The second chapter in Pirke Moshe is titled, “Assorted Paragraphs Dealing with Bodily Fluids”, and after scanning it, one can understand why Maimonides gave an apology in his preface for the use of aphorisms. It differs from works of the Rambam like the Mishna Torah, Guide for the Perplexed, and his commentary on the Mishna, which are very lucid and focused. They have distinct messages that blend into one another and the underlying themes are clear and organized. This includes his discussion of healthy practices in the laws of character (הלכות דעות). “Dealing with Bodily Fluids” presents several themes together in what seems to be a rambling fashion. In this way and others it mimics the form of the Mishna. Many of the aphorisms are physical descriptions of bodily fluids, where they are found, how they are formed, and their effect on health.
This chapter is often seen as the one that is busy with the “Four Humors” of antiquity. However, Maimonides tends to treat this more as a rule of thumb rather than a formal theory and school of practice. It is not immediately apparent what his opinion was of the theory of the “Four Humors”. It can be speculated that he held that the four humors corresponded to the Four Elements of antiquity but did not wish to discuss this due to worries about the criticisms like the ones he received over similar subjects in “Practices concerning the Basics of Torah” (הלכות יסודי התורה) and “Guide for the Perplexed”.
This is a translation of the first aphorism. I’ve tried to preserve the literary style of the more or less original text: The blood is the thing that is combined from all of the fluids, according to their natural disposition. Born in the liver, it is called by the name blood because of the preponderance of the blood and its domination over other fluids. It’s what comes out from blood-letting or suction cups. In the body there are four fluids: the blood, the white, the bitter red, and the black. Seemingly Garbled Text, which expresses the idea that blood in practice is not typically the blood of the Four Humors theory. The vehicle is a ruling which one of them is to be simply called “the blood”.
Next the Rambam states that all fluids contain the exact same watery substance. The most detrimental watery fluid is the black bile. Less detrimental is red, even less detrimental is the white, the warmest and best of all of them is the blood and the aspect of blood in it.
Several paragraphs are devoted to physical descriptions of bodily fluids the way a physician would be expected to see them. There are then a number of paragraphs on short subjects that segue from the subject of blood to the subject of digestion. Almost all of the last 15 of the 30 paragraphs are connected with digestion. Blood is the essence of what Maimonides is talking about and digestion is the major avenue.
I have learned a lesson on health and digestion from this chapter. Healthy blood means a healthy person. This means that a person should be conscious and interested in their blood. One can feel high blood sugar and fatigue in their blood. This needs to be managed especially high blood sugar. To me high blood sugar causes jumpiness and impetuousness especially if it is sustained by constant high doses of sweets. After that the high blood sugar caused by the highly sugared food causes obesity. It seems to me over a period of decades it results in diabetes.
For me a vehicle is to be conscious of taste and the feelings in my body. Very important to this is feeling the connection between the two of them. The goal is good health and happiness. As it is written in the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch (31:2), “There are men of action who, before eating, say: 'Behold I want to eat and drink in to be healthy and strong in order to serve the Creator, blessed be His name’.''
Bibliography:
פרקי משה - משה בן מימון, 1138-1204; HebrewBooks.org; Chapter 2 (כולל פרקים תלויים בליחות);
Rosner, Dr. Fred; Maimonides Medical Writings (Volume 3); pp 26 - 33; The Medical Aphorisms of Moses Maimonides; published by The Maimonides Research Institute, Haifa, Israel.
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