Continuation of the listing of the medical writings of Moses Maimonides commonly referred to as the Rambam.
4. "שמות התרופות" - Sarḥ asmāʾ al-ʿuqqār; English, Catalogue of Medicines, literally names of medicines. A catalogue of around 2000 medicines describing for what ailments they should be used and the situations in which they should not be used. It consists of 405 short paragraphs in alphabetical order containing names of remedies. Attention is paid to the interaction between different drugs the patient would be taking as well as things like allergies. The ingredients are typically from plants and sometimes from mineral and animal sources. The names are in Arabic and often followed by Greek and Persian translations plus colloquial Spanish, Moroccan, Egyptian, and Berber terms. The book was lost and forgotten until it was discovered in a major church library in Istanbul in 1932 by Dr. Max Meyerhof, who published it in the original Arabic in 1940. It was translated into Hebrew in 1969 by Suessman Muntner, and English in 1979 by Dr. Fred Rosner.
5. “על הסמים” - Kilāb al-Sumūm wa al-Mutaḥarriz min al-Adwiya al-Qitāla, English "On Poisons and Their Antidotes". Describes the symptoms of different types of poisoning of which snakebites are a major topic. It was used as a textbook of toxicology throughout the Middle Ages and remains popular today because of its lucidity and scientific approach. Maimonides is the first to distinguish between the various types of snake venoms and advises that the antidotes be stocked in state pharmacies. To treat snakebites he uses tourniquets, cauterization, general treatment against shock, and rest.
6. “מאמר הטחורים” - Fī al-Bawāsīr; English, Treatise on Hemorrhoids. It contains seven chapters dealing with normal digestion, foods harmful to patients with hemorrhoids, beneficial foods, general and local therapeutic measures such as sitz baths, oils, and fumigations. Maimonides disapproved of blood-letting or surgery for hemorrhoids except in very severe cases.
Maimonides describes the case of a young man who suffered from hemorrhoids at the mouth of the rectum. His lineage included people who were well-informed, intelligent, and articulate, plus his family was wealthy, prominent, distinguished, and charitable. The hemorrhoids periodically irritated him. He ordinarily received the treatments which would cause the pain to subside and the hemorrhoids to shrink. He considered surgical removal of them in the hope of receiving a full and total recovery. The Rambam replied that, based on the type of hemorrhoids involved, the prospects of the surgery solving the problem were uncertain. This was because the causes which gave rise to the original ones remained and, therefore, new ones could develop.
7. “מאמר המשגל” - Fī al-Jimāʿa; English, Treatise on Cohabitation. The book has ten chapters, describes the physiology of sexual temperaments, and provides guidance according to medical concepts. The work consists mainly of recipes of foods and drugs which are either aphrodisiac or anti-aphrodisiac. Generally Maimonides advises moderation in sexual intercourse. The book was written for the Sultan of Egypt, who was the nephew of Saladin. He indulged heavily in sexual activities which resulted in impotence and emaciation caused by weakness and sickness.
Bibliography:
Encyclopedia.com; article on Maimonides, Moses
Rambam Maimonides Medical Journal, “Moses Maimonides: Biographic Outlines” by Fred Rosner, M.D., M.A.C.P.; http://www.rmmj.org.il/userimages/3/0/publishfiles/3article.pdf
The Sultan, the Rabbi, and the Sex Manual
Wikipedia - English; Medical works of Maimonides
Wikipedia - Hebrew; article on the רמב”ם
TO BE CONTINUED
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