"; we have followed the Hebrew and
rendered it "living creatures" because of the modern connotation
of "animal" which tends to exclude man.
61
A4-"the sick should be content with natural nutrients."
62
Mahmfidah-The Delightful-a
laxative preparation made
of scammony, the popularity of which is reflected by its Arabic
name.
63
A4-"oxymel."
toreum, and their like; the deprivation of nourishment
in its entirety, and ordering the sick not to consume
anything at all; the prohibition of drinking water and
the endurance of thirst; taking the great electuaries
of multiple adjuvants such as theriacs, the Mithridatic
and the Theodoretic, and their like.64 All these are
very strong remedies, and one ought not to have a
thing to do with them
except
on the advice of a
physician of
surpassing knowledge, because all these
things,
when they hit their mark, cure the sick
instantaneously or within a short time, or deliver them
from death, but if they miss their mark, they usually
kill at once, or they engender
an illness that ultimately
leads its host to death; therefore one should beware
of them.
As for the weak medications, they
are: the extrac-
tion of blood by
scarification of the
legs
or the
upper
parts
of the body; softening
the belly with the two
mannas, prunes, cherries, violets, refined
syrup
of
roses;
65
and their like; emesis with barley water, or
oxymel,
or radish,
or orach seeds,
or melon roots, and
their like; mild
clysters,
like the
injection
of
barley
gruel, or a decoction of bran, or aquamel,
or oil alone,66
and the like of these; lightening
the food
by taking
the
customary
drinks
prepared
from
sugar,
or
honey,
or
barley water,
or kashk of
barley,67
or soaked bread
crumbs, or a little bread in a broth for the sick; 68
medication with the healthy medicaments, that is to
say, things
that are often taken
by
the
healthy
like the
renowned syrups,
such as the
syrups
of
oxymel, roses,
lemon, violet, and their like, and the
preserves
that are
similar, that is, preserved roses, preserved violets,
preserved myrobalans, and their like; taking
decoc-
tions compounded
of
light
and safe medicaments,
like liquorice, maidenhair,
oxtongue,
endive seeds,
citron rind, sea holly, asparagus roots, the bark of
endive roots, fennel, parsley,
seeds of the
gourd,
purslane seeds, cucumber seeds, melon seeds,
the stem
of the marshmallow and its seeds, and their like;
infusions compounded
from the fruits, seeds and
flowers that are customary
for the healthy
to take,
and infusion of tamarind. All these are
light
rem-
64
Theriac-Any of numerous simple and compound antidotes
to poisons and poisonous bites. In the belief that repetitious
consumption of small doses of a
specific theriac confers immunity
against a specific poison, various complex theriacs were developed
by individuals who hoped to gain thereby lasting immunity
against any poisoner-human or animal. Of this variety of
theriacs, two are mentioned in the text: the Mithridatic and the
Theodoretic (see Glossary under "theriac").
65
The Hebrew and subsequently the Latin, render this "chilled
syrup of roses." This error could have well been due either to the
similarity between the Arabic mukarrar-refined, the Arabic
maqrur-"cool,"
and the Hebrew
meqorar-"chilled,"
or to the
similarity between the Hebrew mesiunan-"refined," and mezu.nan
-"chilled."
66
Al, amusingly,
reads here "currants alone," a plausible
scribe's error rendering zayt as zabTb.
67
Kashk-a thick pottage made of wheat or barley; it is
described in detail in the Accidents.
68
Al-"bread with seeds."
VOL.
54,
PT.
4, 1964] 21
BAR-SELA, HOFF,
FARIS: MOSES MAIMONIDES
edies; if they hit their mark they benefit and cure the
mild illnesses, and they can in time cure severe
illnesses. If
they miss their mark, they do not kill,
or cause great damage; you find therefore that most
physicians
resort to these and their like among the
remedies in seeking security.69
As for the evacuation with the hiera,70 the agaric, the
turpeth, and their like, and likewise with the cassia
fistula, the situation is an intermediate one. They
are not of the order of the strong purgatives nor are
they weak medications. The cassia fistula, even
though it
might produce
distress and often tenesmus,
is nevertheless very reliable. Similarly, agaric, al-
though it is reliable
71
as a
purgative,
can nevertheless
cause very serious harm because of its acuity and the
vehemence of its drying whenever we need to moisten
either the entire body or a member thereof. Similarly,
the harm of the hiera and the Itrifal
72
in the feverish
is grave at most times.
Our
warning against taking theriac and Mithri-
datium, except
on the advice of an accomplished phy-
sician, is only for the sick. As for the healthy, it has
already been mentioned that it is in accord with the
regimen of health to take theriac every ten days. So
have the physicians stated; yet there is not a tenet in
the doctrines of medicine that is an absolute one, but
for
anything
allowable there are necessary reserva-
tions, as in the instance mentioned
regarding the
taking
of theriac every ten days
in accordance with the
regimen
of health. Thus, it should not be taken by
one of hot temperament,
nor at a time of intense heat,
nor by one who has in his stomach an evil humor of
any kind. As to the statement that vomiting
once
or twice a month is very good
in the regimen
of health,
it also has reservations, and these are that the person
should not have a feeble chest,
or be one whose head
becomes congested easily,
or have frequent
headaches.
Emesis at the time of intense cold is not beneficial.
Thus, any given tenet has reservations, as we have
illustrated.
Our instruction to use the weak medicaments, some
points
of which we have mentioned, when a skilled
physician
cannot be found, should be followed, who-
ever the physician
in attendance, only
when necessary,
because even small quantities
of medicaments can also
be harmful, should the physician
err in
them, and
apply them out of
place.
Galen has
already explained
69
H-"fleeing from doubt and seeking peace."
70
The Arabic
aydrjdt,
a transcription of the Greek
iera,
denotes
any of several aperient remedies. From the context, however,
it appears that the reference here is to a specific medication, and
both the Hebrew and the Latin render it Hiera Picra (see Glos-
sary).
The Hiera Picra, also known as "hickery pickery"
and
"holy bitter" (a translation of the Greek iera pikra), dates back
to antiquity and with "theriac" and the "sacred sealed earth"
(terra sigillata) is among the oldest known popular remedies.
71
A4 omits the mention of the agaric and renders the following
sentences as a further discussion of the cassia fistula.
72 The Arabic itrifal is probably
a transcription from the Latin
trifera (see note 89).
to us that at times a patient
is ordered to drink water
until satiated, and his body becomes wet with sweat,
his stools soften, his fever departs, and he recovers
completely, while at other times a patient is allowed a
draught of water at an
improper time, and this causes
the loss of the patient or his acquisition of a chronic
disease from which he never recovers. All the condi-
tions in which the drinking
of water
73
is to be per-
mitted or prohibited have already been determined.
If this is the case with drinking water, how much more
so with other things!
When the indications are equivocal and it is obscure
to us whether drinking water ought to be permitted
or
prohibited,
the sick should be permitted to drink
water, but not to excess.74 Likewise, when uncertain
whether to feed the sick or
prohibit food altogether,
we should feed them with light nourishment. It
follows from this that it is proper that the regimen,
when a skillful
physician cannot be found, should
always be in accord with what is customary in health.
One should take a little of what is customary, and
always maintain his strength by taking nourishment,
either light nourishment like chicken soup, meat
broth, yolk of soft-boiled eggs, and a drink for him
who may take it, or those nourishments that are
heavier than these, like meat of chicken, and bread.
One should never
neglect strengthening
the Natural
Faculty
75
with nourishment, strengthening the Psy-
chic Faculty with good odors, either the hot, like musk,
ambergris and basil in cold diseases, or the cold, like
rose, water lily, myrtle and violet in hot ailments, and
strengthening the Vital Faculty with musical instru-
ments, by bringing the patient joyful news that cheers
him and dilates his heart, by telling tales that divert
him and make him
laugh,
and by the presence
of
someone whose
company
cheers him. All these must
be done in all illnesses whenever there is no
physician
to
arrange things as is proper.
The
physicians
have already admonished all
practi-
tioners not to
employ
medicaments if
they can manage
the sick by regulating nourishment alone. If
they
cannot manage without medication, they should
manage
with things that are customary,
like the
nourishing
medicaments or the nutrients that are
medicinal. If
they cannot do without what is solely
medication, they should begin
with the weaker medic-
aments. If this suffices, it is
good;
should it not
suffice, they should
repair
to the stronger
in
potency.
Whenever it is possible
to manage with a
simple
medicament they should not manage
with the com-
73 A2 adds here "until he is satiated."
74
Literally, "should not become well watered." A4 reads:
"the sick should be permitted
and not prohibited."
75
The three forces mentioned in this paragraph,
are those at-
tributed by Galenic physiology to the three pneumas, the Natural,
the Vital and the Psychic, which were associated with the liver,
the heart and the brain, respectively. The concept of the pneu-
mas is further elaborated by the author in the beginning of the
fourth chapter.
22
[TRANS.
AMER. PHIL. SOC.
THE REGIMEN OF HEALHT
pounded,
and if it is not possible
without the com-
pounded, they should manage
with one of lesser com-
plexity. They should not resort to very complex
medicaments except
when absolutely necessary.
And
if this is an injunction
in the laws of the accomplished
physicians,
how should it be when there is no physi-
cian? Indeed, it behooves one to be most diligent
and never rush to the stronger
medicament or be
inclined to those that are multiple,
but to be content
with what is customary among
the lighter regimens.
This is the measure of what I had envisaged
as
counsel on this subject.
THE THIRD CHAPTER
On the Regimen
of Our Master in Particular According
to the Symptoms
of which he
Complains
The physicians agree
that it is foremost in the
regimen
of health for the stools to be soft. Whenever
the stools become dry,
and all the more so if
they
are
retained, very
evil
vapors
are
generated,
ascend to the
heart and the brain, corrupt
the humors, perturb
the
pneumas, produce melancholy,
evil thoughts,76 stupe-
faction and aversion to activity,
and
impede
the
egress
of the superfluities
of all the
digestions.
It is there-
fore proper
to strive to the utmost to
keep
the stools
soft.
Abui Marwan ibn Zuhr,77 may
God bless him,
has
said that the best
thing
for softening
the stools is an
infusion of rhubarb with tamarind. But what this
minor Servant looks upon
as the best with which to
soften the stools when constipated, considering
what
was mentioned to him about the
temperament
of our
Master, is to choose a lemon broth
prepared
with a
fat hen,
much carthamus, sugar,
lemon
juice,
and
beets in the water in which they
were boiled.78 In
addition,
he should not
neglect
at mealtime to take
herbs spiced
in barley
sauce and
good
olive oil before
the food; thereafter our Master can take whatever
food he chooses. Upon completing
his meal,
he should
suck a
quince, pear, apple,
or a
pomegranate
with its
seeds. Those herbs that he should take first are
beets, orach, spinach,
or blite, whichever is available,
spiced
with
good
olive oil and
barley
sauce. When it
becomes necessary
to soften with medication,
take a
dram of
good
rhubarb and chop it,
and an ounce of
tamarind,
cleaned of its
peel
and seeds, chopped
as
thin as
possible,
and
steep
these in a
pound
and a half
of hot water, boiling intensely,
for a
night.
On the
morrow, filter this over three ounces of refined
79
syrup
76
L-pessimas cogitationes, pessimistic thoughts.
77Abui Marwan 'Abd al-Malik ibn Zuhr (1113-1162), known
in the West as Avenzoar, was one of the foremost physicians of
the Western Caliphate. He was born in Seville, Spain, where
he spent most of his life. A contemporary of Maimonides, he is
thought by some authors to have been his teacher.
78
Literally, "beets that were boiled and their water not dis-
carded"; A3 & A4-"and the water should not be chilled."
79
H-"chilled."
L-"frigid" (see note 65).
of roses. He should take it in the morning, and he
should not eat thereafter until six hours of the day
have passed.
If the stools become excessively hard,80 there is no
alternative but to take cassia fistula. The manner of
its taking is thus: take of
oxtongue,
four
drams;
li-
quorice peeled
and crushed, maidenhair, and barberry
seeds, of each three drams; marshmallow seeds, five
drams; fresh roses when available, seven flowers;
fennel, seven kernels. Steep the whole in one and a
half pounds
of hot water for a day and a night, boil,
stir, and filter over twenty monetary drams of cassia
fistula, four drams of almond oil and two ounces of
sugar.
He should take it, and endure patiently until
the completion
of its action; the corrective for it is a
cooked rooster.81 If it is not the season for fresh
roses, it should be filtered over three ounces of refined
rose syrup.
I declare that he is right
who might ponder over this
treatise and ask why
he should
employ barberry seeds,
which are constipating,
in a
preparation
intended as a
laxative. But he should know that barberry seeds
have properties preventing
the distress of the cassia
fistula, and that they comfort the intestines so that
tenesmus does not occur; this is what we have re-
ceived from the Elders of the Art.82
The physicians
have already mentioned the syrup
of oxymel
of roses as a
purgative;
it should also be in
the possession
of our Master, and he should take it to
soften the stools in times of intense heat. This is its
description:
take a
pound
of wine
vinegar, very sour,
cast into it one hundred
petals
of fresh roses, and
put
it in the sun for a
day.
On the morrow, strain out the
roses, discard them, and put
in this vinegar other roses
as above;
do not cease to change
the roses in this
manner every day
for
forty days.
This
vinegar should
be taken and thickened into a
syrup,
a
pound
of
sugar
to three ounces of this vinegar.
Ibn Zuhr has compounded
a syrup
of
oxymel of
currants which is
very good;
our Master should em-
ploy
it occasionally during
the summer. Its
descrip-
tion is: take black currants, cleaned of their seeds, and
throw half a
pound
of them into each
pound
of
vinegar,
and steep
for two days.83
Then
place
it over a fire,
boil vigorously, filter, and thicken this
vinegar into
an oxymel.
This compound
was indeed composed
with good judgment,
for the vinegar
cuts the
phlegm
80
Arabic: taiajjar; literally "petrified," become as hard as
stone.
81
Literally, "and the departure from it is with a cooked
rooster." It appears to us that this is the corrective for the cassia
fistula. The Hebrew makes this more definite by rendering it,
"and afterwards he should eat a cooked rooster." According to
Dioscorides, "after ye purging, they give ye broth of an Hen or of
fish, for to temperate ye sharpness of gnawing" (The Greek Herbal
of Dioscorides, R. T. Gunther, ed., N. Y., Hafner Pub. Co., 1959,
p.
609).
82
Elders of the Art-the author apparently refers to his
teachers in Andalusia and Fez.
83
A4-"one day."
23 VOL.
54,
PT.
4, 1964]
BAR-SELA, HOFF,
FARIS: MOSES MAIMONIDES
and opposes putrefaction
of the humors with a resist-
ance without equal.
It is of a very subtle essence and
it will cool the
temperament;
hence this oxymel
is
highly
beneficial in all fevers. Nevertheless,
the
vinegar
harms the liver greatly, injures it,84
emaciates
it and whitens its blood; Galen has already made it
clear that the maintenance of a man's health lies in the
health of the liver, and the vinegar
weakens its
strength.
Currants are faithful friends of the liver;
they
fatten it, strengthen it, color the blood and
ripen
the humors. Nevertheless, they engender heat,85
and
too much of them can inflame the blood. So,
when
the syrup
is compounded
from vinegar
and currants,
as that Notable has
compounded it, we
gain
the
advantages
of the vinegar
and are
spared
its damage
to the liver,
and we
gain
the advantages
of the currants
and are spared
their heat. This is an extraordinary
syrup,
and it
ought
to be
prepared.
This Servant has seen fit to
compound
for our
master two syrups
and an electuary
in accordance with
those symptoms
that were mentioned. One of the
two syrups
should be taken
regularly,
in all seasons;
its actions are to clarify
the blood,
remove its
turbidity
and cleanse it of the melancholic
vapors,
dilate the
spirit, gladden, expand
the chest, and remove the
dejection
and the anxiety
referred to. The
descrip-
tion of its
preparation
is: take fresh rose
petals,
a
pound; oxtongue,
half a
pound; stoechos, two ounces;
raw silk,86 chopped
seeds of
fumitory
and citron
peel,
of each one ounce.
Steep
the whole in six
pounds
of
hot water a day
and a
night,
then boil the whole well,
crush and filter in a strainer,
throw over it six
pounds
of syrup
of wild sorrel,
and
put
over a slow fire to at-
tain the consistency
of a
syrup. Spice
it with
Iraqi
musk, a
quarter
of a miskal. This Servant has found
this syrup
to be without
equal
in
cheering
and
strengthening
the heart and its
rhythm.
It is tem-
perate;
it does not heat and does not
chill,
and there-
fore it can be taken in all seasons. Two to three
ounces of it should be taken,
in cold water in the
summer,
or in hot in the winter.
As for the second syrup
which this Servant en-
visaged compounding,
it is a
syrup
that will soften the
stools greatly,
and it
may
often
require
two or three
sittings, according
to the
preparation.
It will
strengthen
the
expulsive faculty
that is in the stomach
and the intestines, expel
the
phlegm
and the black or
the yellow
bile with ease,
but will not harm the
organs
of nourishment. From three to four ounces of it
should be taken in hot water in which anise was boiled
until its appearance changed.
This should not be
taken regularly,
but
only
as needed to evacuate the
detained residues. If our Master takes it once a
week,
it will strengthen
the intestines,
remove from them
84A3- "chill."
85 A3 & A4-"heat the humors."
86
Raw silk-the Latin renders this sete crudis, or seris. Ac-
cording to Pliny,
seris is Chicorum endiva (see Glossary).
that quality disposing
to dryness of the stools; the
stools will become soft and return to their habitude.
Its description is: take polypody, perfectly peeled,
and
crushed and chopped pistachio, two ounces; senna of
Mecca and
oxtongue,
of each one ounce; chopped
liquorice and chopped marshmallow stem,87 of each
half an ounce; green fennel, a handful; fresh roses,
twenty flowers. Steep the whole in four pounds
of
hot water a day and a night, boil it on the morrow, stir
and filter it over thirty monetary drams of cassia
fistula, cleaned and moistened with half an ounce of
almond oil, and filter it and set it aside. Then take
myrobalans, shredded chebulic, Indic and emblic, of
each ten drams. The myrobalans should be chopped
and steeped in a pound and a half of hot, intensely
boiling water for a day and a night. On the morrow,
the myrobalans should be stirred well, filtered, and
added to the decoction containing the cassia fistula
that was set aside. Combine the two liquors
and pour
it over four pounds
of syrup
of violet. Place it over a
gentle flame, and suspend
in it a bag of fine linen, in
which there is nard and mastic, of each two drams, and
chopped rhubarb, three drams; do not cease pressing
this cloth with a spoon until the virtues of the medic-
aments which are in it have emerged.
When it has
attained the thickness of a syrup, remove it from the
fire, place it in an earthen vessel,88 and use it as needed,
as we have mentioned.
As for the electuary to which this Servant has
referred, it is a Great Itrifal;
89
this Servant has com-
pounded
it previously
for someone who needed it. It
will improve the three digestions, strengthen all the
members in general and the heart and the stomach in
particular.
It will retard aging, dissolve the phlegm,
prevent
the vapors
from ascending to the brain,
strengthen
all the senses and remove their lassitude,
aid coitus, and dilate the soul. Its description is: take
myrobalans, chebulic, Indic, and belleric, of each an
ounce; emblic, two ounces; citron peel,
oxtongue,
stoechos flowers, cost and zedoary, of each an ounce;
red rose petals, an ounce; samara of ash, wild carrot,
asparagus seeds, carrot seeds, rocket seeds, the two
behens,90 anise, mastic and balsam peel,
of each half
an ounce; cubebs, cardamons, cloves, cinnamon,
galingale, long peppers,91 ginger, nard,92 doronicum and
87
A4 omits mention of senna, oxtongue, and marshmallow.
88
H-"a vessel glazed with lead"; L-"a clean vessel."
89
Great Itrifal,
a transcription from the Latin trifera magna, is
a myrobalan electuary. As seen in the text, it is composed of
three myrobalan varieties, chebulic, Indic, and belleric, whence
probably comes the term tri-fera. According to Hacard, triphera
magna is a simplification of theriac without honey or wine (J. Ha-
card, La
Theriaque, Paris, Le Francois, 1947).
90
The term "two behens" refers to the bi-colored roots of a
medicinal plant and not to the Bladder Campion and the Sea
Lavender, commonly designated in English as the white behen
and the red behen, respectively (see Glossary).
91A3 & A4 omit mention of cinnamon, galingale,
and long
pepper.
92
A1-"musk."
24 [TRANS.
AMER. PHIL. SOC.
THE REGIMEN OF HEALTH
aloes, of each an
eighth
of an ounce; pinion nuts, three
ounces. The
dry medications should be
pulverized
and sifted, the seeds and the
pi-non
nuts should be
ground very fine, and the
myrobalans
should be
rubbed over and over in half a
pound
of almond oil or
pistachio oil, and the whole should be mixed and
kneaded with three
pounds
of
julep
and two
pounds
of
honey of bees from which the foam has been
skimmed,
and
placed
in a wide vessel. The amount of it to be
taken is four drams to half an ounce, in the winter time
in hot water in which anise was boiled. In
temperate
weather it should be taken as an
electuary.93
It
should not be used in times of intense heat. When-
ever it is taken, it should not be used
frequently,
but
only once a week.
