1 Introduction
This article will present two fragments of a hitherto unknown Judaeo-Arabic transcription of Ibn al-TilmÄ«á¸âs AqrabÄá¸Ä«n found in the Cairo Genizah. Apart from the basic importance of every identification of previously anonymous Genizah fragments, this identification is significant in that it serves as further evidence of the multi-confessional character of Islamicate medicine, on the one hand, and of their professionalism in keeping up to date with the latest publications on the part of Cairoâs Jewish medical community, on the other.
AmÄ«n al-Dawlah AbÅ« al-Ḥasan HibatallÄh b. á¹¢aÊ¿Ä«d b. IbrÄhÄ«m b. SalÄma (c. 466â560â¯AH/1074â1165â¯CE), known as Ibn al-TilmÄ«á¸, was a Nestorian Christian physician who worked at the Ê¿Aá¸udÄ« hospital in Baghdad. Born into a family of physicians, he was trained in medicine and other branches of learning, achieving a skilled command of both Syriac and Arabic. As a young man, he travelled in Iran, apparently treating the Seljuk sultan Sanjar b. MalikÅ¡Äh in Marw in ḴurÄsÄn before returning to Baghdad and setting up practice adjacent to the NiáºÄmiyyah madrasah. There he treated patients and lectured on medicine, his reputation eventually causing him to be appointed the chief physician of the Ê¿Aá¸udÄ« hospital, as well as court physician to the caliph al-Mustaá¸iÊ¿ (reigned 566â575â¯AH/1170â1180â¯CE). A contemporary writer referred to him as âthe Hippocrates of his time and the Galen of his dayâ. As well as his medical career, Ibn al-TilmīḠappears to have written poetry and was also an important member of the Christian community of Baghdad, of which he served for some time as head. He died in 560â¯AH/1165â¯CE, having composed several medical works, among them a pharmacopoeia for the use of the Ê¿Aá¸udÄ« hospital.1
This pharmacopoeia, known usually as AqrabÄá¸Ä«n Ibn al-TilmÄ«á¸, had not yet been printed during the period I was working at the Genizah Research Unit (GRU) (2003â2006â¯CE). As this pharmacopoeia was an important source for another work, MinhÄj al-dukkÄn (âThe Rule for the Pharmacyâ) by al-KÅ«hÄ«n al-Ê¿Aá¹á¹Ärâthe subject of my dissertation, on which I was working at the timeâI had at my disposal copies of a number of manuscripts of the text.2 This enabled the identification of two fragments in the Taylor-Schechter Genizah Collection at Cambridge University Library (CUL), CUL T-S Ar.43.98 and CUL T-S NS 34.16, as parts of a hitherto unknown manuscript of AqrabÄá¸Ä«n Ibn al-TilmīḠin Judaeo-Arabic, mentioned neither by Steinschneider nor by Ullmann. Both fragments had been previously identified by Isaacs as pharmacopoeias,3 without stating which one. Thanks to the existence of a scientific edition,4 to which the existing text of the fragments can be compared, it is now possible to present both fragments here in their entirety.
2 Editions and Translations
The transcriptions and translations below will follow Kahlâs edition, with adaptions. Words missing in the fragments will appear within [ ], while rubbed and erased words will appear within { }. Kahlâs numbering of the recipes appears within ( ). // ⦠// indicates words appearing above the numbered line.
2.1 CUL T-S Ar.43.98
Description from Isaacs-Baker (1994, 39, no. 496):
Pharmacopoeia.
Judaeo-Arabic; Oriental semi-cursive script; Paper; 2 leaves (1 bifolium); stained and rubbed; 16.2â¯Ãâ¯24.7; 18 lines.
Headings for what are numbered chapters 2â3; recipes for pills, pastilles, and pastes; among diseases treated are severe coughing associated with vomiting in children, tinea of the scalp and splenic enlargement.
