Islamic science : crossroad of cultures. An exhibition at the Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine ... 19 June to 12 November 1985 / [compiled by Nigel Allan].

  • Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine
Date:
1985
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: Islamic science : crossroad of cultures. An exhibition at the Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine ... 19 June to 12 November 1985 / [compiled by Nigel Allan]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    40/48 page 32
    more limited in its scope than the Canon of Avicenna corresponding to only the first book of that work. Averroes belonged to a distinguished Cordovan family, the grandson of a celebrated Malikite theologian, Qaxji and Imam of the great mosque of Cordova. In 578/1182 the Almohade caliph summoned him to replace Ibn Tufayl (d. 581/1185-6) as court physician but his court career was a chequered one. Averroes was regarded as the greatest Muslim philosopher of the west and one of the greatest of medieval times; as a result his distinction as a physician has been entirely eclipsed. At one time he was the teacher of the famous Jewish philosopher Maimonides (d. 601/1204). WMS. 730 ff. 28^, 29^. Undated (late 15th century), Italian manuscript transcribed on paper in several hands comprising a treatise on simples, Kitab al-adwiya al-mufrada, Liber de simplici medicina; De medicamentis simphcibus; De temperamentis simphcium composed by Ibn Sarabr or Serapion the Younger (c. early 6/12th century). Little is known of this physician who may possibly have been a Christian. He is not to be confused with Serapion the Elder, Yaljya ibn Sarafyun (second half of 3/9th century). His treatise on simples in Latin translation enjoyed much popularity throughout medieval Europe and according to Chaucer was well known in England. The original was translated into Latin by Simon Januensis, with the assistance of Abraham ben Shem-Tob and was first published in Milan in 1473. The opening shows the end of the prologue (line 16 col. 1, f. 1^) and the beginning of the corpus of the work. WMS. 746 ff. r , 2^. Undated (mid 14th century) Latin manuscript transcribed on vellum in a fine semi-round gothic hand comprising Breviarius qui dicatur Viaticus with glossa by Gerard of Cremona (c. 1114-1187) the distinguished and prolific translator of scientific and philosophical works from Arabic in the Middle Ages. The Viaticus is the translation by Constantine the African of the Zad al-Musafir composed by Ibn al-Jazzar (d.c. 395/1004-5). Ibn al-Jazzar, the famous physician of Qayrawan, was born into a family of physicians and studied at the feet of the celebrated Jewish scholar Ishaq b. Sulaymah al-Isra^ (Isaac Judaeus c. 2^3/855-343/955). Much of'his writings have been lost but the Zad al-musafir Viaticum survived being translated into Greek during the author's lifetime. Constantine the African (d. 480/1087) who first introduced medicine into Europe was born in Tunis in the early 11th century and died at Monte Cassino in 480/1087. What is known of his life is due to the fanciful account of Peter the Deacon of Monte Cassino. It would appear that after many travels Constantine arrived at Salerno where he became a Christian and finally a monk at Monte Cassino. It is certain however that he made Latin paraphrases (sometimes claiming them as original work) from Islamic writings. He is regarded as the first swallow of the intellectual summer of Arabic influence on European learning and^ although not a great scholar, his life indicates a slow growth across the Mediterranean of Islamic learning. -32-
    digitised image 1
    digitised image 2
    digitised image 3