These are the syrups
and the
electuary which,
this
servant thinks, should
always
be found in the
treasury
of the
prosperous kingdom
of
al-Afdal, may
God
preserve
it by lengthening
the life of its
king.
It is known to our Master, may
God
prolong
his
days, that
passions
of the
psyche
94
produce changes
in
the body, that are
great,
evident and manifest to all.
As evidence thereof, you
can see a man of robust
build,
ringing voice, and
glowing face,
when there reaches
him, unexpectedly,
news that afflicts him
greatly.
You will observe, that all of a sudden his color
dims,
the brightness
of his face
departs,
he loses
stature,
his
voice becomes hoarse,
and even if he strives to raise
his voice he cannot, his
strength
diminishes and often
he trembles from the
magnitude
of the
weakness,
his
pulse diminishes,
his
eyes sink,
his
eyelids
become too
heavy to move, the surface of his
body cools,
and his
appetite
subsides. The cause of all these
signs
is the
recall of the natural heat and the blood into the
interior of the body.
The state of the timorous and
anxious,
and the
confident and
sanguine,
is
known;
so
also,
the state of
the
vanquished
and the victorious is clear. The van-
quished
is so disheartened that he
may
not notice
things
because of the
lessening
of the visual
spirit
and
its
dispersal,95
whereas the
light
of the vision of the
victorious is so
greatly augmented
that it seems as
though
the
light
of the
day
has increased and
grown.
This subject
is so clear that it is
unnecessary
to dilate
on it.
On this account, the
physicians
have directed that
concern and care should
always
be
given
to the move-
ments of the
psyche;
these should be
kept
in balance in
the state of health as well as in
disease,
and no other
regimen
should be
given precedence
in
any
wise. The
93
Literally, "it should be taken to lick."
94
Arabic: al-infa'aldt al-nafsaniyyah;
as can be seen in the text
the term "passions of the psyche"
is used to connote more than
emotional excitement or agitation.
95
Galenical physiology taught
that all nerves are hollow; the
optic nerves, often called the hollow nerves,
were
thought
to
contain the visual spirit to which the
power
of vision was
attributed.
physician should make every effort that all the sick,
and all the healthy, should be most cheerful of soul
at all times, and that they should be relieved of the
passions of the
psyche that cause
anxiety.96 Thereby
the health of the healthy will
persist. This is also
foremost in
curing the sick, and
especially those whose
disease is psychic,97 like those who harbor
hypo-
chondria and morbid
melancholy,98 because solicitude
for the emotions in these is
obligatory. It is the same
for someone who is overcome by grief and obsessions,99
or by terror of whatever is unnatural to fear, or
by
the
diminution of satisfaction in what is natural for him
to
enjoy.
In all of
these, the skillful
physician should
place nothing ahead of
rectifying the state of the
psyche by removing these
passions. Nonetheless, the
physician, inasmuch as he is a physician, should not
insist upon his own art as the rationale for the strata-
gem
in
removing these passions, for
truly, this virtue
is to be attained from
practical philosophy,00?? and from
the admonitions and
disciplines
of the Law.
Indeed,
just
as the
philosophers have
composed
books in the various sciences, so have they composed
many books about the rectification of morals and the
discipline
of the
psyche so that it
acquires a virtuous
nature, until nothing comes from it but good actions.
They inveigh against moral
imperfections, and teach
the way to remove them from the
psyche of whoever
finds any of these in himself, until all those tendencies
that incline to evil actions
depart. Likewise, the
disciplines
of the Law and the admonitions and laws
received from the
prophets, peace be with them, or
from their followers, and the
knowledge of their
virtuous ways, will rectify the
disposition of the
psyche
until it
acquires a virtuous state, so that
nothing comes
from it but good actions. You find, therefore, that
these
passions make
strong impressions only on
persons
who were not
taught the
philosophy of morals
or the
disciplines and admonitions of the Law, such
as children, women, and the ignorant. These, because
of the softness of their
spirit, are irresolute and
fearful,
and you find that when some harm comes to
them,
and there falls
upon them a
calamity from the ad-
versities of this
world, their
grief is great, and
they cry
out and
weep, slap their
cheeks, and beat their
breasts,
and often the affliction is so
great upon them that
96
Arabic:
inqibad al-nafs, constriction of the
psyche;
the
Hebrew renders this sentence, "and the physician should think
that every sick person has a constricted heart while the healthy
is of a broad psyche, and therefore he should remove from him
the passions that lead to anxiety." The Latin is
essentially the
same.
97
Arabic: nafsanm, of the psyche; the Latin renders this
"animal" in accordance with Galenic
terminology. The Hebrew
reads: "and all the more so if his illness was specific to the powers
of the psyche and their vessels."
98
The Hebrew reads: "like the disease which is in the dia-
phragm or the brain." The Latin renders this,
"pleurisy,
stupefaction and
melancholy."
99
Literally, "persistent thoughts."
100
H & L-"speculative philosophy."
VOL.
54,
PT.
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BAR-SELA, HOFF,
FARIS: MOSES MAIMONIDES
some die, either suddenly
or after a time, from the
grief
and the distress that possessed
them. Likewise,
when these people acquire something
from the good
101
of this world, their
joy
in it is magnified,
and they
suppose,
for the want of discipline
of the
psyche,
that
they
have indeed acquired
a very great good.
Their
conceit grows,
their delight exaggerates
what they
have acquired. They become greatly
affected by this,
their laughter
and senseless gaiety increase, so that
some of them die in the vehemence of their exultation
because of the dissolution of the spirit through
the
intensity
of its sudden deflection to the outside,
as
Galen has mentioned. The cause of all this is softness
of the spirit
and
ignorance
of the truth of
things.
But people
nurtured in the
philosophy
of morals,
or
in the disciplines
and admonitions of the Law, acquire
strength
of mind,
and they
are the truly strong.
Their psyche
does not change
and is affected as little
as possible.
The more a
person
is
disciplined,
the less
is his agitation
in both these states, namely,
in the
state of
prosperity
and in the state of adversity. So,
when acquiring
a
great good
from the
good
of this
world, and this is what the
philosophers
call
imaginary
good,
he is not affected by it,
and this
good
is not
magnified
within him. Likewise,
when there falls
upon
him a
great
evil from the evils of this world,
and
this is what the
philosophers
call imaginary evil,
he is
neither dismayed
nor disheartened,
but bears it in
good spirit.
Indeed, this quality
of
spirit
will develop
in man
through
consideration of the truths of
things
and
recognition
of the nature of
reality,
because the best
of the good
of this world,
even
though
it endures with
a man all his life,
is a
very
minor
thing
and a
perish-
able thing,
and what is there in this for man who must
die like other animals? Likewise,
when the
greatest
of the evils of this world is
compared
with death,
from
which there is no
escape,
all such evil is less than
death, without doubt. One should therefore moderate
his reaction to such evil,
for indeed it is less than that
from which there is no
escape.
In truth the philosophers
have called the
good
of
this world,
and its evil, imaginary good
and
imaginary
evil,
because how often something
of its
good
is
sup-
posed
to be
good, yet
in truth is evil,
and how often
one of its evils is
supposed
to be
evil, yet
is
good
in
truth. How often has much wealth befallen a man
and how often has he
acquired
vain
possessions,
and
this has become the cause of the
corruption
of his
body,
the warping
of his soul with vices of
character,
the
shortening
of his
life,
his alienation from the Most
High God,
and an estrangement
between him and his
Creator? Indeed,
what is there in it for him but
eternal misery?
How often has a man been
deprived
of wealth,
or
property
torn from
him, yet
this has
101
Literally,
"from the goods."
The Latin renders this
"commodity."
The meaning, however,
is that of "goodness"
or "good,"
not in the sense of commodity goods.
become the cause of the improvement
of his body,
the adornment of his soul with virtues of character,
and the prolongation
of his life, drawing
him near his
Creator and turning his face toward His worship?
Indeed, herein lies eternal happiness
for him. What
this servant has said about the lengthening
or shorten-
ing
of life is only said upon the opinion
of the physi-
cians, and the philosophers,
and some masters of the
Law that have preceded
Islam.102
On the whole, most of what the public supposes to
be good fortune, is in truth misfortune, and most of
what they suppose
to be misfortune is in truth good
fortune. It is not the intention of this treatise to
expound the truth of this subject, or to explain it and
to teach its way, for much has already been com-
piled
103
about this in all times and in all learned
nations that have studied the sciences.104 This
servant has only meant by these references to suggest
training the psyche
to restrain the passions by study-
ing
books on morals, the disciplines
of the Law and the
admonitions and the laws spoken by the sages. Thus
the psyche will be strengthened
and will see the true as
true and the false as false. The passions
will diminish,
the evil thoughts
will depart, the depression
will lift,
and the psyche will dilate in whatever situation a man
might encounter.
Here, contemplation
is very good;
it will reduce evil
thoughts, anxiety, and distress. Often they will
cease altogether
if a person
holds the following con-
sideration before his mind's eye.
If one reflects on
something and becomes distressed by the thought,
and grief, sorrow, and sadness arise in him, this can
come from one of two things. Either he thinks about
something that has passed,
like thinking about what
has befallen him from the loss of wealth that was his
or the death of someone for whom he grieves,
or he
thinks of
things
that might yet happen
and fears their
coming,
like thinking
and dwelling upon
what might
result from the coming of adversity. Yet it is known
through rational observation, that thought regarding
what has come and passed
is of no value at all, and
that sorrow and gloom
about things that have come
and passed
are the occupation
of fools. There is no
difference between a man who is gloomy
because of
wealth that has perished,
and its like, and one who
grieves
because he is a man and not an angel,105 or a
star, or similar thoughts
that are impossibilities.
As for obsession with thoughts about what might
befall in the future that lead to anxiety, these ought
102
When we consider the turbulent history of the unfortunate
al-Afdal, who was twice deposed, this remarkable paragraph
acquires special significance because of the possible play on the
words milk-"property
or possession," mulk-"sovereignty or
kingdom," and malik-"king," all of which are spelled identically
in Arabic.
103
A4 reads here "neglected"-a quite different meaning.
104
H-"speculative
sciences."
105
Here, too, there might be a play on words: malak-"angel"
vs. malik-"king" (see note 102).
26 [TRANS. AMER. PHIL. SOC.
THE REGIMEN OF HEALTH
also to be
relinquished with the consideration that
everything that one
might anticipate lies in the realm
of
possibility; it might happen
or it might not happen.
And just as one
might grieve and sorrow over what he
anticipates might occur, so it behooves him to dilate
his
spirit and
hope,106 and with this
hope he
might
perhaps obtain the
opposite
of what he
anticipates.
Indeed, that which is
anticipated and its opposite are
both
possible.
This is the measure of what the Servant has en-
visaged as
necessary in this
chapter.
THE FOURTH CHAPTER
Consisting
of Sections in the Form of Advice that is
Beneficial in General and in Particular
for the
Healthy and for the Sick,
and in all Places at all Times
First, one
ought to attend to the rectification of the
air, then to the rectification of the water, and after
this to the rectification of the nutrients. This is so
because what the
physicians call
pneumas, are fine
vapors
found in the
body
of
living creatures;
107
their
origin
and the main
part of their substance are from
the air inhaled from without. The
vapor
of the blood
found in the liver and in the veins
arising
from it is
called the Natural
Spirit, the
vapor
of the blood found
in the heart and the
pulsating vessels is called the
Vital
Spirit, and the
vapor
found in the ventricles of
the brain and that which is transmitted from it
through the cavities of the nerves is called the
Psychic
Spirit. The source of all these, and most of their
substance, is the air inhaled from
without, and if this
air becomes
corrupt, putrid,
or
turbid, all
pneumas
undergo alterations and their affairs
proceed contrary
to what is
proper.
Galen said: Make every effort that the essence of
the air that reaches the
body through breathing
is in
perfect balance and free of
everything that
might
pollute it.
This Author says: The finer the
pneuma is, the more
it is altered
by changes in the air. The Natural
Spirit
is coarser than the Vital Spirit, and the Vital is coarser
than the
Psychic,
and if the air is altered ever so
slightly, the state of the Psychic Spirit
will be altered
perceptibly. Therefore
you find
many men in whom
you can notice defects in the actions of the
psyche
with the
spoilage
of the
air, namely, that
they develop
dullness of
understanding, failure of
intelligence,
and
defects of
memory, although
no
change
is to be noticed
in their Vital and Natural actions.
Comparing
the air of cities to the air of deserts and
arid lands is like
comparing
waters that are befouled
and turbid to waters that are fine and
pure.108
In the
106
The Hebrew adds here, "in the Lord"; the Latin follows suit.
107
Literally, "animals"; L-"in the body of man and other
animals."
108
A3-"clear and sweet."
city,
because of the
height
of its
buildings,
the narrow-
ness of its
streets, and all that pours forth from its
inhabitants and their
superfluities, their
dead, the
carcasses of their animals and the
corruption of their
decaying food, the air becomes
stagnant, turbid, thick,
misty, and
foggy. The
pneumas change accordingly,
although
a
person might not
perceive what has be-
fallen him.109 If there is no choice in this matter, for
we have
grown up
in the cities and have become
accustomed to them, you should at least select from
the cities one of
open horizons, especially towards the
north and the east, high in the hills or on the moun-
tains, and
sparse
in trees and waters. If
you have no
choice and cannot
emigrate
from the
city, endeavor
at least to dwell on the outskirts of the city, facing
north and east. The
dwelling place should be a tall
building
and should have a wide court, traversed
by
the north wind and accessible to the sun, because the
sun dissolves the
putridity of the air, thins it, and
clarifies it. One should strive to set the rest room
"n
apart
from the site of the
dwelling as much as
possible,
and also endeavor to
rectify the air and
dry it with
good aromatics, vapors, and
fumigation as is
proper
according
to the
changes in the air. This is funda-
mental in the initiation of
every one of the
regimens
of the
body or the
psyche.
Even if
you are watchful and alert to the utmost of
your diligence, minor accidents are
always occurring
in the
body. For
example, sometimes the stools be-
come a little soft and sometimes a little dry, or one
detects a feebleness in his
digestion one day, or a
minor headache hurts him, or a small ache causes
pain
in some
place in his body; the like of these are
many.
Be cautious and careful lest you hasten to medicate
these. Do not rush to take a
remedy for the relief
of such a minor
occurrence; the best of the
physi-
cians
"m
have already admonished
against it. This is
because Nature is sufficient in the like of these
things,
and does not
require assistance with
medication;
rather, one should adhere to his
good healthy regimen.
For, if you treat such a minor illness, you do one of
two
things. Either your action is in error and
you
oppose what Nature has
intended, and
perplex
her so
that the affliction
increases, or
your action is correct
and
you turn Nature back to her natural
course,
thereby teaching Nature
passivity 11n2 and
accustoming
her not to do what is
proper except with assistance
from without. An
example of this is the man who
accustoms his beast not to move
except with a
spur,"3
whereupon it stands still forever unless
spurred.
Similarly, you may find that the stools have softened
109
A reads a different meaning: "and the person, similarly,
would perceive what has befallen him."
110
The Arabic term used here is identical in derivation with the
English euphemism "rest room."
m
H & L-"Lord of Physicians" (i.e., Hippocrates).
112 H & L-"laziness."
113 H & L-"rein."
VOL.
54,
PT.
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27
BAR-SELA, HOFF,
FARIS: MOSES MAIMONIDES
a little, as is not their custom, without there having
been any change in your regimen; at times this may
persist for two or three days without pain or weakening
of vigor.
If you hasten with measures and restrain
this deviation, Nature returns to her habit
through
medication. Often the cause of all this is a natural
movement of the expulsive power, excited to expel
what ought to be expelled, turning the stools soft,
and if the correctness of its action is restrained, harmed
and damaged, and what ought to make its exit is
retained, calamities
might
befall. At times the cause
of this softening is debility of the retentive power, and
if this had been left alone, it would have awakened
and the member would have returned innately to its
natural action. But if you strengthen this power by
medication whenever it is weakened, this will come to
be a custom and a habit, and whenever the power is
enfeebled, it will require a stimulant from without.
It has already been made clear that it is correct to
leave well
enough alone;
114
it behooves one to act thus
in any matter wherein there is no
peril.
Abf Nasr al-Farbi
115
has already mentioned in this
connection, that in the art of medicine, in
seamanship,
and in
farming,
the outcome does not necessarily
depend upon performance. Indeed, the
physician
might
do whatever he should do, as best he can, with-
out errors committed either by
him or
by
the
patient,
yet he does not attain the cure which is his
goal.
The
cause of this is clear, because the
agent
here is not the
medication alone, but the medication and Nature, and
at times Nature does not succeed for a number of
reasons, some of which have already been mentioned
in this treatise. Likewise, the farmer can do all
that is
proper yet
the seed does not
prosper.
Simi-
larly, the sailor can manage
his
ship
with the best of
skill, build it with the best construction and sail the
sea at the proper time, yet
the
ship perishes.
The
reason for all this is that these ends are attained
through a
coupled action, and at times one
agent
does
all that must be done while the other falls short in
its action.
If the contents of the
preceding paragraph
are
considered, you will realize that at times the ailment
is light,
and Nature is
strong
over it, has undertaken
to remove it, and has
begun doing
all that she should
do, yet
if the
physician
errs in his treatment, or the
patient errs, Nature's actions are ruined. This is
very
frequent
in all
places
and at all times.116
In one of his tracts, al-Razi has a statement with
the following meaning.
He
says
that when the disease
is more manifest than the
vigor,
medicine is of no value
114
This English idiom best approximates the Arabic expression
al-sawab al-tark, "the correct
(is)
the omission."
115 Abu Nasr al-Farabi (870?-950), also known as Alfarabius,
was a
philosopher
and translator, and one of the first Moslem
scholars to introduce the knowledge of Plato and Aristotle to the
Islamic world.
116
A3 & A4 omit this paragraph, while in A2 it is added on the
margin.
at all, and when the vigor surmounts the disease, there
is no need for a physician in any wise, but when they
are
equal, there is need for a physician to assist the
vigor and aid it against the disease.
This Author says: From the words of this man who
is
accomplished in his art it should be realized that,
when all ailments are taken into consideration, the
physician can be dispensed with more often than he is
needed, even when he is excellent, knows how to assist
Nature, and does not perplex
her or divert her from
her
proper pathway.
Careless physicians
117 often commit very grave errors
against the
people, yet the sick do not perish,
but are
saved. I have repeatedly seen someone administer a
strong purgative to a
person needing not even a weak
purgative. There exuded much blood from below,
he
persisted in it for days, and griped with great
tenesmus, yet recovered afterwards. I have also seen
someone bleed a person with indigestion, while un-
aware of the indigestion, and it overcame the patient,118
diminished his strength,119 and lengthened and in-
creased his ailment, yet he recovered in the end.
Nevertheless, this is not taken into consideration, and
it is
supposed that physicians' errors do little harm.
It is said that, if when they do commit such grave
errors the sick do not perish, there must be even less
danger when the physician errs only in regulating
the
quantity of food, or the dosage of mild concoctions.
The matter is not so, but rather, these preceding cases
are similar to those that follow. You see with your
own eyes people whose arms are cut off at the elbow
or their legs at the knees, or their eyes are extracted,
or they are striken with severe blows in battle into the
cavity of the body, yet they do not die, but live as
God wills. Yet you see a man pricked by
a thin
needle or a thorn; it punctures one of his nerves,120 and
he has convulsions and dies. Thus are the physicians'
errors balanced; at times they commit a
grave
error
and the patient
is saved, while at times something
they assume to be but a trifle, and which the
patient
assumes to be but a trifle, becomes the cause of the
patient's
death. This should be born in mind
by
everyone with
intelligence.
It is known that all men suppose that eating the
customary foods, drinking the customary liquids,
washing
in cold water when one is accustomed to it,
and
taking
a bath, are all matters wherein there is no
great danger for the sick if done improperly.
This is
not so. Galen has already explained to us that
among
those with fever there are some in whom
drinking
cold water 121 causes an
unripening
of the humors, and
117
A3 & A4-"experimenters"; L-"facile"; H-"those of the
physicians who do not act properly."
118
A4-"he fainted"; H-"he became paralyzed
from
heartache."
11
A3 & A4-"his strength was seized with a shudder."
120
L-"puncture an artery or a nerve."
121
Al-"much
water."
28
[TRANS.
AMER. PHIL. SOC.
THE REGIMEN OF HEALTH
the
unripening
fires their fever and they perish,
while
for some others, cold water is a remedy. It softens
their stools, extinguishes their fire and they recover,
while if it is withheld from them, they perish.
Like-
wise, among those with fever there are some who, if
permitted to enter cold water, are cured and saved,
and others whom this kills. So also, bathing
cleanses
the body of some of those with fever and
completes
their recovery, yet it increases the
putridity
of others,
stimulates their fever, and kills. The same applies
to food; withholding it from the sick is at times a cause
of recovery, at times a cause of death.
The rules governing these matters and the condi-
tions in which one should permit any one of these
actions, or
prohibit it, have already been presented,
explained and demonstrated with their causes. But
while the
understanding of all this from books is very
easy for anybody with adequate intelligence, applying
this in the defluxion of humors of an individual case is
very difficult even for the
profound scholar. As for
those who are
ignorant
of the elements of this Art,
and for the careless, nothing is difficult, and they do
not see, moreover, that diseases demand study.
