Moses Maimonides

Moses Maimonides (1135-1204) wrote many philosophical, legal, and medical works. Of these, Medical Aphorisms is among his best known. Consisting of approximately fifteen hundred maxims from the ancient Greek physician Galen, it is arranged as twenty-five treatises organized according to traditional medieval subspecialties such as gyoecology, hygiene, and diet. Because the source texts no longer survive, Maimonides' version provides vital clues about Galen's thought that would otherwise remain unknown. This critical edition includes both the definitive Arabic text and a masterly English translation.

This fourth volume of the critical edition of the medical aphorisms compiled by Maimonides (1138-1204) covers treatises sixteen to twenty-one. The central subjects of these treatises include women's diseases, physical exercise, bathing, foods, and the consumption of drugs. Most of the aphorisms featured in this volume are based on the works of Galen, but Maimonides also quotes from other ancient and medieval physicians, including some whose work does not survive in any other source. This edition provides both the Arabic text and an authoritative English translation by Gerrit Bos in parallel-column format.

On Rules Regarding the Practical Part of the Medical Art had been labeled a copy of On Asthma by bio-bibliographer Moritz Steinchneider, but a closer examination of the manuscript by Gerrit Bos and Tzvi Langermann has revealed the treatise to be a previously unrecognized work of the great philosopher-physician Moses Maimonides. The publication of this translation marks the first time the Arabic manuscript with English translation has been available to a modern audience in any form. It is in Maimonides' favored aphoristic format and contains some unique advice on serious abdominal wounds, which is most likely a reflection on Maimonides' own experience with battlefield casualties.

Moshe ben Maimon, better known as Moses Maimonides, is among the most celebrated rabbis in the history of Judaism, and the author of works in Arabic on many subjects, including influential philosophical and medical treatises. "On Hemorrhoids" is one of these texts, written for a young man of a noble family who was seeking a regimen to help him treat his hemorrhoids. While not the first writing on this subject, Maimonides' work bears his personal stamp with his emphasis on dietetics, which plays a primary role in so many of his other medical writings. He warns against hastily treating the painful condition with drastic measures such as bleeding and surgery, instead encouraging more cautious treatments like a change in diet. He also advises his patient that if more extreme actions need to be taken, then Maimonides himself must be present. Unlike other modern editions of this important work, this edition of "On Hemorrhoids" takes into account all the extant Arabic and Judeo-Arabic manuscripts. The book includes critical editions of medieval Hebrew and Latin translations and a glossary of medical terms.

There is a saying that the history of Jewish doctrine runs from 'Moses to Moses'; the second of which is Moses Maimonides. The Guide for the Perplexed is his best known work. It was written as a letter to one of his students, to prepare him to understand the background of the Merkabah (the Chariot of Ezekiel) narrative. In it, Maimonides delves into the most difficult questions of theology and reality itself: Did the universe have a beginning? Will it end? What is the nature of evil?

Moses Maimonides is among the most celebrated rabbis in the history of Judaism and the author of enduring works on philosophy, law, and medicine. "Medical Aphorisms" is the best-known and most comprehensive of his works, and Gerrit Bos offers here a masterly English translation with detailed annotations. "Medical Aphorisms" consists of approximately 1,500 maxims compiled by Maimonides arranges the aphorisms into twenty-five treatises, organizing them by traditional medieval subspecialties such as gynecology, hygiene, and diet. The central subjects of the treatises presented in this volume include fevers, periods and crises of a disease, and surgery. Because the original texts that Maimonides drew from have not survived, these aphorisms provide tantalizing clues about aspects of Galen's thought that are otherwise unknown. They thus serve as a window onto the ancient medical theories of Galen, as well as on the medieval practice of Maimonides.

Written in 1199 at the request of al-Qadi al-Fadil, the famous counselor and secretary to Saladin, "On Poisons and the Protection against Lethal Drugs" is distinguished rabbi Moses Maimonides' guide to emergency first aid and readily available antidotes. This treatise - assembled from the existing medical literature as well as Maimonides' own practice - proved highly influential amongst scholars and laypersons in both Jewish and non-Jewish circles alike. Although "On Poisons" survives in several Arabic and Judeo-Arabic manuscripts, this is the first finished critical edition of the Arabic. The volume also includes critical editions of the medieval Hebrew and Latin translations and a glossary of materia medica and technical terms. It will be essential for the shelves of scholars interested in Maimonides and medieval medicine.

Moses Maimonides (1138-1204), one of the most celebrated rabbis in the history of Judaism, was a prolific author of influential Arabic philosophical and medical treatises as well as two of the most important works on Jewish law. A companion to the English translation and Arabic text presented in the first volume of "On Asthma", this volume offers Gerrit Bos' critical editions of all three surviving medieval Hebrew translations of Maimonides' work: one allegedly prepared by the fourteenth-century physician Samuel Benveniste, who served Don Manuel, brother of King Pedro IV of Aragon; a second by Joshua Shatibi from Jativa between the years 1379 and 1390, for the referendary Fernan Diaz of Toledo at the court of King Juan II of Castile; and a third by an anonymous translator, possibly in the thirteenth century.The volume also contains critical editions by Michael R. McVaugh of the two medieval Latin translations of Maimonides' treatise, one probably made by Giovanni da Capua at Rome circa 1300 and the other begun by Armengaud Blaise in Montpellier in 1294 but completed eight years later. It concludes with a section of addenda and corrigenda to the first volume.

Maimonides, one of the most celebrated rabbis in the history of Judaism, was a prolific author of influential Arabic philosophical and medical treatises as well as two of the most important works on Jewish law. "Medical Aphorisms" is the best-known and most comprehensive of his medical works, and "Gerrit Bos" offers here a masterful English translation with detailed annotations. "Medical Aphorisms" consists of approximately 1,500 maxims compiled by Maimonides from the treatises of Galen, the renowned ancient Greek physician. Maimonides arranges the aphorisms into twenty-five treatises, organizing them by traditional medieval subspecialties such as gynecology, hygiene, and diet. He also includes a section examining unusual cases from Galen and offers a critical analysis of Galen's theories. The second of six volumes, "Medical Aphorisms: Treatises 6-9" provides tantalizing insights into the work of Galen and the world of medieval medicine. It will be a rich and valuable resource for students and scholars working in the history of medicine, Jewish studies, and medieval Arabic culture.