Continuation of the listing of the medical writings of Moses Maimonides commonly referred to as the Rambam.
9. “הנהגת הבריאות”, Fī Tadbir al-Ṣiḥḥa; English “Regimen of Health”; Latin “Regimine Sanititus”.
This book was written in response to a request for medical advice from Sultan of Egypt, Al-Malik Al-Afdhal. The royal patient suffered from constipation, depression, troubling thoughts, fear of death, and indigestion. The sultan was a man of thirty. He had weaknesses of character in that he was frivolous, promiscuous, drank excessively, and conducted war improperly including with members of his own family. In the introduction Maimonides briefly describes the four chapters of the discourse.
The first chapter concisely gives a general regimen for health that is appropriate for all people. It opens with a discussion of the proper consumption of foods and the importance not eating past the point of satiation. The second chapter is a general regimen for sick people when a physician is not available or when the knowledge of the physician is lacking. He discusses purgatives like vomiting and enemas. A light diet is recommended. Preserve strength by eating chicken soup, meat broth, yolk of soft boiled eggs, and wine. Strengthen natural healing power and strengthen psychic power with pleasing fragrances.
The third chapter provides a specific regimen for the sultan, specifically dealing with the maladies which are upsetting him. Dr. Fred Rosner comments, “The third extremely important chapter contains Maimonides concept of ‘a healthy mind in a healthy body’, perhaps the first description of psychosomatic medicine. He indicates that the physical well-being of a person is dependent on his mental well-being and vice versa”. The gist of the Rambam is that a person’s emotional disposition dramatically influences their physical health. In other words the cure may be dependant on a change in character.
Maimonides describes the fourth chapter as being comprised of short sections, containing helpful suggestions, general rules and specific practices, for the healthy and the sick, in all places, and for all time.
Dr. Fred Rosner remarks, “The final chapter summarizes his prescriptions relating to climate, domicile, occupation, bathing, sex, wine drinking, diet, and respiratory infections”. The chapter opens by stating the three main topics namely proper air, proper water, and proper food. He then briefly describes thin vapors that are found in the body whose origin and prime substance are derived from the air we breathe. These vapors are found in the heart and the circulatory system plus the brain and the nervous system. Next he quotes Dr. Galen who gives an exhortation to breathe air that is perfectly balanced and free of contaminants. The Rambam explains that cerebral characteristics are very sensitive to the purity of the air. As a result a person’s intellectual abilities decline with the quality of the air, even though they may be physically fine otherwise. Specifically they become agitated, have difficulty understanding things, and become forgetful.
Maimonides concludes the introduction by asking G-d for help and specifically to be given the quality of honesty.
Bibliography:
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
Rosner, Dr. Fred; Maimonides Medical Writings (Volume 4) - Three Treatises on Health
רמב"ם; הנהגת הבריאות; http://hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=31937&st=&pgnum=38
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