In one of his tracts, al-Razi has stated: Medicine is
an
acquired art in which the worthless vaunt, yet how
difficult is its attainment for the skillful physician.122
This Author says: Galen has already filled books
with the subject on which al-Razi wrote in that tract,
and he mentions that the crafty
123 find this Art easy
and belittle it, while Hippocrates finds it arduous
and exalts it. Let him who sees these my words not
suppose that this is
unique to medicine; indeed, if you
consider all the sciences, the natural, the deductive
or the theological,124 you find it the same. The more
a man is
accomplished
in any science, the more precise
his meditations become, doubts arise in him and any
problem becomes difficult for him, and he becomes
deliberate in
contemplation, and hesitant in some of
his answers. And the less a man's wisdom, the more
he considers to be easy all that is difficult, and draws
near that which should be distant. His nonsense
increases, and his
pretentiousness, and the hastiness
of his answers about that which he knows not that he
knows not.125
I shall return to my subject and say that Galen has
already mentioned what I have said regarding the
ease with which the Art of Medicine is understood by
those who
possess a
good intellect, and their difficulties
in
practicing it. He has a statement and its wording
is thus: It is easy to say that it is right to anoint the
aged
with oil in the morning, and massage them, but
to do this
properly is a most difficult thing.
122
Most Hebrew manuscripts read here a different meaning:
"medicine is a learned art acquired by worthless people, etc."
123
H &
L-"deceptors" meaning quacks.
124
Arabic:
shar'iyyah-religious
law.
125
According to Cicero, Socrates believed that all wisdom
consists solely in "not thinking that you know what you do
not know" (Cicero, Academica, 1 IV).
This Author says: Observe, oh possessors
of im-
partiality!
If anointing and massaging is one of the
most difficult matters in the practice of Galen, that is
to say when we come to the individual
application,
and
likewise the drinking
of water and the withholding of
it as we have
explained,
how much more should it be
in
bloodletting, purging with the pulp
of colocynth,
the extracts of the
squirting
cucumber and the two
hellebores, the clysters with castoreum and opoponax,
cautery, lancing, and
amputation.
Will these be easy
for the physicians, in truth, or difficult?
Ibn Zuhr has said in one of his available, well-
known books: I did not ever administer a laxative
potion that my heart did not labor over it for
days
before and after.126
The behavior of all men regarding coitus is known.
And that is, that there is not one who uses it for the
sake of the regimen
of health, or for the sake of
procreation, but merely for
pleasure; thus they lust
until fatigued, at all times, and at every opportunity.
It is already manifest among those who know, that
coitus is detrimental to all men
except
some few whose
temperament
is such that a little of it does no harm.
But men differ only in the degree
of harm; among them
are those whom it harms greatly, and among them are
those whom it harms but little. Its harm to the young
that are of moist
temperament
is little. Its harm to
the old, the convalescent, and those of dry tempera-
ment is very great. Among the convalescents we have
already seen some who
copulated and died that very
day, or suffered syncope and recurrence of fever, and
died after a few days. On the whole, it is a pernicious
matter for the sick and the convalescent, and very
detrimental to the old and to all of dry temperament.
It is
improper
for anyone to copulate before the food
in the stomach is
digested,
or when hungry,
or when
thirsty, or in a state of
inebriety, or after leaving the
bath, or
following exercise or before it, or for a day
before bloodletting and for a day thereafter. Who-
ever desires the continuance of health, should drive
his
thoughts from coitus all he can.
The benefits of a drink are very many when it is
taken
properly,
for then it is a
great
factor in the
conservation of health, and in the cure of many
infirmities. The manner in which it is used by all
men, however, is
already well known; they aim at
nothing but inebriety, yet inebriety is harmful to all
men. He is
wrong
who
supposes that inebriety is of
benefit once a month, for inebriety putrefies and
grieves the body, especially the brain. The small
amount that is beneficial should be consumed after
the food has left the stomach. Adolescents should
not consume it because it is very harmful to them;
it will corrupt their bodies and their souls. Galen has
already said that the
young should not take any of it,
except
after three sabbaths, that is one and twenty
126
Isaac Israeli, in his sefer musar harof'im, attributes a
very
similar statement to Galen (Jour. Hist. Med. 17: 251, 1962).
29 VOL.
54,
PT.
4, 1964]
30
BAR-SELA, HOFF,
FARIS: MOSES MAIMONIDES
[TRANS.
AMER. PHIL. SOC.
years.
The more a man
grows
in
years,
the more
beneficial for him wine
becomes;
those
needing
it most
are the old.
The bath is
greatly
needed in the
regimen
of health
and in the cure of ailments.
Physicians prescribe
the
bath in the state of illness
according
to the kind of
disease, according
to the
season,
and
according
to
individual differences."27
They
have
already
said that
from the
standpoint
of the
regimen
of health it is
proper
to enter it
every
ten
days. Physicians
have
noted that
frequenting
the bath
every day corrupts
the humors. This statement is true for one who
lingers
in the bath until his sweat flows
copiously,
but
for one who enters and does not
tarry,
but washes and
leaves,
it is beneficial even if it is taken
every day,
and
especially
for the old and for those of
dry
tem-
perament.128
It is
improper
for one to enter the bath
before the food leaves the stomach.
Entering
it after
the stomach is
empty,
and before
feeling hungry,
is
good
for all
men,
but after
sensing hunger
it is not
proper
to enter it
except
for one who wishes to reduce
his
body.
The
description
of its
usage is,
that a man
should first sweat and
wipe
his sweat with a clean cloth
of linen. As the sweat
flows,
he should
wipe
it until
the
garment
with which he is
wiping
becomes soaked.
Then he should clean the
skin,
and after this he should
rub and wash with hot water from which the skin
does not shrink. Then he should diminish the heat
little
by
little until he
washes, finally,
with
tepid
129
water,
almost
cold,
but not cold
enough
to make the
skin
shiver;
then he should descend into the
bath,
the
water of which should be the same. But he who
desires to thin his
body
should use hot water that is
as hot as he can bear.
As for the
head,
it is
improper
ever to wash it with
cold
water,
or with
tepid,
but
only
with water so
intensely
hot that it feels as
though
it burns the skin
of the head. For even
though
cold water
strengthens
the
brain,
it retains its
superfluities
and chills it. All
the nerves become
cold,
since the brain is their
source,
and all movements become difficult. At times hemi-
plegia
can
occur,
or
paralysis
of the mouth or sudden
spasms;
one should be
very
cautious about this.
Tepid
water also adds coldness and softness to the
brain,
and thus all the movements and the senses are
weakened. But
very
hot water
strengthens
the sub-
stance of the
brain,
decreases its
superfluities,
im-
proves
its
temperament,
and all the movements and
the senses are
strengthened.
It is
proper
for one to
sleep
after
leaving
the bath.
Galen said: For
ripening
that which is to be
ripened,
or
resolving
that which is to be
resolved,
I deem
nothing
better than
sleep
after
leaving
the bath.
But
sleep
in the bath is
very
bad. At times it can
127
A4 &
H-"years"-age.
128
H & L-"bad
complexion."
129
Literally, "sunny"-i.e.,
as hot as
though put
in the sun.
generate syncope130
because of conflict
resulting
between the
sleep
and the heat of the
bath,
for the
heat of the bath attracts the natural heat to the ex-
ternal surface of the
body,
while
sleep requires
the
return of the heat to the interior of the
body.
One should be
very
cautious about
drinking
cold
water after
leaving
the bath. Galen has
already
men-
tioned those who drank cold water after the
bath;
their
kidneys
were chilled
immediately
and
they
be-
came
dropsical.
One should therefore endure thirst
until his
body
cools and the warmth which the
members have
acquired
from the bath
departs;
then
he can drink water. If he cannot wait because of the
intensity
of his
thirst,
he should first
temper
the water
with a
syrup
of citron
peel,
or with mastic
syrup,
or
with
syrup
of rose
buds,
and then drink.
Likewise,
drinking
a brew
prepared
with
pomegranate
seeds and
sugar spiced
with
musk, aloes,
and cloves after the
bath is not harmful. And if he waits after the bath
until the warmth of the bath
passes
from the
body,
and then takes
it,
it will be
beneficial,
that is to
say,
this brew or the other before-mentioned drinks.
Often men
neglect
rheums in their
ignorance
of what
can result from them. That which results from
them,
mostly,
is either catarrh when
they
descend to the
nose,
or hoarseness of the voice and
cough,
if
they
descend to the trachea.
My
advice about this is to
take heed and beware of rheums in the winter and in
the
summer,
and to wear one's
turban,13
while
warm,
inside the bathhouse.
Always protect
the head from
the intense cold which causes
rheums,
and also from
the intense
heat,
because the intense heat melts the
coagulated superfluities
that are in the
brain,
and
they descend;
these are the hot rheums.
All the
rheums,
hot and
cold,
often
pour
into the
hollows of the
lung
and fill them all at
once,
because
of the abundance of the
descending
humor and the
weakness of the
recipient.
The
expulsive power
is too
weak to
expel
it
by cough,
and the man suffocates
and dies or
develops orthopnea.132
At other times
they
descend to the hollow of the stomach and cause
mucosity
of the
intestine;
this is a disease that is
hard to cure. Or at
times, they
descend to one of the
joints,
and
produce aching
of the
joints. They
can
also descend to the substance of the internal
organs
and their
cavities,
and
produce swelling
in these
organs, pleurisy,
inflammation of the
lungs, swelling
of
the
liver,
and
swelling
of the stomach or the rest of the
members. Because of
this,
it is
important
to beware
of rheums.
Protection
against
rheums lies in
guarding against
heating
the head
intensely
or
chilling
it
intensely,
as we
have
mentioned,
and in
avoiding eating
that which fills
the
head,
such as milk and the
inflating grains
like
130
H-"heartache."
131
A3-"turban";
all other
manuscripts
read "clothes."
132
Literally, "rising up";
H & L
add,
"which is shortness of
breath so that one cannot lie down."
THE REGIMEN OF HEALTH
vetch and peas,
in not sleeping after a meal, especially
at night,
in not consuming inebriating
drinks in any
amount that might alter the intellect even
slightly,
and in strengthening
the substance of the brain by
smelling incenses and spices appropriate
to the tem-
perament
and the season. Among
the
specialties
for
strengthening the brain are cloves, pulverized
as fine
as dust and put
at the hairline throughout the
winter;
anointing the brain with spiced ben oil during the
winter also strengthens it. But at the time of the
intense heat one should dip his head in water of roses
and al-Nasrin,133 and dust the head with a little mace
which is thoroughly pulverized.
It is improper
for anyone, in any place
or at any
time, to consume food in which
spoilage
has appeared,
even a minimal
spoilage;
or water that is turbid,
altered in odor 134 or tepid;
or
anything putrid,
like
unleavened bread, fish gravy, jelly
of salted fish,
Khalat,135
and their like. These are the source of
fevers, and they are like
poisons.136
The best phy-
sicians have admonished against eating
food left over-
night, or meat left
overnight,
for
putridity
has already
commenced even though this is not apparent to the
senses.
One should endeavor to partake
of sweet foods, for
the sweet is what nourishes, as Galen has mentioned.
Likewise, one should drink waters that are sweeter,
clearer, and cooler. If one loathes sweet foods, he
should temper
his meal with a little of the sour, or
with something
that has a noticeable saltiness or
astringence
in its taste, like dishes cooked in
verjuice,
vinegar, lemon, barley sauce, sumac, quince,
or
pomegranate seeds. These foods, though they lack
the virtues of the sweet and
provide
but little nourish-
ment, are beneficial. First, they are not loathsome.
Then, some of them dissolve the
phlegm
in the stomach
and are
appetizing,
like
pickled dishes; some resist
putrefaction and remove it, like dishes infused with
vinegar and lemon-water, and some strengthen the
stomach and close its orifice, like those that are cooked
in sumac, pomegranate seeds, quinces
or
verjuice.
One should rely on these foods all one can.
Habit is fundamental in the conservation of health
and in the cure of ailments. It is
improper
for one
to depart from his healthy habits all at once, either in
eating,
in
drinking, coition, taking a bath, or exercise.
In all these whatever is customary should be main-
tained. Even if the accustomed thing is contrary
to the
principles
of medicine, one should not leave it
for what is determined by these
principles except
gradually and over a
long time, so that one does not
perceive
the
change.
If one alters any
of his habits
all at once he will
perforce
fall sick. As for the sick,
133
al-Nasrin-a wild Persian rose.
134
L5-"color."
135
Khalat-fish preserved in salt.
136
The term could mean either "poisons" or "Simoom," the
destructive desert wind.
they should not change their customs in any way,
that is to say, that one should not hasten at the time
of illness to alter a habit even for the better.
It is known that there are animals whose meat has a
temperament very adverse to the nourishment of man,
like the meat of the wolf and the fox, and others that
are very suitable, like the meat of the sheep;
so also
is the rule regarding their hair in the clothing. The
most suitable for man are clothes lined with the pelt
of the sheep, and the most harmful for him are clothes
lined with the fur of foxes; so say the proficient among
the physicians mentioned, and it is the truth. Hence
this Servant has observed that the clothing called
Qartds
137 is to be condemned. The fur of the
squirrel
has been praised by the physicians. They have also
mentioned that clothes lined with skins of cats cause
sickness, as does smelling their breath. They have
recommended therefore keeping away from them and
the smell of their breath, just
as they have recom-
mended smelling the breath of
pigeons
and
keeping
them in the house. This, they said, protects against
all the diseases of the nerves, such as
hemiplegia,
distortion of the face, spasms, tremors, and the like.
Whoever keeps pigeons will be safe from all these,
providing
he bewares of their excrement and does not
leave it to accumulate in any wise, for it putrefies
the air and
corrupts
it. Likewise, eating young
full-
fledged pigeons cures ailments of the nerves.
The best of
game
meat is the gazelle;
so also is the
rabbit. It has virtues verified by experience, that is,
eating its brain is good
for tremor and diseases of the
nerves. The fur of the rabbit warms greatly and is of
benefit in diseases of the nerves,l38 especially
in the old.
The wild ass has a
great property
of
strengthening the
vision; this has been verified by experience. Eating
its meat and
exposing
the eyes to the vapor
of its
cooking meat strengthens the vision and opens occlu-
sions of the hollow nerves. Gazing frequently at the
eyes of the wild ass strengthens
vision and removes
its defects; this has been verified by experience.
This is the measure of what the Servant has now
presented
for the needs of our Master, may God
perpetuate
his dominion for him unto all times.
May the Exalted God prolong the days of our Master,
perpetuate
his health, and
grant
him the fulfillment
of the Two Worlds, as he has granted his
servants and subjects the favors of his
nature and
generosity through his
benevolence and munificence.
Thanks be to God, Lord of the Two Worlds.139
37
Qartds-a striped Egyptian dress.
38
L-"diseases of the joints."
139 The concluding phrases vary from one manuscript to an-
other. Al adds: "and to the Bestower of Intellect, thanks
without limits; our reckoning is to God, oh what an excellent
Guardian." A3 & A4 contain additional flowery praises added
by the respective scribes.
31 VOL.
54,
PT.
4, 1964]
MAQALAH
FI BAYAN BA'D AL-A'RAD
WA-AL-JAWAB
'ANHA
The
Response
to the Letter of al-Afdal in which He Elucidated
all those Accidents which have Befallen Him.
In the name of
God,
Merciful and Compassionate!
A letter has reached this minor Servant containing
a list of all those accidents that have befallen our
Master, may God perpetuate
his days, along with an
explanation of the causes of all those accidents and the
times of their occurrence, information on all the
particulars that a physician
needs to inquire about, a
description
of his
thoughts at each time about each
accident, and an outline of what the physicians ad-
vised, and wherein they agreed or disagreed.1 This
minor Servant knows with certainty that this letter
was dictated by our Master, without a doubt. This
Servant swears by God the Most High, that accom-
plished physicians
in our times lack the knowledge
essential for
systematizing such complaints, let alone
explaining and organizing them in such a fashion.
Therefore, this minor Servant has seen to it that his
answer to him who holds him in bondage,2 may
God
preserve
his shadow, is in the words of one
physician
to another and not in the words of a phy-
sician to someone who is not of the
people
of the Art,
since the perfection
of our Master has become evident
to this Servant through the account of those accidents
and their causes.
Whereas this Servant is
acquainted
with those
accidents that are now
present,
the removal of which
is desired, and whereas our Master, having cited to
his minor Servant what each physician has counseled,
has commanded him to comment on the statement of
each one of them, he
obeys accordingly:
As to the statement of the physicians who said that
the ailments now present
would disappear
if the blood
were to exude now from the orifices of the vessels as
has already happened at times, it is the truth, without
any
doubt. This is because that blood that comes
out is
only
the turbidity of the blood and its sediment,3
expelled by Nature, because of its badness,
in the
form of a crisis. (H)
As for the physician
who advised opening the orifices
of the vessels by means of water in which one sits, or
poultices
on which one sits, he is in error. This
Servant does not agree
with this at all, for several
reasons which he will explain. First, those things
that are applied, or the hot water in which one sits,
heat the temperament and inflame the humors.
Second, when Nature opens
these vessels, she opens
1
The Latin rendition presents these as the requests of al-Afdal.
It is perhaps because of this, that this work was erroneously
titled de causis accidentium.
2
Al-mdlik
riqqihi;
A2-mdlik
al-riqq (see introduction).
H,-"its turbidity and ferments"; L-"its dregs and super-
fluities."
them in the required measure, but when we open
them by medication, they open more than they
should, the flow of blood goes to excess and its arrest
becomes difficult. Even when it comes by itself,4 it
may happen that it goes to excess so that it cannot be
arrested. (H)
Third, when these vessels open by themselves,
whatever comes out of them is most often what should
come out, because Nature has driven it to the
peri-
phery and the
expulsive
force has moved to expel it.
If we open them ourselves, something might
come out
that should not come out, and most often this is what
happens. (H)
In
general, we do not have recourse to this action
unless those places
are swollen, and the
pain
is
greatly
increased. Then we open them by medication so that
whatever was dispelled there from the blood and
caused those places
to swell flows out. Our action at
such a time is similar to the action of one who lances
a swelling
when Nature is unable to
open
that which
overlies the swelling and expel
what is in it. Our
Master should never do this, but, should it come by
itself, as it has done several times,
it should not be
stopped at all, unless it goes
to excess; may
God
avert it! (H)
Our Master then mentioned that some of the
phy-
sicians advocate taking
a little wine with water of
oxtongue
a few hours after the meal and at bedtime
to deepen
his
sleep,
and that some of them advised in
this
regard
that there is no
purpose
in its use, since the
unmixed heats the
temperament
and the mixed
generates ventosity
and flatus. As this Servant sees
it, the first view is the correct one; that is,
if the food
has
begun
to be digested, a little of it, namely a
Syrian ounce or the like, will
help digestion,
aid the
egress
of the
superfluities by promoting
a
copious
flow of urine, and
expel5
from the blood the
smoky
vapors engendering
all these
presently occurring
accidents, especially
if mixed with water of oxtongue.
Should oxtongue
itself be infused in it,
in a measure of
two drams
per ounce, it will be most effective,
and its
dilation of the
spirit
will be
greater. (H)
When the
physicians speak
of the drink that ex-
hilarates, in
general they mean the syrup
of oxtongue.
If the oxtongue
is
steeped
in wine, it increases the
dilation and the
delight
of the
spirit. Drinking
wine
moistens the
body
with a
good moisture;
Galen has
already
mentioned this in his book on the regimen
of
health. (H)
4
H-"which is not the case when it comes by itself."
6
Al-"cleanse."
32
THE TREATISE ON ACCIDENTS
Whoever assumed that it heats, was mistaken,
for
wine is a nutrient, not a medicament. It is a very
good nutrient, and the good nutriments neither heat
nor cool; it is the medicaments that heat and cool.
Indeed, it generates praiseworthy blood, of the nature
of the natural blood, which is hot and wet. As to
mixing it, there is no doubt that this will generate
flatus, and could possibly generate
tremor. Never-
theless, Ibn Zuhr, who was unique
in his
age
and one
of the greatest sages,
has already
mentioned that the
mixture does this if it is mixed and drunk at once,
but if mixed and left for twelve hours or more and
then drunk, it is very good,
since the vinous part
sur-
mounts the watery and alters it, and the temperament
improves. (H)
This Servent suggests
that what ought
to be used
of the
oxtongue
is the bark of its roots, not its leaves
as the people
of Syria
6
and the
people
of
Egypt do;
thus we have seen all the outstanding
Elders do in the
land of Andalusia. And all the Arabs prescribe
the
bark of its roots, not its leaves. Our Master should
not neglect
this herb, because it has the virtue of
dilating the spirit, effacing
the black humor and
eradicating
its traces.
(H)
This Servant has tried and verified as true, without
any doubt, that light wine, if mixed with a little rose
water, about a tenth, will dilate the spirit,
will not
inebriate, will not harm the brain, will strengthen
the
stomach and augment
all the virtues associated with
wine. Therefore, this Servant recommends
steeping
twenty drams of oxtongue
in one Syrian
ounce
7
of
wine and ten drams of rose water. It should be left
for about ten hours, and then it should be taken.