2.1.1 Text
2.1.1.1 F. 1r (Left)
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×× ×§×¨×¥ ת××ª× ×ר××× ×××פף ××סתע×× ××¢× ×× ××× â¬â -
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קרץ ×××¡×¢×¤× ××ר××× â¬â -
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×ספ×××× ××רצ××¥ ××§× ××× ×קרץ × ××× ×ר â¬â -
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×× ×× ×××× × ×¦×£ ר×× {×××£ ×××ª× ×ר ר×× ××ק }â¬â -
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×××¢×× ×××× ××¨× ××× ××ר {××ס }תע {×× }â¬â -
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קרץ ×××¡×¢×¤× ××××××¡× â¬â -
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××× ×ר ×ער×ק ××צ××××× ××ר×××¡× × {×× ×× }×××× â¬â -
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××× ×¨×ת×× × ××ר ××¢×ס ×××××ר×× ×ר××× × ×××× â¬â -
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קרץ ××××××× [×× ]â¬â -
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עצ××¨× ××פת ××ª×§× ×××¨×¡× ×תק×××× ×§×©×ר â¬â -
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××¦× ××××ר ×ר××¢× ×ת×ק×× ×× ××ר ×××§×ª× ××××× â¬â -
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×× ×× ×××× ××ס ×ת×ק×× ××ר ×× ××× ××ש×ת ×× â¬â -
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×× ×××× ×ª××ª× ×ר××× ×× ×ס×× ××ר ×רפס ××ר â¬â -
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ר×××× × ×× ×× ×××× ×ר×××× ××× ×ר ת××ª× â¬â
2.1.1.2 F. 2v (Right)
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××××¨× ×× ××× ×§× ×× ×§×¢ פ×× ×שק ××קרץ ×× × â¬â -
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×ת׳ק×× (â46â¬)××××××× ××צ×× ×סק××××¤× ×ר××× ×××× ×¤× ×©×¨×× â¬â -
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×××¦×¤× }×××©×¨× ×¢×× ××ר×ק ××××× ××××× ××תצ××× - - -â¬â -
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××× {×שק ××××× ×××××× } (â47â¬)××××ק ××ר ×××¤× ×× ×שת ×קש×ר â¬â -
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××¦× [××××ר ]×× ×× ×××× ×××¡× ×ר××× ×× ×§×¢ ×¤× ×× â¬â -
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×××פף ? {×××ק ××××× ×× ×××׳××× }ת×××ª× ×ר××× ×¤× ×× â¬â -
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××× ×ס×× {×××× ×××ר×× ×¤× ×ס×××¢ â{â¬â¬â -
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××××× ×ª×× × â¬â -
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×¤× ×××××× ××××××ר××ת â¬â -
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×¦×¤× ×× â¬â -
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×סע×× ××צ×××× ×××× ×× ×¢×××× ×§× ××¢ ש×× ×¡×¢×××× â¬â -
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×פ××× ×ר×× × ×©× ×¦×× ×¢×¨×× ××¨× ××ס×ס ××ש××ש â¬â -
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××××¥ ×× ×× ×××× ×ר×× ××ק ×××¢×× ×××¢×× ××××ר â¬â -
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ק××× × ××××× ×××פ××¤× ××צע ×¤× ×××¤× ××××× ×¢× × â¬â -
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××× ×× ××× ××§×¦× ×××¢×× â¬â -
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×× ××סע×× ××××רסת×× × â¬â
2.1.1.3 F. 1v (Left)
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×××ת ××××××× ×ס×× ×× ×× ×××× ×ר××¢× ×ר××× â¬â -
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××× ×× ×× ××ר ××פ×× ×¡×§××× ×× ×× ×× ×××× ×ª××ª× â¬â -
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×ר×׳ ×× ×ס×× ×××ר ×רפס ×ר×××× ×× ×× ×× ×××× â¬â -
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×ר×××× ××¢×× ××× ×רק ××פ×× ××× × ××שר×× ×× {×ר×××× }â¬â -
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××× ×תק×× {×× } â:⬠(â72â¬)×¦×¤× ×× ××ק â¬â -
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ק××× ××××ר×ר ××ר ×רפס ××× ×¤× {×××§× }â¬â -
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×פ×ר×ס××××× ××××× ×ס×ר×× {× ×× ×××× ××ר ר××××× × }â¬â -
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××¡× ×× ×××× ×ר ×× ×× ×××× ×¢×©×¨×× ×ר×׳ ××ר â¬â -
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×××× ×קש×ר ×¢×©×¨× ×ר×׳ ×שק ת××ª× ×ר××× â¬â -
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××× ×××שק ×¤× ×©×¨×× ×××¢×× ×××× ×ק שר×× ×ª×ת â¬â -
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×× ××ק ×× ×××¡× (â73â¬)×¦×¤× â¬â -
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××× â©××× ××קרע ×××××××× ××צ××ר â5â¬×¡×¨×ס â¬â -
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×¦×¤× ××× ×××סק â¬â -
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××××× ×××פק×× ×××ר××¥ ××ס××× ×עסר ××× ×¤×¡ ××× â¬â -
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××צרע ×××פ×××׳ ××××ק×× ×××ר××¢ ×××× ×× ×¨××× ××ר×× × â¬â -
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×× [×× ×××× ]×ר×× ×××× ×¦××ר ×××ר×× ×××¡× ××ר×ר â¬â
2.1.1.4 F. 2r (Right)
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×××©× × ×× ×× ×××× × ×¦×£ ×ר×× ×× ×××× ××ר פ××¤× ×× ×× â¬â -
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×××× ×ר××¢× ×××× ×ק ×סק ××× ×§ ×× ×¦×£ ××ק ××××××× â¬â -
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××ª× ]×× ××ר×ר ×תע×× ××¢×¡× ××× ×©×× ×× ×צ×× × ×ר â¬â -
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×× }××××× ×ª××ת ×××× ?עס×× ×רפע ×¤× ×× × ××סתע×× â¬â -
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××¢× {ש×ר×× ××שר×× ×× × ×××××¡× }×שר×× ×¨×××× × â¬â -
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×× × ×פע }â¬â -
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×× ×××× ×ר×××× ×¦×ר ת××ª× ×ר××× ××רק ××§× â¬â -
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×× ×× ×××× ×ר×× ×××× ××שר×× ×× ×ר×× {××× }×תק×× â¬â -
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××× ××××¢××× ×ת â¬â -
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××× ××¤×¢× ××ת××¨× ×¤× ×× ××ק××× × ×××ס×ר××××× (!!)××¤× â¬â -
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תס××× ×××¢× ××פ××× ×× ××ר××× ×××פ××¨×¡× ××¢× ××××ש××ר â¬â -
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2.1.2 Translation
2.1.2.1 F. 1r (Left)
[A pastille for the treatment of chronic scabies]
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(42) Burnt vitriol and burnt salt, sulphur, mercury dust, oak galls, turmeric,
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and litharge one part of each. (This) is pounded, strained, kneaded with water, formed into pastilles
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of three dirhams6 each, dried, and used after scratching
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the scabious area and rubbing onto it wine vinegar, honey, salt, and green lye
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(43) A pastille for (the treatment of) moist scabies
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Ceruse, kamala, babul, tabasheer, and pomegranate flowers
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half a raá¹l7 of each; potsherds one raá¹l. (This) is pounded,
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strained, kneaded with rose oil and wine vinegar, and used.
