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The Jewish Presence in Arabic Writings on Medicine and Pharmacology During the Medieval Period
Author(s) -
Chipman Leigh
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
religion compass
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.113
H-Index - 1
ISSN - 1749-8171
DOI - 10.1111/rec3.12063
Subject(s) - genizah , judaism , pharmacy , historiography , period (music) , arabic , islam , history of medicine , classics , medieval history , middle ages , jewish history , medicine , apothecaries' system , traditional medicine , history , ancient history , jewish studies , family medicine , art , political science , philosophy , law , linguistics , archaeology , aesthetics
The Jewish connection to medicine is longstanding and ongoing, as has been the interest in the history of medicine among Jews. This paper will attempt to go beyond the ‘Great Men’ school of historiography, to discuss a number of aspects of the Jewish presence in the fields of pharmacy and medicine in the Arabophone world in the medieval period, and Jews' interactions with the Islamic majority. The emphasis will be on pharmacy and medicine in the Galenic tradition. After an overview of Greco–Arabic medicine, I will discuss the contribution of Jewish physicians and pharmacists to medical writings in Arabic and that of the Cairo Genizah documents to our knowledge of the social history of medicine in the medieval Middle East.