As to taking it also at bedtime, this is an excellent
idea for various reasons; sleep deepens, anxiety de-
parts,
the digestion improves,
and the superfluities
are repelled. (H)
The consensus of the physicians
that when the
temperament
tends toward the hot one should take
something
to cool and moisten, is correct, but their
statement was too brief; it ought
to be detailed and the
regimen mentioned.
Whoever advocated drinking
water of endive
8
in
sandalwood syrup,
and the infusion of tamarind,
prunes,
and
jujubes, appears
to this Servant to be in
grave error, because, although phlegm
is dominant in
the original temperament,
this general regimen
is not
at all suitable, especially
the
prunes
and the
jujubes.
It will debilitate the stomach, harm it greatly,
and
curtail the digestion,9
and whenever the stomach is
moistened and debilitated, the three digestions
are
corrupted.
The like of this
regimen
is not suitable
6
L-Acco
(Acre);
L5 corrupts this to Actio; H-"the people of
the Land of Israel."
7
H-"Syrian ounce, that is from the Land of Israel"; L-
"Oriental ounce"; A1-"Syrian medicaments."
8
Al omits "water."
9
Al-"the anxieties."
except
for one who is dominated by yellow
bile. Yet
nothing is mentioned that indicates dominance of
yellow
bile at all, while the implication
of the whole
of the indications mentioned is the generation
of black
vapors
caused by
the black bile 10
arising
from the
combustion of phlegm
that recurs periodically.
As to him who suggested drinking an infusion of
rhubarb in water of endive one day and then abstain-
ing for two, if he intended by that to soften the stools,
then he is correct; this Servant has already mentioned
the method of softening the stools with rhubarb, in
the third chapter
of his treatise that has already been
presented
in the court of our Master.
The suggestions
for bathing every three days,
exercising each day
and anointing
with oil of violets,
are all correct; this Servant will speak
about this
clearly
and adequately.
He who advocated placing
cloths with sandalwood i
upon
the liver, and he also who advised eating cucum-
ber, lettuce, snake cucumber, purslane, spinach and
orach, are absolutely wrong, for this is a regimen that
suits those who harbor the intensely inflaming burning
fevers, should these occur in those of hot temperament
in the summer. More grave
is the error of the one
who advises drinking
fresh milk, because he has
caught
a glimpse
of its moistening virtue, overlooked
its quick transformation into any humor whatever,
and failed to consider the essence of the cause of this
disease, which is the inflamed phlegm.
He who advised the use of oxymel of quince
an hour
after the meal, is correct; it is a good regimen to
improve the digestion. But adding it to a drink of
barberry
extract after the meal is an uncommon
regimen
not in accord with medical regulations
and
custom, that is, taking barberry extract while the
food is in the stomach. Even when the stomach is
empty,
the extract should not be introduced in this
disease.
Whoever suggested drinking
the exhilarating
drink
of Ibn al-Talmid
12
or someone else, and likewise he
who advised syrup
of sorrel, apples,
water of oxtongue,
seeds of basil and seeds of the balm gentle,
are all
correct. But this Servant does not see the point
of
adding
the seeds of fleabane, because I cannot visualize
a rigorous regimen
in this disease and this tem-
perament.
The suggestion by
one physician
to take barley
water with
poppy
and seeds of round pumpkin
is
surprising,
even though
he has mentioned the modera-
tion of sleep,
and maintains that the moistening effect
10
The Latin versions refer here to black bile and red bile
without any consistency in their order.
11
Arabic: al-4arq al-mu~andalah.
The word harq (heat) does
not agree in gender with the adjective al-musandalah (sandal-
wood), hence this must be read al-khirq-cloth-in agreement
with the Latin.
12
Abu al-Hasan Hibat Allah ibn .a'id ibn al-Talmid, titled
Amin al-Dawlah
(d. 1164-5), was a Christian physician in
attendance upon the Caliph al-Muqtafi of Baghdad.
33
VOL.
54,
PT.
4, 1964]
BAR-SELA, HOFF,
FARIS: MOSES MAIMONIDES
of barley water is insufficient, so that he has
supple-
mented it with the seeds of round
pumpkin. More
surprising than this is the
suggestion to take prunes
following the barley water. I do not
suppose that for
these
physicians there is
any member of the
body
more lowly than the stomach, or that
they take into
consideration whether the stomach is debilitated or
not, and whether there is moistness in it or not.
Perhaps they do
acknowledge the
nobility of the
stomach and its general usefulness, and that care
should always be given to it, for which reason the
best
physicians have devoted treatises to it. Never-
theless, according to the former, the regimen previ-
ously mentioned by them, that is, barley water with
seeds of round pumpkin, poppy, and the
subsequent
taking of prunes, will
strengthen the stomach, im-
prove its
digestion, dry its moistness, cut the
viscidity
of the
phlegm which evidently never ceases accumu-
lating in it, and thin its thickness. This Servant
censures in this section what
ought
to be censured
only
in order to warn strongly, not because he is inclined
to make such statements in
general.
Taking apple and quince, and
sucking pomegranate
seeds after the meal are recommended for
everyone as
part
of the regimen of health. There is
nothing
superfluous in it in relation to this
disease, except what
was mentioned regarding taking coriander
following
the meal. This is
truly laughable.
This was
pro-
posed because coriander thickens the
vapors and
prevents their ascent, which is
right, but it
ought to be
taken in medicaments like medicinal
powders and
the like, or cooked with the food. As to
taking
coriander alone after the meal, if its does not cause
vomiting
it will
undoubtedly cause nausea
13
and
corrupt the meal.
Occasionally taking purslane seeds
in
sugar apart
from the meal is
good. Taken with the
meal these also cause no harm because
they cool and
strengthen the heart.
(H)
Our Master has mentioned that the
physicians
advised taking apricots, pears,
and
quinces after the
meal, and
grapes, melons, and
pomegranates before
it. This Servant does not understand the intent of
this advice. If there was need to induce
appetite,
or a habit of
taking fruits, the intent is
correct, and
thus one should take before the meal whatever softens
the stools and after the meal those fruits in which
there is
astringence,
like
pear, quince,
and
apple.
But if
they
advised that
taking
these fruits is beneficial
in this disease, this is an error, for all the fresh fruits
are bad for
everyone, healthy
or
sick,
if taken as
nutrients, and
especially
the melon and the
apricot,14
because of the
rapidity
of their
change
into whatever
evil humor there is in the
body.
The
peach
is also
very evil and it is the substance of the evil
malignant
fevers. Galen has
already
mentioned that since he
13
The Latin Mss. surprisingly read, "and generate pustules."
14
H-mishmish, and these are
al-barquq (another Arabic term
for apricot);
L-mesmes
que
dicuntur bacoch in
Hispania.
stopped eating
all fresh fruits, he had not had a fever
to the end of his life; he dilated on this story of his as
an admonition to
everyone, as expressed in his treatise.
Therefore, it behooves our Master to avoid fresh
fruits
15
all he can.
(H)
He
spoke the truth who advocated avoidance of
game meat, cured meat, eggplant, and everything that
heats, for all these increase those accidents of which
our Master has
complained. The one who
suggested
exercising every day gave most appropriate advice.
Likewise, he who forbade travel to the hot
regions
gave good advice in his
suggestion. He who assumed
that hot
regions melt the vapors is correct only with
respect to those
vapors that ascend to the surface of
the body if
they are cool and moist. As to those that
arise from thick turbid blood, such regions would only
augment the thickness of the blood and its inflam-
mation, and increase its
vapors. When health is
reestablished, as God wills, our Master may travel
wherever he wishes, until God grants his hopes in the
two worlds.
This Servant does not
approve of emesis with lapis
lazuli or with the Armenian stone; with the lapis lazuli
because of its
vehemence, and with the Armenian
stone because it is of obscure substance. The accom-
plished among the
physicians, most of them, have
already had doubts
regarding the latter, whether it is
what is
designated by this name.
This Servant
approves the view of whomever it was
who admonished
against the employment of
strong
purgatives, and advised restriction to rhubarb or
whey
or senna of Mecca and the like; all of this is correct.
This Servant does not
approve the infusion of
peaches or melon
juice, because of their harm to the
stomach; there is not, in those accidents
complained
of, either
burning or thirst. He also does not
approve
the excessive use of water lily, because it thickens the
blood and debilitates the stomach; this suits
only
those who have acute
inflammatory fevers, as this
Servant has mentioned. Moreover this Servant sees
no
point
in the use of cooked dodder of
thyme because
of its
distressing
and
drying
action. If the dodder of
thyme
is infused in a hundred drams of
whey,
and
taken twice or three times in the
springtime
and once
or twice in the autumn, it is
good,
but there should be
fifteen days between one time and the other. The
dodder of
thyme should be crumbled in almond oil,
wrapped in fine cloth, and then
steeped overnight in
the whey.
Our Master mentioned that a vessel had once been
opened,
and there came out blood as thick as
spleen,
whereupon
the
physicians counseled on this
account,
further
bloodletting.
In so far as
plethora appears at
one time or
another, bloodletting
is
undoubtedly
re-
quired,
and the blood should be withdrawn
propor-
15
Literally, "green";
the Mss. also
employ
the term "wet" or
"humid" to denote "fresh," as opposed to "dried."
34
[TRANS.
AMER. PHIL. SOC.
THE TREATISE ON ACCIDENTS
tionally. What should be aimed at
always
is clarifica-
tion of the blood and rectification of the temperament
of the liver so that good
blood is
generated;
the Ser-
vant has
already explained
in his
previous
treatise how
this can be brought about through
the
syrups
that he
has compounded.
He who suggested
that the nourishment should
consist of peach and tamarind with the meat of the
kid is correct for the summertime. We should not
neglect steeping
cinnamon, mastic, nard, and the like,
in these dishes, in order not to harm the stomach. On
the other hand, taking cooling
concoctions as
they
have counseled, in the summertime, could be dis-
astrous unless they are taken in moderation.
They
should not be taken deliberately, because this Ser-
vant's aim is the equilibration
of the
temperament,
not
an increase in
cooling,
when the cause is inflammation
of the phlegm.'6
The recommendation of
exhilarating potions
and the
electuary
in which there are jacinth, emerald, gold,
and silver is correct and very beneficial, because these
are cardiac medicaments which act
through special
properties, by which I mean their specific
form which
is the whole of their essence, and not
through
their
particulars
alone.17
(H)
Our Master has mentioned his abundant use of
oxtongue
and water lily, despite which the cause of the
disease has not disappeared. The reason for their
limited effect is that they are continued too
long.
When the use of
extremely strong medicaments is
continued, Nature becomes accustomed to them and
she is no longer affected by them, and
they turn into
nourishment or the like of nourishment; Galen has
already mentioned this.18 This is all the more so if
these are weak medicaments, which are close to
being
nutriments. If these are taken continuously for a
week, their medicinal actions are abolished and not a
trace of them
appears thereafter. Therefore one
ought
to
change from one medicine to another, or
omit a medication for a few days and then return
to it.
(H)
Our Master has mentioned a reduction in coitus
from what was customary;
this action is good, and
what a great benefit comes from this reduction!
The bath should never be neglected either during
paroxysms
of fever
19
or
during
remissions.
It is
wholly a blessing that sleep is
regular, and a
clear
proof
that these black vapors do not hurt the
brain or alter its
temperament, especially
if the heart
is afflicted.
As to what our Master has mentioned
regarding the
presence of weakness after exercise, the cause of this
16
This
paragraph is missing in all Latin versions.
17
H-"abstract qualities"; L-"simplex" qualities.
18
The Hebrew and the Latin attribute to Galen the following
statement rather than the preceding one.
9
Or: intermittent attacks; L-non in tempora coitus (LI:
tempora motus): non in tempora quietis.
is its omission and remission. If he resumes it
grad-
ually, little by little, he will find
following it the
strength and the vitality that should be found after
all exercise that is carried out properly.20
Whereas this minor Servant has now responded to
all the sections of that noble
21
letter, as commanded,
he will now
compile a statement, and follow it with a
chapter in which he will make clear what the regimen
of our Master should be, in accordance with those
accidents presently occurring.
This
might well have
been made obvious by what this Servant has men-
tioned in
preceding paragraphs and by what he wrote
in that treatise,22 but these were statements that were
dispersed and not properly organized.
Before I
begin with this chapter
I should say that
there ought to be two electuaries in the treasury of our
Master, in addition to those syrups and the Itrifal
which this Servant mentioned in the third chapter of
his previous treatise.
One of these is a cool musk medicament. The
Elders of medicine who had experience
23
have already
tested it, and found it to have an extraordinary action,
so that they do not permit any substitution, or the
prescription of its
components separately. Rather,
they brought it out as an
electuary; it is a medicament
incorporated by al-Razi in his book on the repulsion
of the harm of the nutrients.
This is its
description
in his very words: There
should be taken of
pounded roses, bamboo-manna,
dry coriander, and amber, of each, one part; of small
pearls, half a
part; of the purest and best musk, a
sixth of a part. There should be taken tabarzad
24
sugar, dissolved in
pressed strained sour apple juice
and cooked until it gains the consistence of honey.
There should be cast in it leaves of citron, and the
medicaments should be kneaded in it. This medica-
ment will take care of one who harbors this accident,
for, it is an excellent medicament for
strengthening the
heart without heating, and it is suitable for
palpitation
and throbbing of the heart with heat.
The second medicament is the jacinth electuary
incorporated by
Ibn Sina
25
in his famous treatise on
cardiac remedies; he mentioned three recipes
for it, the
first cold, the second hot, and the third
temperate.
The one which this Servant deems suitable for our
Master to employ is the temperate,
and this is the
description
of the third in Ibn Sina's words:
He said: There is another very excellent compound
which I have tried as an
electuary
and in troches,
20
The printed Latin version
(L5)
ends here.
21
We read al-karim; Kroner reads al-Katim (?).
22
I.e., the Regimen of Health.
23
Al-dhuriyyah-offsprings, descendents.
24
Tabarzad-a
Persian word meaning "unrefined," now used to
designate "sugar candy." The Latin transcribes the word as
tabarzet or tabarcet.
25
Abui 'Ali al-Husayn ibn 'Abdullah Ibn Sina
(980-1037),
known in the West as Avicenna, one of the greatest physicians of
the Arabic era, and the author of the celebrated Canon.
35 VOL.
54,
PT.
4, 1964]
BAR-SELA, HOFF,
FARIS: MOSES MAIMONIDES
adding to and
taking from it
according to each and
every temperament, and its property of
strengthening
the heart is
highly beneficial. These are its in-
gredients: pearls, amber, coral, of each a dram and a
half; shredded silk, burned river crab, of each a miskal
and a
daniq; oxtongue, five drams; gold filings, the
weight of two
daniqs; seeds of Frankish musk, seeds
of sweet basil, and seeds of balm gentle, of each three
drams
weight; red behen, white behen, aloe, Armenian
stone, washed
lapis lazuli, mastic, bark of cinnamon
cassia, cinnamon, saffron, lesser cardamoms of Bawa,
big cardamoms, and cubebs, of each a miskal; dodder
of
thyme, the
weight of two drams and a half; stoechos,
the
weight of three drams; zedoary, one miskal, and if
not available, then instead of it, zedoary root, two
miskals; Greek
doronicum, two miskals; seeds of
endive, the
weight of five drams; seeds of snake
cucumber, the
weight of four drams; manna, the
weight of ten drams; red roses, the weight
of four
drams;
26
musk, two miskals; camphor, a miskal;
ambergris, one miskal; nard and folia indica, of each,
two drams
weight; this is the essence. The
dough
can be made into troches or combined with
honey,
and both can be
prepared to suit the moderate tem-
perament, which will not be altered, or
prepared
for
one with a wicked hot
temperament,
or for one who
has an evil cold
temperament. As for the moderate,
it should be left as it is. When it is to be made into
troches, each troche should be of one miskal. The
whole should be kneaded with three
parts
of
honey.
If it is desired that it be fermented and then used,
then there must be
steeped
in it five drams of
opium
and the same of
powdered castoreum. It should not
be used
except after at least six months, in case the
opium
and the castoreum are
steeped
in it.
For one who is dominated
by
a bad hot
tempera-
ment, reduce the saffron and the musk to half a
miskal, omit the dodder of
thyme,
and use in its stead
five drams of
fumitory and four drams of senna of
Mecca.
Steep
in it roses, ten drams
weight;
seeds of
purslane, eight drams; bamboo-manna,
five
drams;
seeds of
asphodel, two
drams; and sandalwood, three
drams. The other
ingredients should be
kept
as
they
are. It should be made into troches as we have
mentioned, and kneaded with
honey, thoroughly
skimmed of its foam.
For one who is dominated
by
a bad cold
tempera-
ment, add to the medicaments
nutmeg rind,
citron
rind, balsam
wood, ginger
and
pepper,
of each a dram
weight,
and
castoreum, two
miskals;
the
camphor
should be restricted to half a miskal.
Whoever has a hot
temperament
should
proceed
to
take half a
draught
of this with a miskal of bamboo-
manna in
apple
rob.27 He who harbors a cold tem-
26
A1 omits "manna" and "red roses."
27
Rob-preserves of
inspissated juice of ripe fruits mixed with
sugar or honey. The word is derived from the Arabic rabb.
perament should take a
draught of it with one-twelfth
of a dram
weight
of castoreum.
I have already treated some of those who follow the
same course as kings suffering from melancholia, a
disorder that tends toward mania,28 that is
rage. In
these
cases, I added to the
temperate recipe the
weight
of a dram of
thoroughly pulverized jacinth, of
exquisite
pomegranate color, and
they were greatly benefited
by it, after
previous despair.29
As to the
compound specific for those who harbor a
hot
temperament, and are attacked by palpitation 30
and weakness of the heart because of the badness of
their hot
temperament, there is a
composition of this
description: lettuce seeds, melon
seeds, pumpkin seeds,
and shelled snake-cucumber seeds, of each five drams
weight; purslane seeds, the
weight of four
drams;
pearls, coral, amber, burned river crab, and shredded
silk, of each a miskal; rob of
pandanus palm, a miskal,
and if that is not
available, wood of the
pandanus
palm, three
miskals; aloes, doronicum, zedoary, and
white
behen, of each two drams
weight; red roses
plucked from the stalk and dried in the shade, seven
drams
weight; saffron, half a
miskal; camphor with a
tenth of its
weight of
thoroughly pulverized musk,
and a sixth of
ambergris, of the whole, one and a half
miskal;
oxtongue,
five miskals. The whole of this
should be made into troches as we have explained, or
kneaded in rob of apple, rob of
quince or rob of
pome-
granate in
parts equal to that in which it is kneaded.
There is also a julep of the above. It is taken with
the expressed juice of
oxtongue
with an
equal quantity
of
expressed juice of endive, four times its
quantity of
apple juice, twice the whole of rose water, and a sixth
of the whole of tabarzad
sugar; it should be cooked
gently until thickened. This
julep,
taken with leaves
of balm
gentle cooked in rose water until it gains its
virtues, or with balm
gentle juice diluted in rose
water
31
one-third to
two-thirds, is beneficial to all
those who have a weakness of the heart, especially if
it contains
oxtongue which, if dry, should be cooked
with it in rose water, and if
fresh, should be mixed
with its
expressed juice. If the
temperament 32 is
intensely hot, reduce the juice of balm
gentle and
increase the juice of
oxtongue; otherwise, they should
be taken in
equal quantities.
I should mention also the
preparation of the nutri-
ments which are
usually taken. Their first is
bread,
which is the goodness of the wheat. It should not be
made white; by that I mean that it should not be
immersed in water as the custom
goes, and it should
not be sifted
thoroughly until none of the bran
28
The Arabic text
employs here the terms
mdalnkhuliyd and
mdniyd, obviously a transcription from the Greek, in order to
designate definite disease entities.
29
L-"after few days."
30
L-syncope.
31
Al omits from "until it gains."
32
Al-"mixture."
36
[TRANS. AMER. PHIL. SOC.
THE TREATISE ON ACCIDENTS
remains in it.33 It should be kneaded exceedingly well,
and it should be noticeably salty
and well raised. The
loaves should have no crumb, and it should be baked
in the circular earthen oven, or in
any oven; the
earthen oven is better.
The Meat: As far as possible,34
the meat should be
that of hens or roosters and their broth should also be
taken, because this sort of fowl has virtue in
rectifying
corrupted humors, whatever the corruption may be,
and especially the black humors, so much so that the
physicians have mentioned that chicken broth is
beneficial in
leprosy.
Of this
species,
neither the old
which has attained two
years
should be taken,
nor the
young
in which mucus is
predominant,
nor the weak,
nor those force-fed, but rather the fattest among
those
that are not stall-fed.
The manner of their management
is as follows: The
hens and roosters should be let loose in
spacious ruins,
wherein there is no
dunghill
or dirt, tended with clean-
liness and constant sweeping.
The food that
they
eat should be
placed
before them at the
beginning
of
the day in vessels; it should be barley
flour kneaded
in fresh milk. It is even better if dried figs
are
chopped
and mixed with it. Food should be
given
to them only
in an amount that fills their
crops.
Water should be given to them. After several hours,
wheat should be scattered before them after soaking
it for hours in water. At the end of the
day, barley
flour and chopped figs
kneaded with milk should
again be put before them. In hens and roosters thus
managed, we find the suet white and delicious;
it cooks
as rapidly
as
possible,
moistens the
temperament
greatly and renders it moderate. These things
have
already been tested, and their value is manifest.