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(44) A pastille for (the treatment of) dry scabies
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Pomegranate flowers, turmeric, and litharge, of each one
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Part; pine resin, myrrh, lentils,8 greater celandine, and âlongâ birthwort
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half a part of each. (This) is pounded, kneaded with wine vinegar, and used.
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Agrimony sap, two miṯqÄls;11 water flag, two miṯqÄls; the peels
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of the caper root four miṯqÄls; the pulp of serpent melon seeds and musk melon seeds,
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five miṯqÄls of each; endive seeds and flax dodder, of
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each three miṯqÄls; aniseed, celery seeds, and fennel
-
seeds, two dirhams of each; bitter almonds three (dirhams);
2.1.2.2 F. 2v (Right)
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rusty back fern, five dirhams. (This) is pounded, kneaded with bitter endive-water
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or with vinegar in which had been soaked ammoniacum, and formed into pastilles of one
-
miṯqÄl (46) And for (the treatment of) the indurated spleen, rusty back fern is cooked in wine,
-
strained off, and drunk on an empty stomach for a few days; the application of a cataplasm â¦
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ammoniacum and vinegar. (47) And (again) for that, agnus castus seeds and the peels of
-
the caper root, five dirhams of each. (This) is soaked in vinegar,
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dried, pounded, and three dirhams from the lot are taken every
-
day with oxymel beverage to cure the spleen within a week.
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Chapter Two
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On Pills and Hierata
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(48) Recipe for a pill
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for (the treatment of) the cough in children who, besides heavy coughing, are (also) troubled by vomiting.
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Opium one dirham; starch, gum-arabic, liquorice rob, and light-
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coloured poppy, one dirham of each. (This) is pounded, kneaded with maceration,
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of fleawort, formed into pills similar to peppercorns, and one (of these) is put in the mouth at
-
bedtime, not to be swallowed.
-
(49) A hospital pill for (the treatment of) coughing
2.1.2.3 F. 1v (Left)
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fresh dodder and black myrobalan, four dirhams of each;
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Indian salt, radish seeds, and scammony, of each three
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dirhams; anise, celery seeds, and fennel, of each
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two dirhams. (This) is kneaded with the water of young radish leaves, (and) the dose is two dirhams
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to two miṯqÄls (of it). (72) Recipe for âhazelnutsâ
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which strongly promote urination. Celery seeds, spignel, valerian, carrot,
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parsley, savin, asarabacca, visnaga, fennel seeds,
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Indian spikenard, and bitter almonds twenty dirhams of each;
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peeled musk melon seeds ten dirhams; ammoniacum three dirhams.
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The ammoniacum is dissolved in wine, and (the other ingredients) are kneaded with it. This is formed into âhazelnutsâ, (and) a dose is three
-
âhazelnutsâ or five (73) Recipe for (the treatment of)
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flukes and small worms. Male fern,
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embelia, kamala, turpeth, lupine, and myrrh (in) equal (parts). The dose is
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four dirhams (of it) with hot water.