Should repetition
of the same variety become
tedious, there is no harm in
taking
instead on some
days, francolin or grouse.
As to the turtle dove, there
is dryness
in it, although it has a
unique
virtue in
kindling the mind. I do not deem the partridge
suitable for our Master because it causes retention of
stools.
If the spirit craves the meat of cattle, it should be
that of a suckling kid. If there is no avoiding,
at
times, the meat of
sheep,
those lambs that have not
attained a year, but approach it, should be chosen.
The forepart
of the meat, especially,
should be taken;
it should not be excessively fat, but from
grazing
animals.
Nothing
of these should be taken unless
hens or roosters become wearisome.
The Wine: One should take that which is as white in
color as
possible,
of fine essence, of
good
taste-and if
there is a little astringency
in
it,
there is no harm-
" The text reads: "but it should be sifted thoroughly." We
amended the text by adding the negative
and thus making
it
agree with the
description of the bread in the first
chapter
of the
Regimen of Health.
8
Literally, "The intention should always be that . .."
of good odor and that which has aged for a year or
close to it. Beware of that which is
intensely red, or
thick of essence, or altered in odor,35 or old and in-
tensely bitter; one should not approach anything of
these kinds at all.
(H)
The Dishes: As far as possible,36 the dishes should be
sweet in taste or have in them a little or just percep-
tible sourness. I shall herewith mention a number of
dishes, so that our Master may choose from them
those appropriate for each and every occasion, because
our Master already knows the virtues of most of the
foods, and a physician will not fail to be at hand to
be relied upon
in this
regard.
The first is hens or roosters, boiled or broiled in a
pit,
or steamed, or cooked with chervil, or cooked in
water into which green fennel is cast; these dishes are
suitable in the winter time. Those cooked in water
to which lemon juice, cedrat pulp or mixed
37
lemons
are added, are suitable in the summer time. Those
prepared with almonds, sugar, lemon juice and wine
are suitable in
every season. Those
prepared with
currants, almonds, and a little
vinegar are excellent
at
any time. Those prepared
in
Isfidbaj
38 with beets
or lettuce in the summertime, and those prepared with
round pumpkins, or spinach, or blite, or with prunes,
which the people
of
Syria call Khawkh,39 are all good
in the summer. One should not
neglect spicing them
with cinnamon bark, mastic, and nard to
prevent any
harm to the stomach. Those prepared with tamarind
and sugar,
and those
prepared with purslane seeds
and sugar, should not be used
except
in the summer,
while those prepared with rose preserves are better in
the winter. The one prepared with pistachio and
sugar ought
to have a little lemon juice added to it.
The dish of food eaten in cool weather should not
lack the good drink, described previously. The meat
should be fried in it, if it is a cooked dish, or it should
be added to the
soup,
if it is a boiled dish. Likewise,
during
warmer weather there should be added to all
the dishes
during cooking
a measure of
twenty drams
of wine and five drams of rose water; if the dishes are
to be sour, there should be added twenty drams of the
wine, five of rose water, and five of lemon juice. If it
is a chicken, broiled on a
spit
as is customary, it should
be basted while
roasting
with wine and lemon juice,
or wine alone.
If the
spirit
craves roast meat of cattle, it should be
the suckling kid, basted while
roasting with wine and
a little saffron. To each meal, a little saffron should
be added, because it is a
cheering cardiac medicament;
3"
H-"taste"; L-"color."
36
See note 34.
37
The Arabic word murakkab is obscure. The Latin renders
this "mixed." It probably means grafted lemons.
38 A dish made of meat, onions, butter and cheese, or of bread
and milk. The Latin, surprisingly, renders this
aqua
sola.
Kroner translates this as "asafoetida."
89
Prune-see glossary.
37 VOL.
54,
PT.
4, 1964]
BAR-SELA, HOFF,
FARIS: MOSES MAIMONIDES
it should not be in excess, because it has the property
of quieting the appetite for food.
This is what this Servant now presents
on the
dishes of food which suit our Master, may his days be
prolonged.
Galen, and those who preceded him among the
physicians, mentioned a drink which they name in
their language hydromel;
40
they used to prepare it
from honey and thin white wine, as they used to
prepare oxymel from vinegar and honey. But their
successors, as they prepared oxymel from sugar and
vinegar, prepared hydromel from sugar and wine.
This is a most excellent drink, beneficial in strengthen-
ing
the stomach and the heart, improving the diges-
tion, dilating the spirit,
and easing the egress of the
two superfluities with good effect. We have tested
it, as have others, time and again.
The description of its preparation
is: take five
Egyptian pounds of sugar, cook it as syrups are
cooked, removing
its foam, until it
acquires
a
good
consistency. Then cast into it one Egyptian pound
of
good wine, and thicken it into a syrup
of the
consistency
of
syrup
of roses. This Servant has men-
tioned this
syrup along with the foods only because it
resembles them. It should always be taken daily at
the beginning
of the day,
in the wintertime in hot
water and in the summertime in cold water. Three or
four ounces should be taken at a time, because this
syrup
is not like the syrup
of oxymel
and others of its
kind, since those drinks are medicaments requiring
apportioning
and discernment regarding
whom they
suit, while this drink is an excellent nutriment because
the sugar alone is a nutriment, although
it is only
slightly medicative, and the wine is also an excellent
nutrient, without any doubt. What is most admir-
able about it, it is said, is that it does not harm the
choleric,41 and the reason for this is
simply that its
ingredients are familiar good nutriments. (H)
This is the measure of what this Servant has en-
visaged presenting
before mentioning the order of the
regimen.
On the management
of a
regimen
for our Master in
accordance with his
complaints-may
God remove
his
pains
and perpetuate
his
days.
There is no doubt that this tract will reach our
Master at the approach of winter, and therefore this
Servant thought he should begin with the kind of
regimen
which he should follow in cold weather.
This Servant hopes that, if our Master perseveres in
this
regimen,
his health will return to normal in as
short a time as God the Most High may will. This
Servant does not know the habits of our Master in the
state of health, whether he eats but once a day or
whether he takes breakfast and
supper.
On this
40
Arabic: Idrumali.
41
The Hebrew reads here "hot of temperament," as does the
Latin.
account, he will mention the regimen appropriate for
both conditions.
I declare that one should always aim to awaken
from sleep at sunrise or a little before that. Two or
three ounces of the syrup of hydromel should be taken
at that time. He should wait thereafter for an hour
and then
go
riding. He should ride leisurely, and
then, without stopping, gradually quicken the pace
until the members are warmed and the respiration
alters. Then he should dismount, and rest until
none of the changes caused by exercise remain on the
skin of the body or in the respiration. After that, he
should partake of one of the dishes mentioned previ-
ously. He should take some of the astringent fruits
as has already been said, or kernels of pistachio
and
currants, or a little of the dry sweetmeats, or a little
of rose preserves, depending upon what he is now
using. Then he should recline for
sleep,
and the
chanter should intone with the strings
and raise his
voice and continue his melodies for an hour. Then,
the chanter should lower his voice gradually,
loosen
his
strings
and soften his melody until he sleeps
deeply,42 whereupon he should stop. Physicians
and
philosophers have already mentioned that sleep
in
this manner, when the melody of the strings induces
sleep, endows the psyche
with good nature and dilates
it greatly, thereby improving
its management
of the
body. Upon awakening, he may
be engaged
for the
rest of his day in reading whatever he wishes, or be
attended by someone whose company
he chooses.
The best is the attendance of someone whose company
is desirable because of his virtues, or the
delight
in
beholding him, or his lightheartedness.43
All these
dilate the psyche
and remove evil thoughts
from it.
If it is
customary by habit to partake
of another
meal for
supper,
there should be taken a measure of
fifty drams of the drink described, mixed with ten
drams of rose water and twenty
drams of water of
oxtongue; this should be taken little by
little until
suppertime
draws near. He should wait for half an
hour until the drink leaves the stomach, and sup
as is
his custom on one of the dishes mentioned. Then the
chanter should attend and distract him with
songs
for two hours after the meal; he should recline and
command the chanter to soften his
string
and his
melodies until he sinks into
42
sleep.
The
melody
should be stopped as it was done in the
daytime.
If there is no
supper,
and if he does not take a
second meal after that taken during
the
day,
he should
mix the drink according to the preceding proportions.
He should continue taking it little by
little while the
strings play,
until
sleep
draws near, either after two
hours of the night, or three or four, as he
pleases.
If he does not take supper,
there is no need to
pay
attention to the amount that he takes of the mixed
42
MS. A2: could be read to mean "sweat in sleep."
43
Literally, "lightness of mind;" the Latin substitutes this
phrase with "to practice some work of piety or charity."
38
[TRANS.
AMER. PHIL. SOC.
THE TREATISE ON ACCIDENTS
drink. Even if he takes two or three hundred drams
of it, or a little more than that on winter
nights,
it
will be good and moistening to the body.
It would be
best if he made it a habit to eat
nothing
with the
drink, except some kernels of
pistachio
roasted in
lemon
juice
or salt, or in a citron peel preserved
in
sugar, or with roasted kernels of myrtle or roasted
coriander.
If it is
customary to partake of some food after the
drink, then it is best to take young
chicken broiled on
a spit. These should be those
young chickens that
were fed, as we have mentioned, with
barley flour,
milk, figs, and grains of wheat.
Let no one suppose that taking
citron peel preserved
in
sugar heats the
temperament,
because the
peel
of
the citron is intermediate between the hot and the
cold; it is a cardiac medicament, and he should
rely
upon taking
it.
If he were to start this very regimen
as of tomorrow,
upon awakening
from
sleep,
he should not alter it in
any way during the cold season.
Upon arising from
sleep he should examine his
condition. If there is thirst, drinking oxymel of roses
is
preferable to drinking hydromel. If there is a little
unripening
in the urinal,44 drinking oxymel
of currants
is
preferable. If there is fullness in the stomach,
taking
ten drams of
preserved roses and four drams
of that Itrifal is
preferable.45
On the day
in which he decides upon the bath, he
should, at its beginning, take the drink as above, and
he should reduce the vigor of the exercise and shorten
its duration. He should enter the bath
immediately
after the exercise, then leave the bath and
partake
of a
brew
prepared with pomegranate seeds, sugar, many
spices, and a touch of hot spices like clove and mace,
or a
syrup of roses or sorrel, with water of
oxtongue,
or the syrup which we have compounded and men-
tioned in the third
chapter of that treatise. He should
sleep following the bath. Galen said: In
ripening
what needs be
ripened,
or in
resolving that which is to
be resolved, I deem nothing better than
sleep following
the bath.
Upon awakening, he may take food and
engage
the rest of his
day and an hour of the night in
what we have mentioned. When the food
begins to
leave the stomach, he should begin to take that mixed
drink, little by little, while the chanter chants, until
he sinks to sleep
in the manner described. There
should be no
supper at all that night.
If it is cus-
tomary
to have
supper, breakfast should be postponed
until after
arising
from the sleep that follows the bath.
As for the time which is selected for coitus, there are
two
periods, either following digestion of the food
44
"Unripening"
is a technical term designating general, non-
specific changes; unripening
of the humors resulted in certain
diseases. When urine from the urinal was examined and some
unripening was observed, the physician would alter the diet etc.
45
That Itrifal-i.e., the one described in the third chapter of
the Regimen. Al omits "and four drams," and reads: "and he
should beware of the Itrifal first." (?)
after taking the small measure of the drink before
supper,
or late at night. The crux of the matter
46
is
that this action should take
place neither during
hunger upon an empty stomach, nor when the stomach
is filled with food. It is the same with respect to the
drink; it should not be drunk before the food in the
stomach has been digested, because it will unripen it
and expel it before its
ripening,
or while the stomach
is empty and in need of food, since at that time it will
heat the temperament, cause headache, and inflame
the humors. Rather it should be taken when the
food begins its digestion.
On each Friday morning, he should take one miskal
of that temperate electuary which is prepared with
jacinth or of Itrifal, or of one of the recipes of the musk
medicaments mentioned in the Canon. He should
not exercise on that day. He ought not, by any
means, to take an electuary
in which there is
any
castoreum, and castoreum should be omitted from
any musk medicament that our Master takes.
This is the regimen for the cold season.
In the hot season, he should not be awakened from
sleep except after an hour of the day, and he should
take the syrups of
oxymel of roses and currants, and
the syrup we have mentioned in the third tract of that
treatise. He should exercise in the coolness of the
air, and breakfast on dishes inclining toward coldness.
He should sleep long from listening to the strings as
mentioned before. He should take but very little
of that mixed drink. He should not pass the night
awake and he should reduce coitus below what is
customary
in the winter. He should take the cool
musk medicament we have mentioned instead of the
temperate jacinth medicament. If he desires to drink
one of the drinks, let it be the end of the day, so that
he will take the stated measure of it, and sleep at the
beginning
of the
night or at the end of its second hour.
It is
good for him to take the cool jacinth medicament.
The brew that he drinks after the bath should be of
tamarind, sugar, musk, and a little camphor.
Softening of the stools, when needed, should be with
the infusion of rhubarb and tamarind we have men-
tioned in the third
chapter of that treatise, or with
the
syrup we have
compounded.
If the heat increases, there is no escape from
taking
barley kashk, prepared every day. Take it
upon
arising
from
sleep,
an hour before the exercise, instead
of the drinks
mentioned, or take it at bedtime and
sleep upon it, instead of foods or drinks that fill the
stomach. Its
description
in accordance with the
needs of our Master is as follows: Take polished barley,
six months after it is harvested, forty drams; chopped
seeds of
fumitory, chopped seeds of endive and ox-
tongue,
of each four drams; chopped seeds of
Iraqi
poppy, two drams; chopped moistened white sandal-
wood, one dram; nard, a fourth of a dram; dill flowers,
46
Arabic, mildk al-amr.
39 VOL.
54,
PT.
4, 1964]
BAR-SELA, HOFF,
FARIS: MOSES MAIMONIDES
half a dram; olive oil from the Maghrib or Syria,
yellow of color and free from bitter taste, three drams.
The whole of these should be put together in an
earthen pot. Pour into this pot one thousand drams
of water, and heat it over a charcoal fire until half the
water evaporates.
Then pour into it six drams of
wine vinegar. Its cooking is completed when less than
a fourth of it remains, and its color appears red. Then
filter it, and add to the filtrate half a dram of salt.
It should be taken alone without a drink, and an hour
after it is taken, a spoonful of lemon syrup should be
taken as an electuary.
It behooves our Master to be most concerned about
this, to adopt it and to use it habitually, because it
will resist the dryness
of the black humor, moderate
the inflamed humors,47 remove their burning, thicken
those vapors that ascend to the heart and the brain,
prevent their ascent, cool the temperament through
moderation, and improve the condition in all that of
which our Master complains. Indeed, Hippocrates
says in summation of his enumeration
48
of the virtues
of the barley kashk, that it delivers what ought to be
to what must be. Our Master should not neglect
recourse to it in the summertime in
any wise, unless
there is
constipation,
or acidity
in the stomach,
or
flatus beneath the ribs. Whereupon, at such times,
our Master should not take it.
This Servant realizes that because of the excellence
of the intellect of our Master and the soundness of his
understanding, he is able to
regiment
himself as is
proper, according to that preceding
treatise and these
chapters, and all the more so if there is at hand some-
one of whose
knowledge he seeks advice, and of whose
familiarity with the Art he asks help.
God the All
Highest
is the Witness, and He is a
sufficient witness, that it was the highest hope of this
minor Servant to undertake to serve his Master by
his body and words, not through
his
paper
and quill,
but his
poor original temperament
and his weak
natural build-if when young, how much more so in
old age-stood between him and many pleasures.
I do not mean pleasures, but good, the greatest and
most sublime of which, is to undertake the service of
our Master. And God is Praiseworthy
in all events,
the totality
of which occur in the totality
of existence,
and its
particulars
in each and every person,
in
accordance with His Will which follows His Wisdom,
the depth of which man can not fathom. Praise be to
God, always,
in
any condition, whatever direction
events may take.
47
A2-"vexed humors."
48
Al-"in numerous propositions."
Let not our Master censure his minor Servant for
what he has mentioned in this his treatise about the
use of wine and song, both of which the Law
49
abhors,
because this Servant has not commanded that this
ought
to be done, but mentioned what his Art deter-
mines. The lawgivers have already known, as the
physicisns have known, that wine can be of benefit to
mankind. The physician, because he is a physician,
must give information on the conduct of a beneficial
regimen, be it unlawful or
permissible,
and the sick
have the option to act or not to act. If the physician
refrains from prescribing all that is of benefit, whether
it be prohibited or permissible, he deceives, and does
not deliver his true counsel. It is manifest that the
Law commands whatever is of benefit and prohibits
whatever is harmful in the next world, while the
physician gives information about what benefits the
body and warns against whatever harms it in this
world. The difference between the edicts of the Law
and the counsels of Medicine is that the Law com-
mands
compliance with what benefits in the next
world and compels it, and forbids that which harms in
the next world and punishes
for it, while Medicine
recommends what is beneficial and warns against
what
is harmful, and does not compel
this or punish
for that,
but leaves the matter to the sick in the form of con-
sultation; it is
they
who have the choice.
The reason for this is manifest. In Medicine, the
harm of what is harmful and the benefit of what is
beneficial,
are tangible, immediate, and
require
neither
compulsion
nor
punishment,
while neither the harm
nor the benefit of these commands and prohibitions
of the Law can be ascertained in this world. The
ignorant might well imagine that all that is said to be
harmful will not harm, and whatever is said to be
beneficial will not benefit, because he does not see it
at hand. Therefore, the Law
compels
the
perform-
ance of the
good and punishes
for the evil that cannot
be ascertained, be it
good
or evil, except
in the next
world. All this is benevolence toward us, favor be-
stowed
upon us, compassion upon us for our
ignorance,
and
mercy
for the weakness of our comprehension.
This is the measure of what the Servant has en-
visaged
to
present
unto the hand of him who hold his
bondage, may God perpetuate
his
days;
the wisdom
of our Master is
supreme. Now, this is the end.
Praise be only to God; He is sufficient for men and a
most excellent Guardian.50
49
The Arabic term shar'a specifically designates Moslem
religious law.
50
Al omits this sentence and substitutes: To the Bestower
of Intellect, Praise be without limit. Finished is the Excellent
treatise.
40
[TRANS.
AMER. PHIL. SOC.
GLOSSARY
This
glossary contains the names of the drugs, herbs,
vegetables, fruits, animals, and minerals mentioned in
the text. No detailed explanation
is made of terms
which are familiar. The Arabic terms are transcribed
in parentheses; when the Arabic texts employ more
than one term in designating the same object, all these
terms are listed. The letter P.
designates
Persian
names.
Agaric (ghariqfun).
The corky species of Polyporus, a genus of
fungi which grows on trees, are collectively known as "agaric";
P.
officinalis,
also called the "female agaric," was especially
renowned as a cathartic.
Almond (lawz).
Aloe ('fid hindi, 'ufd tib). The fragmented xylem of the tree
Aquillaria, also known as Agolloch, Agila-wood, and Eagle
wood; the Arabic terms mean "Indian wood" and "good wood,"
respectively.
Amber (kahruba).
Ambergris ('anbar). A morbid secretion from the intestine of
the sperm whale found floating in some tropical seas. It is a
waxlike substance of ashy color used primarily in perfumery.
It was used formerly as a stimulant and antispasmodic. The
name ambergris is a derivative of amber grisea.
Anise (anisiin). An umbilliferous plant, Pimpinella anisum, a
native of the Levant, which is cultivated chiefly for its aromatic
and carminative seeds, known as aniseed.
Apple (tuffah).
Apricot (barqiiq, mishmish). The English word "apricot" is
derived from the Arabic
al-barquq-a
noun which is not used in
the texts, but is added as a parenthetical explanation in both
the Latin and the Hebrew (Accidents, note 17).
Armenian stone
(.hajar armani). A blue carbonate of copper.
Ash (lisan 'asafir). A well-known forest tree with a silvery gray
bark, pinnate foliage, and peculiar winged seeds. These seeds,
or samara, are called "Ash Key." The Arabic term used in
this text means "birds' tongue."
Asparagus (halyfun).
Asphodel (khuntha).
Azarole
(za'ruir).
The fruit of the Neapolitan medlar, Cratageus
azarolus, a spiny shrub related to the hawthorn, the fruit of
which resembles a small brown apple. The English azarole is
derived from the Arabic.
Balm gentle (taranjan, badaranjabfuyah P.).
A
fragrant labiate
plant, Melissa
officinalis,
which is
widely cultivated as a garden
herb. It is also known as the balm-mint. Both the Arabic
and the Persian terms are employed
in the text.
Balsam
(balasan).
An aromatic, oily, resinous exudation of
various trees of the genus Balsamodendron, especially the
greenish turbid exudate of B.
opobalsamum-The Balsam of
Mecca-that was used as a soothing ointment and for
anointing.
Bamboo-manna (tabashir P.). The concrete white juice ob-
tained from the bamboo plant,
Bambusa arundinaceae, and
related bamboo species.
Barberry (amirbaris, barbaris). The shrub, Berberis vulgaris.
The Arabic term is transcribed from the Latin.
Bark of the cinnamon cassia (salikhah). See under cinnamon.
Barley (sha'ir).