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(74) Recipe for the sweet musk
-
remedy, for (the treatment of) palpitations, black-bilious diseases, difficulty in breathing,
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epilepsy, hemiplegia, facial paralysis, and quartan. Take zerumbet and great leopardâs bane
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one dirham of each; small pearls, amber, red coral, and burnt
2.1.2.4 F. 2r (Right)
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raw silk one and a half dirhams of each; red sea lavender, white
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sea lavender, Indian laurel, Indian spike-nard, grains of paradise, clove, castoreum,
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and usnea half a dirham of each; ginger and long pepper, of each
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four dÄniqs;12 musk one and a half dÄniqs. The ingredients are pounded,
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strained through a cloth of silk, and kneaded with raw honeycombs undisturbed by fire
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(in a ratio of) three parts of honey to one (part of ingredients). (This) is stored in a vessel, and used
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after two months. The dose is (an amount similar to) a chickpea from it with aromatic wine
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(75) A pill which is useful
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against most kinds of colic. The pulp of colocynth and scammony, of
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each two dirhams; aloe three dirhams; borax and bdellium mukul
-
one dirham of each. (This) is formed into pills. The dose is one dirham to one miṯqÄl.
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Among the electuaries
-
which prove useful in resolving colic are the (ones called) âdatishâ13 and Å¡ahriyÄrÄn14 and with regard
-
to easing colical pain, the (one called) Greek filÅ«niyÄ15 and, it is said, (also) the Persian filÅ«niyÄ16âbut particularly renowned
-
compared to the other for this (effect) is the Greek, and hiera picra17
-
is of great benefit in settling nausea in those who suffer from colic.
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Chapter Three
2.1.3 Notes
-
F. 2r, 1. 13 is garbled, and should read â®
××× ××¤×¢× ×¤× ×× ××ק××× × ××ת××¨× ×××ס×ר××××× â¬â. The translation follows this amended form. -
The same line shows evidence of copying from an Arabic-script original: Kahl has â®
Ø´ÙرÙارا٠â¬â in f. 2r, 1. 13, which should be transliterated â®×©×ר××ר×× â¬â. The Hebrew in the fragment transliterates â®Ø³Ùربازا٠â¬â instead, indicating a misreading (or lack) of diacritical points in the source manuscript.
2.2 CUL T-S NSÂ 34.16
Description from Isaacs-Baker (1994, 54, no. 700):
Pharmacopoeia.
Judaeo-Arabic; Oriental semi-cursive script; Paper; 1 leaf; mutilated, stained, and rubbed; 12â¯Ãâ¯12.5; 16 lines.
Recto: preparation of a rob and an electuary containing rose, fenugreek, linseed, almond, starch of wheat and gum Arabic.
Verso: Recipes for three electuaries.
2.2.1 Text
2.2.1.1 Recto
-
â®[â70â¬â1â¬]
××¢×ק ×¨× ××ס×ס â¬â -
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××פצ׳×× ××××××³× [×¤× ]××צ×ר ×¨× ××ס×ס {×××ª×³× }×¨× ××ק×× â¬â -
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××× ×קשר ×× ××קשר×× ×ר××××× × ×××× ×¡×× ××ק ×× â¬â -
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××ק ×× ×× ××× ×§×¢ ×× ×× ×§×¢ ×××¢×× ××¢×¡× ×× ×××¢ ×××ר×× â¬â -
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××סתע×× ××××× ×××××¤× ××××× ××§× â¬â -
â®[â1â¬â7â¬â1â¬]
×¢× × ××ר×× â¬â -
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××ר ××ר××××× × [×׳××¡× ×ר××× ×¡× ]×××ס ×ר×××× â¬â -
â®{
ת×× ×©××× ××ר ×׳ }×ס ×¢×©×¨× //××× //×¢×× ×××× ××× ×¤× [×× × ]ס×××¤× ×¢× × â¬â -
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×¢× × ××¢ × ×¦×£ ר×× ×× ×¡×ר {×××× }××ª× ×××§× ××× ×¦×£ ×××¦×¤× â¬â -
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××צ׳××£ ×××× ×¨× ××ס×ס ×ס×××§× ×¢×©×¨× ×ר××× ××ק×× â¬â -
â®[â72â¬â1â¬]
××סע×× â¬â -
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×××××× }×××××¨× ×××¢×××׳ ×××××× ×××× ××ת×× ××¨× ×××׳×× â¬â -
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××ת×× }××¢×ק ×× ×¢×¡× ××¢×ª×¨× [××¢×¡× ××× × ×פ××× × ×צ×× ××× ]â¬â -
â®[â173â¬]
×¦×¤× ××¢×ק â¬â -
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××ת×× ××צ××× ××ר×× ×ª×× ××ר [ש×××ש×× ×¤××ª× ×׳ ×××× ]â¬â -
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××ת×× }××××× ×¢×¡×× ×¤×ק×× ×× [צ××£  â¦]â¬â
2.2.1.2 Verso
-
â®[â174â¬]
×¨× ×× â]â¬× â[â¬×ר××× × //××× ×× ××××ס //××סת×××ק â¬â -