Basil
(rayban, badrfuj, shahsifaram P.). The aromatic
shrubby
plants of the genus Ocymum, especially
0. basilicum, the sweet
basil, and 0. minimum, the lesser basil, the leaves of which are
used in
seasoning.
The name "basil" is derived from the
Greek word meaning "Royal." Similarly the Persian shahsi-
faram
is derived from the title Shah. Of the three terms
employed in this text, the first, rayian, appears to designate
any of the good-smelling basils, while the other two are specific
for the sweet basil.
Bees
(nabli).
Beet
(silq).
Behen (bahman, bahnin). The English "behen" is derived from
the Arabic bahman, and is commonly used to designate the
bladder campion (the white behen), and the sea lavender
(the
red
behen).
The Arabic bahnin refers indeed to the "two
behens," but these are not the herbs designated above. The
Persian bahman refers to the medicinally used roots of a plant
resembling a large radish. These roots are bicolored, red and
white, and apparently this explains the "two behens" men-
tioned in the text.
Belleric
(balilaj).
The fruit of Terminalia bellerica, also known as
the "bastard myrobalan." The English "Belleric" is derived
from the Arabic
balilaj.
See Myrobalan.
Ben (ban). The winged seeds, or ben nuts, of two species of
Moringa,
M. oleigera and M. arabica, from which ben oil was
prepared. Unfortunately the terms "ben" and "behen" are
often confused, especially since the English "ben" is derived
from the Arabic ban, the plural of which is similar to that of
"behen."
Blite
(yarbfuz). Any of the several species of the
goosefoot
family, the Chenopodiaceae, and especially the wild
spinach,
Amaranthus blitum, or strawberry blite.
Bran (nukhalah).
Cabbage (kurunb).
Camel, female (niq).
Camphor (kafuir). The bitter, aromatic, white crystalline
substance distilled from the bark and the wood of the evergreen
camphor tree, Camphora officinarum.
The English "camphor"
is derived from the Arabic.
Cardamom (qaqullah, hil buwwa). The seed capsules of various
species of Amomum and Elettoria commonly used as a spice.
The Arabic text employs two terms; one,
qdqullah,
which
appears to be generic, and a more specific term, hil buwwa,
designating the lesser cardamom or E. cardamomum. The
latter term means literally the "cardamom of Bawa," a small
Persian town west of Shiraz.
Carob (kharbfub, gharbfib).
The fruit of the leguminous ever-
green carob tree, Ceratonia
siliqua,
a native of the Levant.
The fruit is an elongated flat hornlike pod containing hard
seeds and a pulp which when ripe and dry is of rich sweet taste.
The English "carob" is derived from the Arabic kharfibah or
the Hebrew karuv.
Carrot (jazar).
Carthamus (qirtim, qurtum). A small annual composite plant,
Carthamus tinctoris, the safflower, whose florets were used
medically. The flowers also yield red and yellow dye. The
name is derived from the Arabic
qurtum.
Cassia fistula (khiyar shanbar). The pods of the pudding pipe
tree, a native of India, whose pulp was used as a potent laxative.
The term Cassia was originally restricted to this tree, but is now
used to denote a widely distributed genus of trees, shrubs, and
herbs found in the warmer regions.
Castoreum
(jundaba dastar).
An oily substance obtained from
two small sacs in the inguinal region of the beaver. It has a
strong smell and nauseating bitter taste. The Arabic term
simply means "beavers' testicles."
Cat (qitat).
Cedrat pulp (l:ummad al-utruj).
A variety of citron.
Cherry (qarasiya).
Chervil (kuzbarah khadra'). The aromatic garden herb,
Anthriscus cerefolium, the leaves of which are used in season-
ing.
The Arabic term literally reads "green coriander," and is
thus misleading.
41
BAR-SELA, HOFF,
FARIS: MOSES MAIMONIDES
Chicken
(dajajah, dajaj).
The sing., dajijah,
denotes a hen, while
the pl., dajaj,
is employed to designate either hens or, col-
lectively, chickens.
Cinnamon (dar sini, qirfah, salikhah). A widely used spice
prepared by powdering the inner bark of several species of
Cinnamomum, and especially C. cassia, the Chinese cinna-
mon. Its origin, China, is well preserved in the English name,
which is derived from the Hebrew
qinamon,
as well as in the
Arabic ddr ini. The Arabic texts employ two additional terms
which designate respectively the bark or the rind of the
cinnamon tree; the term
qirfah,
translated as rind of the
cinnamon, appears to designate the rind of C. zeylanicum, the
Ceylonese cinnamon, while the term salikhah, translated as
"bark of the cinnamon cassia," appears to denote the Chinese
variety, C. cassia. According to Dozy, the latter term refers
to acacia.
Citron
(utruj).
Clove
(qaranfful).
The aromatic spice made of the dried flower
buds of Caryophyllus aromaticus, a tropical tree of the myrtle
family. The Latin refers to it as gario filorum, which suggests
the English "gilly
flower."
Colocynth (hanzal). The fruit of the herbacious vine Citrullus
colocynthis, a native of the Levant. It is allied to the water-
melon, and the pulp of its fruit was much used as a cathartic.
Coral (bussad).
Coriander (kuzbarah). The small aromatic fruits of the herb
Coriandrum sativum, of the carrot family, which were much
used as stomachics, and for seasoning.
Cost (qustuin). A spice prepared from the thick aromatic roots
of the composite plant Aucklandia costus, a native of Kashmir.
The term "cost" is derived from the Arabic
qust
and is often
confused with "costmary"-the aromatic perennial plant
Crysanthemus balsamita.
Cubeb (kabbabah). The berry of Cubeba
officinalis,
a climbing
shrub, which is also known as Piper cubeba. The English
cubeb is derived from the Arabic.
Cucumber (khiyar).
Currants (zabib). The small berries of Ribes
nigrum
and Ribes
rubrum, known as black and the red currants, respectively.
The term is also used to designate collectively raisins prepared
from a seedless variety of grapes, as well as a variety of other
dried fruits.
Dill (shibith).
Dodder of thyme (aftimfin).
The leafless parasitic plant,
Cuscuta epithymum, of a genus of plants which attach them-
selves to surrounding vegetation such as clover, thyme, etc.
The similarity of the Arabic name to the term epithymum
suggests its Greek origin.
Doronicum
(darfinaj).
The genus of Eurasian herbs of the
thistle family, known also as Leopard's Bane, used primarily for
herbacious borders. The English term is derived from the
Arabic.
Dragonwort (tarkhan). A plant, Dracunculus
vulgaris,
associ-
ated with the Arum family, which has heart-shaped leaves and
a large spathe; it is also called "green dragon."
Eggplant (badinjan).
The fruit of Solanum esculentum or
aubergine.
Emblic
(amlaj).
The fruit of Embelica
officinalis,
the Emblic
myrobalan. The English "emblic" is derived from the Arabic
amlaj.
See Myrobalan.
Emerald (zumurrud).
Endive (hindiba'). An annual plant, related to chicory, whose
curled and fizzled leaves are used for salad.
Fennel (raziyanaj). A fragrant plant, Foeniculum vulgare, with
yellow flowers, which is cultivated for spicing. The Indian
fennel, F. panmorum, which is a variety of the above, was
formerly used medicinally.
Fig (tin).
Fleabane (qituina). The plant Plantago psyllium, also known as
flea-wort, so called because its seeds resemble fleas.
Folia indica
(sadhaj hindi). The Indian Leaf; the aromatic leaf
of a species of Cinnamomum, probably C. zeylanicum.
Fox (tha'lab).
Francolin (durraj).
Frankish musk
(falanjmishk, faranjmishk).
The musk prepared
from Ocimum pilosum, a variety of sweet basil. The Arabic
terms are combinations denoting Frankish
(faranj)
Musk
(mishk).
Fumitory (shahtaraj
P.). A plant of the genus Fumaria, usually
F.
officinalis-the
common or hedge fumitory-so called
because of the description of its growth as being smokelike, or
fumelike.
Galingale (khulanjan).
A spice prepared from the branches of
Alpinia officinarum,
a native of India, the odor and taste of
which are
gingerlike.
The English term is derived from the
Arabic
Khulanjan,
which in turn is a derivative of the Chinese
Ko-Liang-Kiang-mild ginger from Ko.
Garlic (thuim).
Gazelle (ghazal). The English noun is derived from the Arabic
ghazal.
Ginger (zanjabil).
A spice prepared from the roots of Zingiber
officinalis, a native of China and India.
Goat (ma'iz).
Gold (dhahb).
Gourd
(faqqiis).
Grapes ('inab).
Grouse
(tayhiij).
Hellebore (kharbaqin). A term applied collectively to certain
medicinal plants belonging to the genera Helleborus and
Veratrum. The two hellebores mentioned in the text appear
to be the black hellebore-H.
officinalis,
and the white hellebore
-
Veratrum album.
Hen
(dajajah).
See Chicken.
Hiera
picra (ayarjat).
A purgative prepared usually from the
powder of aloe and canella mixed with honey. There are
several known formulae and modifications of this ancient
popular remedy, and other adjuvants such as colocynth,
sagapenum, opopanax, myrrh, parsley, saffron, agaric and
pepper were often added to the above thus putting the Hiera
in the same class as the theriaca (C. J. S. Thompson, The
Mystery and Art of the Apothecary, London, John Lane, 1929).
Honey ('asal).
Hyacinth (sunbul). An odiferous plant, Hyacinthus orientalis,
a native of the Levant. The name is of mythological origin
and has been loosely applied to allied species. See Nard.
Hydromel (idrfimali). A
liquor made of water and honey; its
preparation is described in the text. The Arabic Idrumdal is a
transcription from the Greek.
Itrifal (itrifal). A
myrobalan electuary. The Arabic term is
probably a derivative from the Latin
tri-fera, referring to the
three myrobalan varieties used in this preparation. (Regimen,
note 89.)
Jacinth (yaqut).
An
orange-colored gem, also known as hyacinth.
Jujube ('unnab). The edible berry-like drupe of several species
of the genus Zizyphus; especially
Z. sativus.
Julep (jullab).
A sweet medicated drink
prepared, usually,
from
rose water. The English term is derived from the Arabic
which in turn is derived from the Persian gulldb-a combination
of gul-rose,
and ab-water.
Kid
(jadi, jida').
Lamb (kharfif, khiraf).
Lapis lazuli (lazuward). A bright azure silicate stone containing
sulphur.
Leek (kurrath). The culinary herb Allium porum; it is related
to the onion but differs in that its bulbous part is
cylindrical
and its leaves are broad and flat.
Lemon (laymfi).
Lesser cardamoms (hil buwwa). See Cardamom.
Lettuce (khass).
42
[TRANS. AMER. PHIL. SOC.
VOL.
54,
PT.
4, 1964]
Liquorice (sus). A medicinal preparation extracted from the
roots of Glycerrhiza glabra, native to Southern Europe and Syria.
Long pepper (dar filfil).
Lote, Fruit of (nabq). The edible berry-like fruit of the thorny
bushes of the genus Zizyphus, especially Z. Lotus-the lote tree.
Mace (basbasah). A spice prepared from the dried outer cover-
ing of the nutmeg.
Maidenhair (kuzbarat al-ba'ir). A fern, Adiantum Capillus-
veneris, having fine hairlike stalks and delicate fronds.
Manna (shirkhusk P., taranjubin). The solidified sweet, yellow,
juice that exudes from incisions made in the bark of several
trees. Two kinds of manna are listed in the texts: taranjubin-
the Manna of Fraximus ornus, the manna-ash, and shirkhusk
-the Manna of Atraphaxis spinosa.
Marshmallow (khatmi).
Mastic
(mastaka).
The gum which exudes from the bark of
Pistachia lentisus and some other related trees. The English
Mastic is probably derived from the Arabic.
Melon (battikh).
Mullet (bfri).
Musk (misk). The secretion obtained from a sac under the
abdominal skin of the male musk-deer; it is an odiferous
reddish-brown substance. The English term is derived from
the Arabic misk or the Persian mushk.
Myrobalan (halilaj, ahlilaj).
The myrobalan trees are of the
genus Terminalia. Both the trees and their astringent, plum-
like fruits were used medicinally. Three species of myrobalan
are cited: (1) T. bellerica, (2) T. chebula, and (3) T. citrina.
The astringent fruits of Terminalia bellerica (the "bastard
myrobalan") are known as belleric (fr. the Arabic
balilaj).
The
T. chebula is known as the chebulic myrobalan, a term derived
from the Arabic kabuli, probably referring to its origin or
source. The term Indic myrobalan designates specifically the
T. citrina, even though all myrobalans are native to India.
The so called emblic myrobalan (fr. the Arabic
amlaj)
is not a
true myrobalan, but rather a related species, Embelica
offici-
nalis, the fruits of which were used medicinally.
Myrtle (as). A shrub, Myrtus communis, the flowers of which
are sweet-scented.
Nard (sunbul). An aromatic balsam or ointment, also known as
"spikenard," manufactured from the fragrant rhizome of
Nardostachys jatamansi, a small plant found chiefly
in the
alpine Himalayas. The Arabic word used here is also identified
with "hyacinth." (q.v.)
Nutmeg (jawz buwwa). The Arabic term literally means "the
nut of Bawa," a small Persian town west of Shiraz.
Nux vomica
(jawz al-raqqa'). The seeds contained in the pulpy
fruit of Strychnos nux-vomica, an East Indian tree. Strychnin
is the active ingredient of this poisonous substance.
Olive (zayt).
Onion (basal).
Opium (afyfin).
Opopanax (jawshir).
The fetid
gum-resin
obtained from the
roots of Opopanax chironium, a yellow-flowered plant re-
sembling parsnip.
Orach (qataf). A small red ornamental herb, Atriplex hortensis,
also called "the mountain spinach."
Oxtongue (lisan al-ththawr). A collective term applied to sev-
eral species such as bugloss, borage, and alkamet, the leaves of
which are rough and tongue shaped. The Arabic term means
literally "tongue of an ox."
Oxymel (sakanjabin). A medicinal drink or syrup made of
vinegar and honey with which other ingredients were com-
pounded. The Latin text usually transcribes this term as
secaniabin.
Pandanus palm (kadar). A
fragrant tree, Pandanus odoratis-
simus, resembling a palm, related to the screwpines. The
Arabic term kadar is obscure. We have followed Kroner in
rendering it "pandanus palm" (Ar. kadt).
Parsley (qarafs).
Partridge (bijlah).
Peach (khawkh). See Prune.
Pear (kummathra). See Prune.
Pearls (lu'lu').
Peas
(julban).
Pepper (fulful).
Pigeons (hamam).
Pilchard (ray).
Pine (sanawbar).
Pistachio (fustuq). The term is derived from the Arabic
fustuq,
or the Persian pistah.
Polypody (basfayaj).
A widely distributed fern, Polipodium
vulgare,
which is found growing on moist rocks, wells, and trees.
Pomegranate (rumman). The large round fruit of Punica
granatum, which is covered by a tough leathery rind of orange
color tinged with red. Inside it is divided into many cells each
containing numerous seeds enveloped in a tasty, juicy, slightly
acid pulp.
Poppy (khashkhash).
The plant Papaver somniferum
from
which opium is manufactured.
Prune
(ijjas).
The Arabic
ijjas,
and the related Hebrew term
aggas, are now used to designate "pear" rather than "prune."
This usage probably originated
in the Maghrib where the term
ijjas,
or
injds,
was always employed to designate the pear.
Formerly, however, the term
ijjds
was used to designate the
prune. The Arabic text clarifies this point by identifying ijjas
as "that which the people of Syria call al-khawkh," a term which
is commonly used to designate the peach, but in Syria it denotes
the prune (Dozy). The Latin renders this as prunus. The
term employed to designate "prune" in the Maghrib was
kummathrd,
which is used elsewhere to designate "pear."
Pumpkin (gar', yaqtin). The Arabic text employs two terms;
the first, qar', appears to designate pumpkins
in
general,
while
the second, yaqtln, specifically designates the round pumpkin.
Purslane (baqlat al-h.amqa', rajlah).
Both Arabic terms are
used to designate this culinary herb, Portulaca oleracea, which
has low succulent leaves that usually expand
in the direction
of the sun.
Quince (safarjal).
Rabbit (arnab).
Radish (fujl).
Raw silk (harir kham). The term "raw silk" is rather puzzling,
and its medicinal use is doubtful. Some Latin manuscripts
render this setis crudis, others render it seris. If the rendition
seris is accurate, the following quotation from Pliny is of interest:
"The seris (Chicorum endiva), also very similar to lettuce, is
of two kinds; the wild, which is the best, is black in the summer;
the other is, in winter, less good and whiter; both are bitter and
excellent for the stomach, especially when it is vexed by the
humor. They are refreshing, eaten with vinegar, or applied.
They dissipate other humors than those of the stomach. One
takes the roots of the wild species with polenta, for the stomach.
In disease of the heart, one applies them with vinegar on the
left breast. They are useful in the gout and hemoptysis.
They are also (useful) for persons afflicted with discharge of
semen, drunk every other day. Petronius Diodotus, who has
written an anthology, has condemned the seris absolutely and
adduces many arguments; but his opinion is contradicted by
that of all others." (Histoire naturelle de Pline. tran. Littrd.,
Firmin-Didot, Paris, 1877, 2, Book XX: p. 32.)
Rhubarb (rawand).
Rice (uruz).
Rind of the cinnamon (qirfah). See Cinnamon.
River crab (sartan nahri).
Rooster (farfuj, fararij).
The Arabic
faruj
is taken usually to
mean "pullet," as is the case with the related Hebrew term
pargiyah. According to Dozy, however, the term
faruj
was
used to designate rooster or capon; Ibn Tibbon (Regimen,
note 81) rendered
faruj
as tarnegol, the Hebrew word for
rooster.
Rose (ward).
Round pumpkin (yaqtin). See Pumpkin.
GLOSSARY 43
BAR-SELA, HOFF,
FARIS: MOSES MAIMONIDES
Saffron (za'faran). The plant Crocus sativus, which is widely
cultivated for its use in coloring and flavoring.
Sagapenum (sakbinaj).
The
gum-resinous juice
extracted from
Ferula persica, which was used medicinally as an antispasmodic.
Saltwort (hamd). Any plant of the genus Salsola, especially
S. kali, used in the manufacture of soda ash.
Sandalwood (sandal). The yellowish fragrant wood obtained
from several species of the genus Santalum, especially the
parasitic Indo-Malayan tree S. album.
Scammony (al-malmuidah). The laxative preparation obtained
from the tuberous fleshy roots of the plant Convulvulus scam-
monia, a native of Syria. Its popularity is reflected by the
Arabic name al-mamfiudah-The Delightful.
Sea holly (qarsa'annah). The herb,
Eryngium
martimum, of
the carrot family, also known as sea holm.
Senna (sana). A medicinal preparation from various tropical
shrubs of the genus Cassia which bear yellow flowers and green
flat pods. The Senna of Makka (Mecca), sand makki, was
considered the best of all sennas. The English "senna" is
derived from the Arabic.
Sheep (da'n).
Silk
(abrisham).
Silver (fiddah).
Snake cucumber
(qiththa').
Sorrel
(bummad).
A small, perennial herb of the genus Rumex,
which is characterized by its sour taste; a juice is commonly
prepared from its leaves.
Spinach (asfanaj).
Squirrel (sinjab).
Squirting cucumber
(qitha' al-bimar).
A Mediterranean plant,
Ecballium elaterium, known also as the spirting cucumber.
When ripened, the fruit separates forcibly from the stalk,
squirting its seeds and juice; a powerful purgative, elaterium,
is prepared from the
juice.
Stoechas
(ustuikhfiudus).
A small shrub, Lavendula stoechas,
with lilac-colored flowers, the distillation of which was used
as oil of lavender. It is also known as "French lavender,"
or "stechados."
Sugar (sukkar).
Sumac (summaq). A preparation of the dried and chopped
leaves and shoots of plants from the genus Rhus, especially
R. Cariara. The English term is derived from the Arabic
summaq.
Sweet Basil (badrfij). See Basil.
Tamarind (tamr hindi). The pulp of the fruit of Tamarindus
indica, which was usually preserved
in sugar. The English
term tamarind is a derivative of the Arabic term tamr hindi,
meaning Indian date.
Theriaca (tiryaq). No other single medicine can rival the long,
illustrious and fascinating history of this panacea (G. W.
Corner, "Mithridatium and Theriac, the most famous remedies
of old Medicine," Johns Hopkins Hosp. Bull. 26 (1915): pp.
222-226). Though it eventually became a cure-all, it began as
an antidote to poisons, compounded of small doses of many
ingredients (see Regimen, note 64). Of the various types
known, two are mentioned in the text: the Mithridatic and the
Theodoretic. The Theodorectic, a popular formula attributed
to a certain Theodoretus (ca. 110 C.E.), was made of aloes,
rhubarb, saffron, orris root, colocynth, cinnamon, pepper,
scammony, and gentian (C. J. S. Thompson, The Mystery and
the Art of the Apothecary, London, John Lane, 1929, p. 38).
The Mithridatic, by far the most famous of all theriacs, was
concocted by Mithridates VI, King of Pontus (120-63 B.C.E.).