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××××× ×××ק×× }×××ר××¢ ×××× ×× ××××× ×××ס [×× ] {××עת×ק ××ש××× }â¬â -
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×ר××¢× {×××ר×ק }××× ××××ר××× × ××× ×¦×³×× ×××ס [×× ]×¡×ª× â¬â -
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×ר {××× ×× ×¦×£ ×צ×× ×¢××× }××× ××××× ×¤× ×××× × ×××³×¨× â¬â -
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××ª×¨× ×¡×ª× ×××× ×¤×עתצר פ×××¨× ××××׳ ×¢× × ×ª×¦×¤×ת×× â¬â -
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×¤× ×× }××× ×¤×צ×ר ×¤× ×× × ×× ×× ×× ××××× ×¤×סתע×× â¬â -
â®[â175â¬]
×¦×¤× â¬â -
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×¨× ×××רר××× × ××ס××× â¬â -
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×××× ×××ער×ס ×××סע×× ×עתצר ×× ×××רר××× × ××××× â¬â -
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××ª× ×××× ××× ××× ×¦×£ ××שר×× × {×עק }× ××××× â¬â -
â®[â177â¬]
××¢×ק ×××××× â¬â -
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××× ×פע ×× ××סע×× ××ר ×ת×× {×××¡× }עשר ×ר××× â¬â -
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×××× ×©×××× ×××× ××× ]×קשר ×× ×× ×××× ×ר××¢× â¬â -
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×ר××× ×ת׳××¨× ×××¦× ××ס ]×ס ××××× ×××× ×××¦× ××ר ×קשר â¬â -
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×××× ×ר ×קשר ×× ×©× ]×¡×ª× ×××× ××׳ ×צ×× ×¢×¨×× ×× â¬â -
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×× ×××× ×ר×××× ×ª×××¢ ]××××××× ××ס×ק ×× ××ת××׳  â¦â¬â
2.2.2 Translation
2.2.2.1 Recto
-
(170) The liquorice rob lohoch
-
for (the treatment of) viscid residues in the chest. Liquorice rob and tragacanth one ʾūqīyah;18
-
peeled almonds and fennel in equal parts. Pound what
-
can be pounded, soak what can be soaked, knead (all that) with clarified honey,
-
and use (from it an amount) similar to a hazelnut with the hyssop decoction.
-
(171) A grape [lohoch] for (the treatment of) asthma
-
Fennel seeds five dirhams; moon carrot two dirhams;
-
âkingâ figs19 fifteen fruits in number. Cook this in one mann20 (of) the finest matured grape wine
-
together with half a raá¹l of ḴuzistanÄ« sugar21 until one half remains, strain it,
-
add to it ten dirhams (of coagulated and then) ground liquorice rob, and let (that) gain consistency.
-
(172) For (the treatment of) coughing,
-
cold, tough-mattered, and chronic. Eat figs with walnut kernels,
-
and prepare a lohoch from zaʿtar honey,22 liquid storax, pennyroyal, and turpentine.
-
(173) Recipe for
-
the fig lohoch for those who suffer from asthma. Fig, maidenhair, and pennyroyal. Cook
-
the figs, take their syrup, let it gain consistency, and add â¦
2.2.2.2 Verso
-
(174) The mÅ«rdÄnaj or âmyrtle seedâ rob for (the treatment of) abdominal
-
disorder and torrential vomiting. Take from thick black aged á¹ilÄ wine
-
four jugfuls and from ripe black myrtle seeds six
-
and a half raá¹l, pour this wine over the seeds into a green trough,
-
and leave (that) for six days; (then) press it and extract the juice (of the seeds) by straining the wine.
-
(This) is put into one of the wine vessels, and used.23
-
(175) Recipe for
-
the mÅ«rdÄnaj only (rob)
-
for (the treatment of) an (increased) afflux of blood, ulcerations, and the cough. Express the juice of myrtle seeds, and cook it
-
until more than one half (of it) is gone. The dose is a single spoonful (of it).
-
(177) The fenugreek lohoch
-
which is useful against the cough. Linseed fifteen dirhams;
-
Syrian fenugreek and peeled sweet almonds, of each four
-
dirhams; tragacanth, scraped liquorice root, peeled pine nuts,
-
peeled bitter almonds, wheat starch, and gum-arabic, of
-
each two dirhams. Bring the ingredients together, grind what needs â¦
2.2.3 Notes
-
The verso and recto of this fragment are reversed in the online presentation (see
https://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/view/MS-TS-NS-00034-00016/1 ). -
The differences between the text of this fragment and that of Kahlâs edition suggest that the Genizah MS may be related to Kahlâs MS C. This manuscriptâMS A 31/1, ff. 1bâ66bâis held in Bethesda MD, at the United States National Library of Medicine, and is dated from the copyistâs colophon to 902â¯AH/1496â¯CE. Its leaves are numbered in Coptic numerals, which may indicate an Egyptian provenance, strengthening the hypothesis of a connection.24
-
Recipe 176 in Kahlâs edition of the AqrabÄá¸Ä«n, for a pomegranate rob, is missing from the fragment.
-
L. 12 of the recto contains dietary advice before the recipe. This is unusual, dietary advice tending to appear as part of the dosage at the end of recipes and prescriptions.25
-
The verso contains a line of Arabic-script text in the top margin, in a different ink. I was not able to decipher its contents.
3 Discussion
Both fragments come from the first half of the text of AqrabÄá¸Ä«n Ibn al-TilmÄ«á¸, which comprises twenty chapters and a total of 424 recipes in Kahlâs edition, but not from its very beginning. CUL T-S NS 34.16 is in considerably worse condition than CUL T-S Ar.43.98, with the bottom torn away such that the last few lines of CUL T-S NS 34.16 are partially or completely lost, in addition to many more words being rubbed out than in CUL T-S Ar.43.98. Interestingly, to my eye the two fragments seem to come from the same manuscript, but the Joins Suggestions function at the Friedberg Genizah Project website did not suggest either fragment as a possible match for the other. The handwriting in both fragments is very similar, despite the different levels and types of damage in each fragment. Furthermore, if CUL T-S NS 34.16âs lower margins were to be reconstructed, the size of a single leaf would be much the same.26
The first recipes in CUL T-S Ar. 43.98 (nos. 42â44) are for pastilles that treat scabies and their materia medica includes a higher proportion of inorganic substances, as is common for external applications. As soon as the text continues to internal applications, i.e. pastilles for the treatment of spleen diseases (recipes nos. 45â47) and then pills against coughing (recipes nos. 48â49), the materia medica becomes almost entirely plant-based; again, as is common in the treatment of these ailments.27 Moving to the second half of the bifolium, we remain in the same âChapter Two on Pills and Hierataâ, and find ourselves in the middle of recipe no. 71, which deals with jaundice. The following recipes (nos. 72â75) deal with a variety of illnesses, and the connection between them seems to be fairly random. In his edition, Kahl gives no opinion on the internal structure within the individual chapters, and it would appear that there is no set format, neither alphabetical nor topical, for the arrangement of recipes in a particular order. This is true of other pharmacopoeias, too, in my experience.28
The second folio of CUL T-S Ar. 43.98 ends with the beginning of the heading for Chapter Three, which deals with powders, while the second fragment, CUL T-S NS 34.16, jumps much further ahead, to âChapter Six on Lohochs and Robsâ, and contains six recipes for lohochs (nos. 170â177, breaking off in the middle of the last; as noted above, recipe no. 176 is missing). Lohochs are a medicament of a consistency between electuaries and syrups, usually licked (Ar.: laÊ¿iqa) from a spoon (Ar.: milÊ¿aqah), hence their name (Ar.: laÊ¿Å«q) which entered European languages through medieval translations from Arabic. With the exception of recipe no. 174, which treats gastric problems, all the lohochs treat the respiratory system: colds, coughs, and asthma. This is yet another example of the importance of the treatment of cough among the Cairo Genizah people,29 as seven of the total nineteen recipes here treat varieties of coughs. The materia medica suggested in these recipes is consistent with the findings of an earlier study on the most common plants used for treating cough.30
Apart from the identification of yet more Genizah fragments, what is the significance of finding parts of AqrabÄá¸Ä«n Ibn al-TilmīḠamong the scraps of paper brought to Cambridge from Cairo by Solomon Schechter? First of all, this is another book to add to the known medical library of the Jews of Cairo. Ibn al-TilmīḠdoes not appear in the index of Allonyâs book on booklists from the Cairo Genizah,31 so this was not a book that researchers were expecting to find, and its appearance enriches the pharmacological bookshelf of that library. This particular book is interesting for a number of reasons: given that the majority of pre-Expulsion documentary Genizah fragments are considered to date between 950â1250â¯CE, this is quite a late work, as its author lived in the twelfth century CE. Moreover, unlike the majority of fragments of pharmacopoeias identified in the Cairo Genizah hitherto,32 Ibn al-TilmÄ«á¸âs pharmacopoeia is not the work of a member of the Genizah community, as he was neither Jewish nor a resident of al-Fusá¹Äá¹/Cairoâbut a Nestorian Christian of faraway Baghdad. In this sense, these fragments are similar to the fragments of SÄbÅ«r b. SÄhlâs AqrabÄá¸Ä«n al-á¹£aÄ¡Ä«r identified by Efraim Lev and me in the Cambridge Cairo Genizah Collections.33 Following the Arabic bio-bibliographical tradition, it appears that from the time of its publication, sometime in the 1130s CE, Ibn al-TilmÄ«á¸âs AqrabÄá¸Ä«n more or less replaced that of SÄbÅ«r b. Sahl (d. 255â¯AH/869â¯CE), after some 300 years in which the latter had been preeminent.34 Among the evidence for this is the requirement, in a number of ḥisbah manuals (manuals instructing the inspectors of the marketplaces how best to carry out their duties) of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries CE, that the syrups for sale be prepared in accordance with the instructions appearing in the books of SÄbÅ«r b. Sahl and Ibn al-TilmÄ«á¸.35
These fragments are evidence that the practitioners of the Cairo Genizah communityâpharmacists and physiciansâkept up to date with the latest works in their field. This is contrary the earlier argument, based on the identification of CUL Or. 1080 1.6 as a fragment of SÄbÅ«r b. Sahlâs AqrabÄá¸Ä«n al-á¹£aÄ¡Ä«r, that the community continued using the latter work even after it had been superseded.36 This claim now seems to have been premature, and rather it should be said that both pharmacopoeias continued in use in tandem; indeed, the fact that both are cited in MinhÄj al-dukkÄn may also be considered evidence of this. Moreover, up to now, to the best of my knowledge, no manuscript in Judaeo-Arabic of Ibn al-TilmÄ«á¸âs AqrabÄá¸Ä«n has been found. It should be recalled that the transliteration of an Arabic text into Hebrew letters was no mean feat, requiring knowledge of both alphabets rather than the scribe simply copying the text before him (and let us not forget that even âjustâ copying a manuscript was an expensive undertaking that required time and effort). The existence of a Judaeo-Arabic version of a text is evidence for that bookâs popularity among a Jewish readership, which was fluent in Arabic but preferred reading in Hebrew lettersâand this seems to describe the community of practitioners of medicine and pharmacy among the Cairo Genizah people.