"The theriaca of Mithridates contained no less than seventy-
one articles, of which
fifty-eight
are tonic or stimulant, one
narcotic, five purgative or diuretic, and the remainder serve
to unite these ingredients in the form of electuary. This
strange assemblage of drugs may indeed deserve the name of
'Monstrum Pharmaceuticum.'" (A. Stille, Therapeutics and
Materia Medica, Phila., Henry C. Lea., 1868).
Turpeth (turbid). A cathartic drug prepared from the root of
Ipomaea turpethum, the East Indian
jalap.
The English
terms "turpeth" and "turbith" are derived from the Arabic.
Turtle dove (yamam, hamam).
Vetch (fiul). The beanlike fruit of various species of the legumin-
ous plant Vicia.
Vinegar (khall).
Violet
(banafsaj).
The plant Viola tricolor, also known as
"pansy" or "heart's ease."
Watercress
(jirjir).
A culinary perennial plant, Nasturtium
palustre, found in abundance near springs and small running
streams. It is used in salads, and has a pungent flavor.
Water lily (nilufar).
Wheat
(qamb).
Wild ass
(bimar al-wahsh).
Wild carrot
(shaqaqul).
An umbelliferous desert plant, Trachy-
dium lehmanni, also known as the "desert parsnip" and as the
"root of wisdom," the root of which resembles a small carrot.
The sweet white pulp of this root was used as a stimulant and
was believed to increase the powers of the brain, whence comes
the term "root of wisdom."
Wolves (dhiyab).
Zedoary (jadwar,
zarunbad, antulah). A medicinal preparation
from the roots of several species of the genus Curcuma, es-
pecially C. zedoaria, having properties resembling those of
ginger. The term antulah refers to a special kind of zedoary.
44
[TRANS.
AMER. PHIL. SOC.
INDEX
Abdomen, 19
Abraham ben Moses, 3, 4, 8
Abfi Bakr Ibn Zuhr, 4
Abu 'Imran, see Moses Maimonides
Abui al-Mani, see Abraham ben Moses
Accidents, 32, 34, 35; definition of, 13;
list of, 32; minor, 27
Accidents, the treatise on, 8-12
Acidity, 40
Acre, 4
al-Adid, the Immam, 5
al-Adil, 5, 8
Admonitions, 25, 26
Adolescent, 29
Adversities, of this world, 25, 26
al-Afdal, 3, 5, 8, 9, 13, 16, 25; letter of,
32, 35; command of, 16, 32; complaints
of 16, 32, treasury of, 25, 35
Agaric, 22
Aged, the, 19, 29
Aging, 24
Ailments, 16, 17, 20, 22, 28, 30, 31, 32
Air, 27, 31, 39; rectification of, 27; in the
cities, 27; in the deserts, 27
Alexandria, 5
Almohades, 4
Almond oil, 23, 24, 25, 34
Almonds, 20, 37
Aloe, 25, 30, 36
Amber, 35, 36
Ambergris, 22, 36
Amputation, 29
Ancients, the, 21
Andalusia, 33
Angel, 26
Animal, 17, 19, 26, 27, 31, 37; riding,
management of, 17; furs of, 31; meat of,
31
Anise, 24, 25
Anointing, 29, 33
Anxiety, 24, 25, 26, 33
Anxious, the, 25
Aperient fruits, 20, 34
Appetite, 16, 17, 19, 25, 34, 38
Apple, 23, 34; juice of, 36; syrup of, 33;
rob of, 36; sour juice of, 35
Apricot, 20, 34
Aquamel, 21
Arabic manuscripts used, 9, 13
Arabs, 33
Arid lands, 27
Aristotle, 21
Arm, 28
Armenian stone, 34, 36
Aromatics, 27
Art, the, 25, 29, 32, 40
Art of Cure, the, 7, 20
Art of Healing, 16
Art of Logic, the, 5
Art of Medicine, 20, 28, 29
Ascalon, 5
Ash samara, 24
Asparagus roots, 21
Asparagus seeds, 24
Asphodel seeds, 36
Ass, wild, 31; special properties of, 31
Asthma, the discourse on, 8
Astringence, 31, 34
Astringent fruits, 20, 34, 38
Attendants, desirable, 22, 38
Author, this, 27, 28, 29
Autumn, 34
Aversion to activity, 16, 23
Azarole, 19
Bag, 24
Balm gentle, juice of, 36; leaves of, 36
Balm gentle seeds, 33, 36
Balsam peel, 24
Balsam wood, 36
Bamboo manna, 35, 36
Barberry extract, 33
Barberry seeds, 23; properties of, 23
Barley, 39
Barley flour, 37, 39
Barley gruel, 21
Barley kashk, 21, 39,40; preparation of, 39
Barley sauce, 23, 31
Barley water, 21, 33, 34
Barzel, U., 7
Basil, 22; seeds of, 33
Basil, sweet, seeds of, 36
Bathing, 18, 28, 29, 30, 31, 35, 39; drinking
after, 30, 39; importance of, 30; rules
for, 30, 39; sleep after, 18, 30, 39; time
for, 30, 39; of head, 30
Bawa, 36
Beast, 27
Bedtime, drinking at, 32, 33, 38
Bees, 19, 25
Beets, 23, 37
Behen, red, 36; white, 36
Behens, the two, 24, 36
Belleric myrobalan, 24
Belly, softening of, 53
Ben oil, 31
Benedict VIII, 11
Benvenishti, S., 8
Bile, black, 24, 33
Bile, yellow, 19, 24, 33
Black bile, 24, 33
Black currants, 59
Black humor, 33, 37, 40
Black vapors, 33, 35
Blasius, A., 8, 12
Bleeding, excessive,
32
Blite, 23, 37
Blood, 20, 21, 24, 25, 27, 32, 33, 34, 35;
clarification of, 35; extraction of, 21;
exudation of, 28, 32; sediment of, 32;
turbidity of, 24, 32; vapors of, 27, 34
Bloodletting, 21, 28, 29, 34
Body, 17, 18, 21, 22, 25, 26, 27, 29, 30, 34,
38, 40; moistening of, 22, 32,
39
Body surface, 25, 26, 30, 34
Bone, 19
Boniface VI II, 11
Books, 18, 21, 25, 29, 32, 35
Bragman,
L.
J.,
8
Brain, 23, 24, 29, 30, 31, 33, 35, 40;
ventricles of, 27
45
Bran, 18, 36; decoction of, 21
Bread, 17, 18, 20, 22, 36, 37; proper
preparation of, 18, 36; wheaten, 18, 36
Bread crumbs, 21, 37
Bread, unleavened, 18, 31
Breakfast, 38, 39
Breasts, 25
Breath, smelling of, 31
Breathing, 27
Brew of pomegranate seeds, 30, 39
Broth, 21, 37; of chicken, 37; of lemon, 23;
of meat, 22
Building, 27
Burning, 34
Butter, 19
Butter, clarified,
19
Cabbage, 19
Cairo, 3, 4, 5
Camel, female, 19
Camphor, 36, 39
Canon, the, 39
Carcasses, 27
Cardamom, 24; big, 36; lesser, 35, 36;
of Bawa, 35, 36
Cardiac medicaments, 35, 37, 39; mode of
action of, 35; recipe of Ibn Sina, 35
Careless physicians, 28
Carob, 19
Carrot seeds, 24
Carrot, wild, 24
Carthamus, 23
Cassia fistula, 22, 23, 24; preparation, of 23
Castoreum, 21, 29, 36,
39
Cat, 31
Catarrh, 30
Cattle, 18, 19, 37
Cautery, 29
Cedrat pulp, 37
Chanter, 38, 39
Charcoal, 40
Chebulic myrobalan, 24
Cheeks, 25
Cheese, 19
Cherries, 21
Chervil, 37
Chest,
24
Chest, feeble, 22
Chicken, 18, 37, 39; proper feed for, 37;
proper raising of, 37
Chicken broth, 37
Chicken meat, 18, 22, 37
Chicken soup, 22
Children, 25
Choleric, the, 38
Cinnamon, 24, 35, 36; bark of, 37
Cinnamon cassia, bark of, 36
Cities, 20, 27
Citron leaves, 35
Citron peel, 24, 39; syrup of, 30
Citron rind, 21, 36
Clarified butter, 19
Cloth, 30, 34
Cloth with sandalwood, 33
Clothes, 31; hair
in, 31; good and bad. 31
Cloves, 24, 30, 31, 39
BAR-SELA, HOFF,
FARIS: MOSES MAIMONIDES
[TRANS. AMER. PHIL. SOC.
Clysters, 21, 29; mild, 21 sharp, 21
Coitus, 18, 24, 29, 31, 35, 39; dangers of,
29; time for, 39; use of, 29
Coitus, treatise on, 7
Cold diseases, 22
Cold season, regimen in, 38, 39
Colocynth, pulp, 21, 29
Color, 25
Commentary on the Aphorisms of Hip-
pocrates, the, 7
Commentary on the Mishnah, the, 5
Commentary on the names of the drugs,
the, 4, 8
Conceit, 26
Concoctions, 28, 35
Confections of fruits, 20
Confident, the, 25
Congestion of head, 55
Conserves of fruits, 19
Constipating preparation, 23
Constipation, 23, 40
Contemplation, value of, 26
Convalescent, 20, 29
Convulsions, 28
Cooling concoction, 35
Cool musk medicament, the, 35, 39
Copulation, 18, 29
Coral, 36
Cordova, 4, 16
Coriander, 34, 35, 39
Corrective, 23
Corrupt digestions, kinds of, 16
Cost, 24
Cough,
30
Coupled action, 28
Court, 27
Crab, river, 36
Craft, 20
Crafty, the, 29
Creator, the, 26
Crisis, 32
Crop, 37
Crumbs, 21, 37
Cubebs, 24, 36
Cucumber, 19, 33; seeds of, 21
Cured meat, 34
Currants, 20, 24, 37, 38; oxymel of, 23,39
Currants, black, 23
Custom, 20, 28
Customary drinks, 28
Customary foods, 18,
28
Customary medicaments, 21,
22
Daily Prayer of a
Physician,
6
Daily routine, 38, 39
Dalalat al-Hayrin, 5
David ben Maimon, 4, 5
Death, foreboding of, 16; from
copulation,
29; from drinking, 22; from excitement,
26; from indigestion, 16; from treat-
ment, 21, 22, 28, 29
De Capua, John, 7, 8, 11, 12; his trans-
lations, 11
De Causis Accidentium, 11
Decoctions, 21,
24
Defects of memory, 27
Defluxion of humors, 29
Dejection, 24
Delight, 26
Depression, 26
De Regimine Sanitatis, 11, 12
Deserts, 27
Desire for solitude, 16
Diet, 17, 18, 19, 20, 31, 34, 35, 37, 38, 39
Digestion, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 23, 32, 33, 34,
38, 39; corruption of, 16, 18, 19;
diversity of, 17; feeble, 16, 17, 27; in
summer, 17; in
winter, 17
Digestions, the three, 17, 24, 33
Dill flowers, 39
Discipline, 25, 26
Disease, 16, 17, 20, 25, 29, 30; chronic, 22;
cold, 22; of al-Afdal, 16, 33, 34, 35; of
nerves, 31; psychic, 25
Disease vs. Nature, 20, 21, 28
Disease vs. Vigor, 20, 28
Dishes, 17, 31, 37, 38; diversity of, 17;
enumeration of, 37
Disinclination to exertion, 16, 17
Distress, 22, 26
Dodder of thyme, 34, 36
Doronicum, 24, 36
Doronicum, Greek, 36
Dough, 18
Drink, the, see Wine
Drink that exhilerates, the, 32
Drinking after the bath, 30, 39
Drinking at bedtime, 32, 33, 38
Dropsical, 30
Drying effect of agaric, 22
Dullness of understanding, 27
Dunghill, 37
Dwelling place, 27
Earthen, oven, 37; pot, 40; vessel, 24
East, 27
Egg, 18; soft boiled, 22
Eggplant, 19, 34
Egypt, 3, 5, 6, 33
Egyptian pound, 38
Elbow, 28
Elders, the, 33; of medicine, 35; of the
Art, 23
Electuaries, the two, 35
Electuary, 21, 24, 25, 35, 39, 40; of Ibn
Sina, 35; of jacinth, 35, 36; of Mai-
monides, 24; of al-Razi, 35
Emblic myrobalan, 24
Emerald, 35
Emesis, 21, 22, 34
Emotions, 25
Endive, juice of, 36; water of, 33
Endive roots, bark of, 21
Endive seeds, 21, 36, 39
Ephemeral fever, 20
Epistle on Apostasy, the 4
Eructation, 17
Essence, 35
Evacuation, 21, 22
Evil, imaginary, 26
Evil, of this world, 26, 40
Evil thoughts, 16, 23, 26, 38
Evil vapors, 23
Excessive bleeding, 32
Excrement, 31
Exercise, 16, 17, 18, 29, 30, 33, 35, 38, 39;
definition of, 17; importance of, 16, 17;
resumption of, 35; time for, 18, 38, 39
Exertion, 16, 17; definition of, 17; dis-
inclination to, 16, 17
Exhilerating
drink of Ibn al-Talmid, 33
Exhilerating drink, the, 32,
33
Exhilerating potions, 35
Experience, 31,
35
Expressed juice, 36
Expulsive faculty, 17, 24, 28, 30, 32
Extraction of
blood, 21
Extracts, the, 4,
7
Extracts, of
barberry, 33; of
squirting
cucumber,
29
Extremities, 19
Exultation, 26
Eyelids, 25
Eyes, 25,
28
Face, 25; distortion of, 31
Faculty, expulsive, 17, 24, 28, 30, 32;
Natural, 22; Psychic, 22; retentive, 28;
Vital,
22
al-Fadil al
Baysani, 5, 8
Failure of intelligence, 27
al-Farabi, 7, 28
Farmer,
28
Farming,
28
Fat, 19,
37
Fear, unnatural, 25
Feces, 18
Feebleness of
movement, 42
Feed for chicken, 37
Fennel, 21, 24, 37; kernels of, 23
Fever, 20, 22, 24, 28; 29; acute, 34;
burning, 33; ephemeral, 20; from fruit,
20, 34; malignant, 34; paroxysms, 35;
putrid, 20
Feverish, the, 22
Fi
Bayan Ba'd al-A'rad, 8
Fi
al-Buwasir, 7
Fi
al-Jima'a, 7
Fi Tadbir al-Sihhah, 8
Figs, 19, 20, 37, 39
Fire, 23, 24, 40
Fish, 19; gravy of, 31; jelly of, 31
Flame,
24
Flatus, 19, 32, 33, 40
Fleabane seeds, 33
Flour, 18, 37, 39
Foam, 25, 36, 38
Fodder, 17
Folia indica, 36
Food, 17, 18, 19, 20, 23, 27, 29, 30, 31, 32,
33, 34, 37, 38, 39; good and bad, 17, 18,
31; quality of, 18; quantity of, 17, 28;
spoiled, 31; sweet, 31.
Fools, occupation of, 26
Force, see Faculty
Force-fed, 37
Forequarter, 19, 37
Form, specific, 35
Fortune, good and bad, 26
Fowl, 37
Fox, 31
Francolin, 18, 37
Frankish musk, seeds of, 36
Friday, 39
Friedenwald, H., 5
Fruits, 19, 20, 34, 35, 37, 38; aperient,
20, 34; astringent, 20, 34; confections
of, 20; conserves of, 19; dry, 20; fresh,
19, 20, 34, 35; infusions from, 21, 23, 33.
34,
39
Fruits, injunction against, 19, 20, 34
Fumigation, 27
46
VOL. 54, PT. 4, 1964]
Fumitory, 36
Fumitory seeds, 24, 39
Fur, 31
Fustat, 3, 4, 6
Fulul
Muisa fi al-Tibb, 7
Galen, 6, 7, 17, 18, 19, 20, 22, 24, 26, 27,
28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 34, 35, 38, 39
Galen on air, 27; on avoiding illness, 17;
on cheese, 19; on fruit, 19, 20, 34; on
hydromel, 38; on liver, 20, 24; on milk,
19; on motion, 18; on sleep after the
bath, 30, 39
Galen's father, 20
Galen's Regimen of Health, 32
Galingale, 24
Game meat, 31, 34
Garlic, 19
Garment, 30
Gazzell, 31
Ginger, 24, 36
Gloom, 26
Goat milk, 19
God, 16, 20, 23, 25, 26, 28, 31, 32, 34, 38, 40
Gold, 35
Gold filing, 36
Good of this world, 26, 40
Good, imaginary, 26
Good and Evil, ultimate, 26
Gordon, H. L., 10
Gorlin, M., 7
Gourd, 19
Gourd seeds, 21
Grains, inflating, 30
Grapes, 19, 20, 34
Gravy of fish, 31
Greek doronicum, 36
Greeks, the, 20
Grief, 25, 26
Grossberg, M., 6
Grouse, 18, 37
Guide to the Perplexed, the, 5
Guilhelmus de Brixia, 11
Habit, 28, 31, 34, 38; importance of, 31;
of eating fruits, 34
Hair, in clothing, 31
Hairline, 31
Hameati, Natan, 7
Happiness, eternal, 26
Harisah, 18
Hastiness, 29
Head, 22, 30; bathing of, 30
Head of animals, 19
Headache, 22, 27, 39
Health, 25, 38
Health, conservation of, 16, 17, 29, 31
Health, Regimen of, 16, 18, 22, 29, 30, 34
Healthy, the, 16, 22, 25
Heart, 22, 23, 24, 27, 29, 34, 35, 36, 38, 40;
rhythm of, 24; palpitation of, 35, 36;
throbbing of, 35
Heat, natural, 17, 25, 30
Heaviness of the meal, 16
Hebrew manuscripts used, 10, 13
Hellebores, the two, 21, 29
Hemiplegia, 30, 31
Hemorrhoids, the treatise on, 4, 7
HIen, Z. (Gracian), 7
Hen, 18, 23, 37; raising of, 37
Herbs, 23, 33; spiced, 23
INDEX
Hiera, 22
Hilat al-Bara', 7
Hindu, 20
Hippocrates, 6, 12, 16, 17, 29; dicta of,
16; in praise of Nature, 20; on barley
Kashk 40
Hoarseness, 25, 30
Hollow nerves, 31
Honey, 19, 21, 25, 35, 36, 38
Hope, 27
Hot ailments, 22
Hot regions, 34
Hot seasons, regimen in, 39
House, 31
Humors, 23, 24, 30, 32, 33, 37, 39; the
black, 33, 37, 40; evil, 19, 22, 34; in-
flamed, 40; mordicant, 18; phlegmy, 19
Humors, defluxion of, 29; putrefaction of,
24; unripening of, 28
H.unayn ibn Isbaq, 7
Hunger, 18, 21, 29, 30, 39
Hunger, false, 18
Husk, 18
Hydromel, 38, 39; preparation of, 38
Hypochondria, 25
Ibn Abi Usaybi'ah, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8; on Moses
Maimonides, 3; on Abraham, 4
Ibn al-Baytar, 8
Ibn Maymin, see Moses Maimonides
Ibn Ridwan, 7
Ibn Rushd, 4
Ibn Sanaa' al-Mulk, his poem, 3
Ibn Sina, 35; his Canon, 39; his jacinth
electuaries, 35, 36
Ibn al-Talmid, exhilerating drink of, 33
Ibn Tibbon, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10; his epilogue, 10
Ibn Wafid, 7
Ibn Zuhr, 4, 7, 23, 29, 33; his infusion of
rhubarb, 23; his oxymel of currants, 23
Ibrahim ibn Muisa, see Abraham
Iggeret ha-Shemad, 4
Ignorance, 26, 29, 30
Ignorant, the, 25, 29, 40
Illness, 17, 20, 22, 30, 31
Incenses, 31
Indic myrobalan, 24
Indigestion, 16, 17, 28
Indolence, 16
Induction of sleep, 38, 39
Inebrieting drinks, 31
Inebriety, 29
Inflammation, 30, 33, 34; of the lungs, 30;
of the phlegm, 33
Inflating grain, 30
Infusions, 21, 23, 33, 34; of
jujubes, 33; of
peaches, 34; of rhubarb, 23, 33, 39; of
tamarind, 23, 33, 39
Intestines, 23, 24; mucosity of, 30
Iraqi musk, 24
Iraqi poppy, seeds of, 39
Isfidbaj, 37
Islam, 4, 19, 26
Itrifal, 22, 24, 35, 39
Jacinth, 35, 36, 39
Jacinth electuary, 35, 36, 39
Jelly of salted fish, 31
Jerusalem, 4
Joints, 30
47
Jonathan of Lunel, 5
Journey, 20, 34
Joy,
26
Judah ha-Kohen, 4
Juices of fruits, 20
Jujubes, 33, infusion of, 33
Julep, 25, 36; preparation of, 36
Kant, 5
Kashk, 21, 39, 40; praised by Hippo-
crates, 40
Khalat,
31
Khawkh, 37
Kid, suckling, 19, 37
Kidney, 30
King, kings, 21, 25, 36
Kingdom, 25
Kitab
al-Siraj,
5
Kitab al-Sumfum, 8
Kneading, 18
Knee, 28
Kroner, H., 7, 8, 9, 13
Lake of Galilee, 6
Lamb, 19, 37
Lancing, 29, 32
Lapis lazuli, 34, 36
Latin manuscripts used, 11, 13
Laugh, 22, 26, 34
Laughter, 26
Law, the, 25, 40; admonitions of, 25, 26;
discipline of, 25, 26; edicts of, 40; vs.
medicine, 40
Lawgivers, 40
Laxative, 23, 29
Leek, 19
Legs, 21, 28
Lemon, 31; mixed, 37
Lemon broth, 23
Lemon juice, 23, 37, 39
Lemon syrup, 40
Lemon water, 31
Leprosy, 37
Lesser cardamoms of Bawa, 36
Letter of al-Afdal, 32, 35
Lettuce, 33, 37
Lettuce seeds, 36
Levey, M., 8
Levy, R., 6
Life, prolongation of, 26
Lightheartedness, 38
Linen, 24, 30
Liquorice, 21, 23, 24
List of accidents, 32
List of manuscripts used, 13
Liver, 17, 20, 24, 27, 30, 33, 35; importance
of, 20, 24; swelling of, 30; temperament
of 35
Living creatures, 21, 27
Loaves of bread, 37
Loins, 19
Long pepper, 24
Lota fruit, 19
Lungs, 30; inflammation of, 30
Mace, 31, 39
Macht, D. I., 6
Maghrib,
40
Mahmfudah, 21
Maidenhair, 21, 23
BAR-SELA, HOFF,
FARIS: MOSES MAIMONIDES [TRANS. AMER. PHIL. SOC.