Kahlâs earliest manuscript, MS London, Wellcome Library Or. 9/4, was dated by Iskander37 to 597â¯AH/1200â¯CE; and while we have no evidence that Ibn al-TilmīḠtravelled west of Iraq (as noted above, he apparently spent extensive time in Iran), his pupils are known to have moved after his death from Baghdad to Damascus.38 The appearance of the Baghdadi Christian Ibn al-TilmÄ«á¸âs AqrabÄá¸Ä«n in the Cairo Genizah, in a script that makes it clear that his readers were Jews, serves as further evidence not only for the importance and impact of this individual work, but also for the multi-national and multi-confessional character of medicine and pharmacy in the âMediterranean societyâ and beyond of the medieval Islamicate world.
Acknowledgments
The initial work on this materialâidentifying the fragments and a preliminary transcription of CUL T-S Ar.43.98âwas carried out within the framework of working at the GRU as research assistant to Prof. Efraim Lev of Haifa University during 2003â2006. I thank Efraim for inviting me to join him, and Prof. Stefan Reif for agreeing to employ me. Together, Efraim and I scrutinised all the fragments listed in Isaacs-Baker (1994) and added many more, with the aim of achieving a broader and deeper picture of the medical world of the Cairo Genizah peopleâan aim that has continued to animate Efraimâs research agenda. Unlike him, I largely set aside work on this material once the culminating project of âthe prescription bookâ (Lev and Chipman [2012]) was completed, and I am grateful to the GRU50 project team (Nick Posegay, Magdalen M. Conolly, Ben Outhwaite) for providing me with the opportunity to return to this topic.
Ullmann (1970, 163); Kahl (2007, 7â13).
The MSS were as follows: London, British Library Or. 8293 (considered to be an autograph copy); Oxford, Bodleian Marsh. 537; London, Wellcome Library WMS Or. 9.
Isaacs-Baker (1994), 39, no. 496, and 54, no. 700.
Kahl (2007). I would like to thank my friend and colleague Dr Oliver Kahl of Marburg University, for kindly giving me a copy of this book.
Kahl: al-kibÄr.
1 dirham = 3.125â¯g (all metric equivalents of the weights used here are taken from the list in Kahl 2007, 33).
1 raá¹l = ~406â¯g.
Kahl: Bitter lentils, Ê¿adas mirr.
Kahl: those who suffer, maá¹á¸¥Å«lÄ«n
The word lahu, âhis,â i.e. invented by Ibn al-TilmÄ«á¸, found here in Kahlâs edition, is missing.
1 miṯqÄl = 4.46â¯g.
1 dÄniq = 0.52â0.74â¯g.
See Kahl (2007), recipe 145.
This is a type of stomachic. See Kahl (2007, 201, n. 55) for comparanda and etymology.
Philonium romanum; see Kahl (2007), recipe 119 for an example; for the etymology, see Kahl (2007, 215, n. 89).
Philonium persicum; see Kahl (2007), recipe 120 for an example; for the etymology, see Kahl (2007, 216, n. 90).
Literally, âdivine bitterâ. See Kahl (2007), recipe 56 for an example; for the etymology, see Kahl (2007, 195, n. 40).
1 ʾūqÄ«yah = ~33â¯g.
Å ÄhÄnjÄ«r figs are a specific type, considered very tasty. See Kahl (2007, 232, n. 125) for the etymology.
1 mann = ~816â¯g.
This region of Iran was famous for its sugar plantations on the Middle Ages. See Kahl (2007, 216, n. 93) and references there.
Honey derived from, or flavoured by, the plant savory (Satureja spp.).
Kahl adds: âafter six monthsâ.
But see the provenance in Savage-Smithâs description (online), which returns us to Iraq.
See Lev and Chipman (2012, 154).
I thank Dr Magdalen M. Connolly for confirming this identification, specifying the consistent handwriting and folio size (pers. comm., March 2023).
For detailed information on the individual ingredients of the recipes and their typical uses in the Genizah, the relevant entries in Lev and Amar (2008) may be consulted.
See, e.g., the chapter on pills (aqrÄá¹£) in Ibn AbÄ« al-BayÄnâs al-DustÅ«r al-bÄ«mÄristÄnÄ«: Sbath (1932â1933, 36â41); or the chapter on electuaries (maÊ¿jÅ«nÄt) in al-KÅ«hÄ«n al-Ê¿Aá¹á¹Ärâs MinhÄj al-dukkÄn (1992, 65â78).
Cf. Lev and Chipman (2012, 152).
See Chipman (2002).
Allony (2006).
See Chipman and Lev (2006)â1 fragment, Lev et al. (2008)â11 fragments.
Six fragments were identified, of which one (CUL Or. 1081 1.6; in Judaeo-Arabic) was published in Lev and Chipman (2007), and another two (CUL T-S Ar. 40.5, Ar. 41.90; in Arabic script) were published in Chipman and Lev (2008).
Kahl (2007, 5).
See Chipman (2010, 158, n. 70) and references there.
Lev and Chipman (2007).
Iskander (1967, 78), cited in Kahl (2007, 20).
Kahl (2007, 13).
References
Allony, N. (2006) The Jewish Library in the Middle Ages: Book Lists from the Cairo Genizah. Eds. M. Frenkel and H. Ben-Shammai. Jerusalem: Ben Zvi Institute [Hebrew].
Chipman, L. (2002) âHow effective were cough remedies known to medieval Egyptians?â, Korot 16, 135â57.
Chipman, L. (2010) The World of Pharmacy and Pharmacists in Mamlūk Cairo. Leiden: Brill.
Chipman, L. and E. Lev. (2006) âSyrup from the apothecaryâs shop: a Genizah fragment containing one of the earliest manuscripts of MinhÄj al-dukkÄnâ, Journal of Semitic Studies 50, 137â67.
Chipman, L. and E. Lev. (2008) ââTake a lame and decrepit hyena â¦â: a Genizah study of two additional fragments of manuscripts of SÄbÅ«r ibn Sahlâs al-AqrÄbÄdhÄ«n al-á¹£aghÄ«râ, Early Science and Medicine 13, 361â83.
Isaacs, H.D. and C.F. Baker. (1994) Catalogue of the Medical and Para-Medical Manuscripts in the Cambridge Genizah Collection. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Iskander, A.Z. (1967) A Catalogue of Arabic Manuscripts on Medicine and Science in the Wellcome Historical Medical Library. London: Wellcome Library.
Kahl, O. (2007) The Dispensatory of Ibn at-TilmÄ«á¸: Arabic text, English translation, study and glossaries. Leiden: Brill.
Al-KÅ«hÄ«n al-Ê¿Aá¹á¹Är, AbÅ« al-MunÄ DÄwÅ«d b. AbÄ« Naá¹£r. (1992). MinhÄj al-dukkÄn wa-dustÅ«r al-aÊ¿yÄn fÄ« aÊ¿mÄl wa-tarÄkÄ«n al-adwiya al-nÄfiÊ¿a lil-insÄn. Ed. Ḥ. Al-Ê¿Äṣī. Beirut: Dar al-ManÄhil.
Lev, E. and Z. Amar (2008) Practical Materia Medica of the Medieval Eastern Mediterranean According to the Cairo Genizah. Leiden: Brill.
Lev, E. and L. Chipman. (2007) âTwo fragments of Judaeo-Arabic manuscripts of SÄbÅ«r Ibn Sahlâs al-AqrÄbÄdhÄ«n al-á¹¢aghÄ«r found in the Taylor-Schechter Cambridge Genizah Collectionâ, Medieval Encounters 13, 347â62.
Lev, E. and L. Chipman. (2012) Medical Prescriptions in the Cambridge Genizah Collections. Practical Medicine and Pharmacology in Medieval Egypt. Leiden: Brill.
Lev, E., L. Chipman and F. Niessen. (2008) âA hospital handbook for the community: evidence for the extensive use of Ibn AbÄ« ʾl-BayÄnâs al-DustÅ«r al-bÄ«mÄristÄnÄ« by the Jewish practitioners of medieval Cairoâ, Journal of Semitic Studies 53, 103â18.
Savage-Smith, E. Islamic Medical Manuscripts at the National Library of Medicine [Online catalogue]. Available at https://www.nlm.nih.gov/hmd/arabic/pharmaceutics32.html (Accessed: 15 November 2022).
Sbath, P. (1932â33). âLe formulaire des hôpitaux dâIbn abil Bayan, médicin du bimaristan annacery au Caire au XIIIe siècleâ, Bullétin de lâInstitut dâÃgypte 15, 13â77.
Ullmann, M. (1970) Die Medizin im Islam. Leiden: Brill.