Maimon, 3, 4
Maimonides, see Moses
Maqalah fi Bayan Ba'd al-A'rad, 8
Maqalah fi al-Rabfi, 8
Mania, 36
Manna,
36
Manna, the two, 21
Manna of bamboo, 35, 36
Manuscripts used, Arabic, 9, 13; Hebrew,
10, 13; Latin, 12, 13
Marshmallow seeds, 21, 33
Marshmallow stem, 21, 24
Massaging, 29
Master, the regimen of, 16, 23, 35, 38, 39
Masters of the Law, 26
Mastic, 24, 35, 36, 37; syrup of, 30
Meal, 16, 17, 18, 20, 21, 23, 31, 32, 33, 34,
37, 38, 39; movement after, 18; time for,
18, 38, 39; water with, 18
Meat, 17, 18, 19, 37; broth, 22; of cattle,
18, 19, 37; of chicken, 18, 22, 37; cured,
34; of fowl, 18, 19, 37; of game, 31, 34;
of suckling kid, 19, 37; of lamb, 19, 37;
of rabbit, 31; of sheep, 18, 20, 37; of
wild ass, 31
Meat left overnight, 31
Mecca, senna of, 24, 34, 36
Medical Aphorisms of Moses, the, 7
Medical counsel, nature of, 40
Medicaments, 20, 22, 32, 34, 35; as
nutrients, 20, 22, 33; cardiac, 24, 35, 36,
39; complex, 23; cool musk, 35, 39;
customary, 21, 22; healthy, 21, 22,
jacinth, 35, 36, 39; loss of effect, 35;
nourishing, 22; safe, 22
Medications, strong, 21, 22; weak, 21, 22
Medicinal drinks, 38
Medicinal nutrients, 22, 33
Medicinal powder, 34
Medicine, 29, 40; Art of, 20, 29; difficulty
of attainment, 29; doctrines of, 22; 33,
elders of, 35; individual application of,
29; practice of, 20, 29; principles of, 22,
31
Medicine, the three regimens of, 20
Medicine vs. Nature, 28
Medicine vs. Religion, 40
Melancholia, 36
Melancholic vapors, 24
Melancholy, 16, 23, 25
Melodies, 38
Melon, 34; yellow, 19
Melon
juice,
34
Melon roots, 21
Melon seeds, 21, 36
Messenger, 16
Meyerhof, M., 8
Milk, 19, 30, 33, 37, 39; curdled, 19; fresh,
19, 33, 37; mixed, 19; moistening effect
of, 33; strained, 19; of camel, 19; of
goat, 19
Mind, 26, 28, 37
Misery, eternal, 26
Mishneh Torah, 5, 6, 7
Mithridatium, 21, 22
Mixed lemons, 37
Moral imperfections, 25
Morals, philosophy of, 25, 26; rectification
of, 25
Morroco, 4
Moses Maimonides
(ben Maimon) 3-13,
16; his biographical sketch 3; his death,
6; his education, 4; his fame, 5; his
health, 5, 40; his practice, 5; his medical
writings, 4, 6 7-8; his name in Hebrew
and Arabic, 3, 16; on Astrology, 6
Motion, 17, 18
Mountains, 27
Mouth, 18, 30; of the stomach, 18, 31, 34
Movements, 18, 30
Mucosity of the intestines, 77
Mucus, 37
al-Mukhtasarat, 7
Mullet, 19
Muntner, S., 7, 8, 9, 10, 12
Muisa ibn 'Ubayd Allah, 3, 16; see Moses
Maimonides.
Musical instruments, 22, 38, 39
Musk, 22, 30, 35, 36, 39
Musk, cool medicaments of al-Razi, 35, 39
Musk, Frankish, seeds of, 36
Musk, Iraqi, 24
Mutton, 20
al-Muw'ahhidin, 4
al-Mu?affar,
7
Myrobalans, 24, 25; Belleric, 24; Chebulic,
24; Emblic, 24; Indic, 24
Myrtle, 22; kernels of, 39
Nard, 24, 35, 36, 37, 39
al-Nasrin, 31
Natural faculty, 22
Natural heat, 17
Natural Spirit, 27
Nature, 16, 20, 21, 27, 28, 32, 35; com-
mendation of, 20; definition of, 21, role
in cure, 20, 21, 28
Nature, relinquishing the sick to, 20, 21
Nature and medication, 28, 35
Nature vs. disease, 20, 28
Nature vs. Vigor, 20, 21, 28
Nausea, 34
Needle, 28
Nerves, 28, 30, 31; cavities of, 27; diseases
of, 31
Nerves, hollow, 31
Next world, the, 40
Noodles, 18
North, 27
Nose, 30
Nourishing medicaments, 22
Nourishment, 19, 21, 22, 24; 35; depriva-
tion of, 21
Nutmeg rind, 36
Nutrients, 18, 19, 20, 33; medicinal, 22,
33; rectification of, 27; preparation of,
36, 37
Nux vomica, 21
Obsession, 25, 26
Odors, hot and cold, 22; change in, 31
Oil, 18, 21; of almonds, 23, 24, 25; of
pistachio, 25; of violet, 33
Old, the, 19, 20, 30
Old age, 40
Olive oil, 18, 23, 40
Onion, 19
Opium, 36
Opopanax, 29
Orach, 23, 33; seeds
of,
21
Organs, distention of, 16; swelling of, 30
Organs of nourishment, 24
Orthopnea, 30
Oven, 18, 37; earthen, 37
Overeating, 16, 17; danger of, 16, 17
Oxtongue, 21, 23, 24, 32, 33, 35, 36, 39;
juice of, 36; syrup of, 32; water of, 32
33, 38, 39
Oxtongue leaves, 33
Oxtongue roots, bark of, 33
Oxymel, 21, 23, 24, 38; preparation of, 38
Oxymel of currants of Ibn Zuhr, 23, 39;
preparation of, 23
Oxymel of quince, 33
Oxymel of roses, 23, 39; preparation of, 23
Oxymel syrup, 21, 23, 38
Pain, 27, 28, 32, 38
Palestine, 4, 6
Palpitation, 35, 36
Pancake, 18
Pandanus palm; rob of, 36; wood of, 36
Pap, 18
Paper, 40
Paralysis of mouth, 30
Parsley, 21
Partridge, 18, 37
Passions of the psyche, 25, 26; body
changes in, 25
Passivity, 27
Patient, 21, 22, 28; relinquishing to Na-
ture, 20, 21
Peach, 20, 34, 35; infusion of, 34
Pear, 20, 23, 34
Pearl, 35, 36
Peas, 31
Pelt of sheep, 31
People of the cities, 20
Pepper, 36
Pepper, long, 24
Perception and the perceptible, 21
Persians, 18
Petals of roses, 23, 24
Philip the Fair, 11
Philosophers, 25, 26, 38
Philosophy, 25
Philosophy of morals, 25, 26
Philosophy, practical, 25
Phlebotomy, 21; see Bloodletting
Phlegm, 23, 24, 31, 33, 34; combustion of,
33; inflammation of, 33, 35; viscidity of,
34
Phlegmy humors, 19
Physicians, careless, 28; deficient, 16, 20;
importance of, 20; need for, 20, 21 role
of, 20, 21, 28
Physicians' errors, 21, 22, 28
Pickled dishes, 31
Pigeons, 31
Pilchard, 19
Pin6n nuts, 25
Pistachio, 20, 24, 37; kernels of, 20, 38, 39
Pistachio oil, 25
Pit, 37
Plethora, 34
Pleurisy, 30
Pneumas, 23, 27; the three, 27; defined, 27
Poisons, a book on, 4, 8
Polypody, 24
Pomegranate, 23, 34; rob of, 36
Pomegranate color, 36
48
VOL. 54, PT. 4, 1964]
Pomegranate seeds, 23, 31, 34, 39; brew
of, 30, 39
Pope B. VIII, 11
Poppy, 33, 34; Iraqi, seeds of, 39
Populace, 20, 26
Pores, 17, 19
Porridge, 18
Possibilities, realm of, 27
Poultices, 32
Power, see Faculty
Practice of medicine, 20, 29
Preserves, of myrobalans, 21; of roses, 21,
37, 38, 39; of violets, 21
Pretentiousness, 29
Procreation, 29
Prophets, 25
Property, importance of, 26
Prune, 20, 21, 33, 34, 37; infusion of,
33
Psyche, 25, 26, 27, 38
Psyche, discipline of, 25; movements of,
25; passions of, 25, 26; rectification of,
25, 26; training of, 26
Psychic disease, 25
Psychic faculty, 22
Psychic, pneuma, 27
Psychic, spirit, 27
Public, the, 20, 26
Pulsating vessels, 27
Pulse, 25
Pumpkin, round, 37; seeds of, 33, 34
Pumpkin seeds, 36
Purgatives, 21, 22, 23, 28
Purging, 29, 34
Purslane, 33
Purslane seeds, 21, 34, 36
Putrid fevers, 20
Quartas,
31
Quill, 40
Quince, 20, 23, 31, 34; oxymel of, 33; rob
of, 36
Rabbinowicz, I. M., 6
Rabbis of Montpellier, 6
Rabbit, 31
Rabbit fur, properties of, 31
Rabbit meat, properties of, 31
Radish, 19, 21
Rage, 36
Rambam, 3
Rational observation, 26
Raw silk, 60
al-Razi, 20, 28, 29, 35; the cool musk
medicament of, 35, 39
Reading, 38
Reality, nature of, 26
Red, 40
Red behen, 36
Red roses, 24, 36
Reducing, 30
Regimen, 16, 17, 25, 27, 28, 33, 34
Regimen, of the convalescent, 20; of the
healthy, 16, 20, 27; of the sick, 16, 20
Regimen of health, 16, 18, 22, 29, 30, 34
Regimen of Health, the; by Galen 32; by
Maimonides, 4, 8-12, 33, 35, 38,
39
Regimen of the master, 16, 23, 35, 38, 39;
daily routine of, 38, 39; in cold weather,
38, 39; in hot weather, 39
Regimens, the three, 20
Regions, the hot, 34
INDEX
Religion, see Law
Religion vs. medicine, 40
Remedies, see Medicaments
Repletion, 16, 17
Repugnance, 16
Residues, 24
Resolving, 30, 39
Respiration, 17, 38
Rest room, 27
Retentive power, 27
Rheums, cold and hot, 30; protection
against, 30
Rhubarb, 23, 24, 34; infusion of, 23, 33,
39; infusion with tamarind, 23; prepara-
tion of, 23
Rhythm of the heart, 24
Ribs, 40
Rice, 20
Richard Coeur de Lion, 5
Riding, manner of, 38
Ripening, 30, 39
Riqqah, 9
Ritter, 8
River crab, 36
Roast, 37
Rob, 36
Rocket seeds, 24
Rooster, 23, 37; proper raising of, 37
Rose, 22, 35, 36; preserves of, 21, 37, 38,
39
Rose buds, syrup of, 30
Rose water, 31, 33, 36, 37, 38
Roses, fresh, 23, 24; petals of, 23, 24
Roses, red, 24, 36
Roses, syrup of, 38
Roses, syrup of oxymel of, 21, 23, 39;
preparation of, 23
Round pumpkin, 37; seeds of, 33, 34
Routine, daily, 38, 39
Ruins, 37
Sadness, 26
Saffron, 36, 37
Sagepenum,
21
Sages, 20, 26, 33
Sailor, 28
Salab
al-Din (Saladin), 3, 4, 5, 8
Saliva, 18
Salt, 19, 39, 40
Salted fish, 31
Saltiness, 18, 31, 37
Samara of ash, 24
Sandalwood, 36; cloth of, 33; syrup of, 33
Sandalwood, white, 39
Sanguine, the, 25
Satiety, 17, 22
Sayf al-Din (Saphadin),
see al-'Adil
Scarification, 21
Schatibi, J., 8
Sciences, 25, 26, 29; the deductive, 29;
natural, 29; theological,
29
Sea, 19, 28
Sea holly, 21
Seamanship,. 28
Season, 17, 24, 30, 31, 37; quantity of
food in, 17
Season, cold, regimen in, 38, 39
Season, hot, regimen in, 39
Sediment of blood, 32
Semolina, 18
49
Senna of Mecca, 24, 34, 36
Senses, 24, 30
Shanks, 19
Sharh Asma' al-'Uqqar, 7
Sharbl
Fuul Abuqrat, 7
She-camel, 19
Sheep, 18, 31, 37
Ship, 28
Sick, the, 16, 20, 21, 22, 25, 28, 29, 31, 40
Sifting, 18, 30
Sighs, 17
Signs, 25
Silk, raw, 24
Silk, shredded, 36
Silver, 35
Sittings, 24
Sitz bath, 32
Skin, 30, 38
Skins of cats, 31
Sleep, 18, 30, 31, 32, 33, 35, 38, 39; after
the bath, 18, 30, 39; induction of, 38, 39
Snake cucumber, 33; seeds of, 36
Softening the belly, 21
Solitude, desire for, 16
Song and Wine, 40
Sorrel, syrup of, 33, 39
Sorrel, wild, syrup of, 24
Sorrow, 26
Soul, 24, 25, 29
Soup, 22, 37
Sour dishes, 31, 37
Sour taste, 23, 31, 37
Spain, 4
Spasms, 30, 31
Spices, 31, 39
Spinach, 23, 33, 37
Spinoza, 5
Spirit, 24, 25, 26, 27, 32, 33, 37, 38;
dissolution of, 26; softness of, 26
Spirit, Natural, 27; Psychic, 27; Vital, 27
Spit, 37
Spleen, 34
Spoilage
of food, dangers of, 31
Spoon, 24
Springtime,
34
Spur, 27
Squirrel, 31
Squirting cucumber, 29
Stall-fed chicken, 37
Star, 26
Stature, 25
Steinschneider, M., 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12
Stimulant, 28
Stoechos, 24, 36; flowers of, 24
Stomach, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 22, 24, 29,
30, 31, 33, 34, 35, 37, 38, 39, 40; disten-
sion of, 16; importance of, 34; mouth of,
18, 31, 34; swelling of,
30
Stools, 16, 17, 22, 23, 24, 27, 28, 29, 33, 34,
37, 39
Stools, importance of being soft, 23
Stools, softening of, 23, 24, 28, 33, 34, 39
Strainer, 24
Streets, 27
Strings, 38, 39
Stupefaction,
23
Suckling kid, 19, 37
Suet, 37
Sugar, 21, 23, 30, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39;
tabarzad, 35, 36; medicinal properties
of, 38
BAR-SELA, HOFF,
FARIS: MOSES MAIMONIDES
[TRANS.
AMER. PHIL. SOC.
Sumac, 31
Summer, 17, 23, 24, 30, 33, 35, 37, 38, 40;
digestion in, 17; regimen in, 39
Sun, 23, 27
Sunrise, 38
Superfluities, 17, 18, 19, 20, 23, 27, 30, 32,
33, 38; expulsion of, 18; retention of, 18
Supper, 38, 39
Surfeit, 16, 17, 19
Sweat, 19, 22, 30
Sweet basil, seeds of, 36
Sweet dishes, 37
Sweet food, 31; nutritional value of, 31
Sweetmeats, 38
Sweets, 20, 31
Swelling, 30, 32
Symptoms, 24
Syncope, 29, 30
Syria, 33, 37, 40
Syrian ounce, 32, 33
Syrup, 23, 24, 25, 38
Syrup for softening the stools, 24
Syrup, gladdening,
24
Syrup of citron peel, 30; of fruits, 20; of
lemon, 21, 40; of mastic, 30; of oxtongue,
32; of oxymel, 21, 23, 38; of oxymel of
currants, 23; of oxymel of roses, 23;
of rose buds, 30; of roses, 21, 23, 38, 39;
of sorrel, 33, 39; of violets, 21, 24 of wild
sorrel, 24
Syrups compounded by Maimonides, 24
Tabarzad sugar, 35,
36
Talmud, 5, 6
Talmudic medicine, 6
Tamarind, 23, 35, 37, 39; infusion of, 21,
23, 33
al-Tamimi, 7
Temperament, 18, 19, 23, 24, 29, 30, 31,
32, 33, 35, 36, 37, 39, 40; of the liver, 35
Temperament, bad, 19; cold, 36; dry, 29,
30; hot, 19, 22, 33, 36; humid, 19, 29;
original, 33, 40
Temperament, rectification and equilibra-
tion of, 35
Temperate jacinth medicament, 36, 39
Tenesmus, 22, 23, 28
Terror, 25
Teshuvot 'al She'lot
peratiot,
8
Theodoretic, theriac, 21
Theriac, 21, 22; Mithridatic, 21, 22;
Theodoretic, 21
Thirst, 17, 18, 21, 29, 34, 39; false, 18;
genuine, 18
Thorn, 28
Throbbing of heart, 35
Thyme, dodder of, 36
Tiberias, 6
Timorous, the, 25
Torah, 5
Trachea, 30
Tractatus de Causis et Indiciis Morborum,
6
Travel, 20, 34
Treasury of al-Afdal, 25, 35
Treatise on the Art of Logic, 5
Treatise on the Jewish Calendar, 5
Trees, 27; products of, 19, 20
Tremor, 31, 33
Troches, 35, 36
Truth, the, 26
Turban, 30
Turpeth, 22
Turtle dove, 18, 37
Tutmaj,
18
Unleavened bread, 18, 31
Unripening, 28, 29
Unripening
of urine, 39
Urinal, 39
Urine, 18, 19, 32
Vain possessions, 26
Vanquished, the, 25
Vapors, 24, 27, 34, 40; black, 33, 35; evil,
23; fine, 27; melancholic, 24; smoky, 32;
of the blood, 27, 34
Vegetables, injunction against, 19
Veins, 18, 19, 20, 27
Ventosity, 19, 32
Ventricles, of brain, 27
Verjuice,
31
Vermicelli, 18
Vessel, 37; earthen, 24; wide, 25
Vessels, opening of, 32, 34; pulsating, 27
Vetch, 31
Vices, 26
Victorious, the, 25
Vigor, 16, 20, 28
Vigor vs. disease, 20, 28
Vinegar, 23, 24, 31, 37, 38; of wine, 23, 40;
effect on liver, 24
Violet, 21, 22; oil of, 33; syrup of, 21, 24
Viscidity, of fish, 19; of phlegm, 34
Vision, light of, 25; strengthening of, 31
Visual spirit, 25
Vital Faculty, 22
Vital Spirit, 27
Vivification, 20
Voice, 25, 30, 38
Vomiting, 21, 22, 34
Water, 16, 18, 19, 21, 22, 23, 24, 27, 28,
29, 30, 31, 36, 37, 40; at mealtime, 18;
drinking after the bath, 30, 39; in
therapy, 21, 22, 29; rectification of, 27;
spoiled, 31
Water of endive, 33
Water of oxtongue, 32, 38
Water Lily, 22, 34, 35
Weakness, 25
Wealth, importance of, 26
Weather, cold, regimen in, 38, 39
Weather, hot, regimen in, 39
Weights, 13
Wheat, 18, 36, 37, 39
Wheaten bread, 18, 36
Whey, 34
White behen, 36
White bread, 18
White sandalwood, 39
Wild ass, 31; virtues of, 31
Wild carrot, 24
Wild sorrel, syrup of, 24
Wind, 27
Wine, 19, 22, 29, 32, 33, 37, 38, 39, 40;
as nutrient, 19, 33; at bedtime, 32, 38,
39; choice of, 37; praise of, 19; use and
abuse of, 19, 29
Wine and song, 40
Wine vinegar, 23, 40
Winter, 17, 24, 25, 30, 31, 37, 38, 39;
digestion in, 17; regimen in, 38, 39
Wolf, 31
Women, 25
Words, 40
World, the next, 40
World, the present, 40
Worldly good and evil, 26, 40
Worlds, the two, 31, 34
Yad ha-Hazakah, 5
Yellow bile, 19, 24, 33
Yellow melon, 19
Yolk, 18, 22
Young, the, 19, 29
Young age,
40
Zedoary,24,36
Zedoary root, 36
Zeitlin, S., 5
50