Maimonidean Materia Medica

[Guest guest]

Dear Kokko and all,

 

To clarify project I envision would use Moses Maimonides' Glossary of Drug

Names as a starting point to create a real materia medica, using information

from existing sources, where available, pictures of medicinal substances

identifying the common and pharmaceutical names, listing the flavors and

temperatures, the reference to where the substance is used in Maimonides'

writings, its indications, therapeutic action and contraindications according

to Maimonides, biblical, talmudic and rabbinic references to the substance,

traditional uses and information according to other medical systems, dosing,

preparation and administration information and modern clinical studies. I'm

not looking to present yet another survey of what was used, but rather,

reconstruct a practical tool that can be used by the knowledgeable

herbalist/physician.

 

A daunting task indeed, but I hope that with a team of like-minded colleagues

and the funding behind it, that it should be doable, IY " H.

 

Yehuda

<johnkokko wrote:

Yehuda, sounds like a lifetime project!

 

I've seen a few books about " herbs of biblical times " on bookstore shelves

in the past.

For instance:

James Duke wrote a book called " Herbs of the Bible: 2000 years of plant

medicine "

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/102-7184106-1248154?initialSearch=1 & url=sea\

rch-alias%3Daps & field-keywords=bible+herbs & Go.x=0 & Go.y=0 & Go=Go

 

There are 2 other books on this subject on Amazon.

 

How would your project differ from these books?

 

Also, would your project entail mainly translating source texts and adding

supplementary herbal information as commentary or would this be a survey of

herbs/medicines derived from the Torah (law of Moses)? or a survey of

herbs/medicines from ancient to contemporary times (in the context of

Jewish-cultural usage)?

 

Thanks for broadening our knowledge

and giving homage to the ancestors (humans and herbs).

 

On 8/10/07, wrote:

>

> Oops! I intended to post this on my group, Traditional Jewish Medicine

> and TCM. Oh well, I guess the cat's out of the bag. Contact me privately if

> interested. Also please forgive any presumptive statements that were not

> meant for public consumption.

>

> Sorry!

>

> Yehuda

>

> <%40>> wrote:

> Dear Friends,

>

> As many of you are aware, the Rambam wrote 10 medical books. The most

> recently discovered one " The Glossary of Drug Names " was found by Max

> Meyerhof, MD, an Egyptian opthalmologist in the Aya Sofia library in

> Istanbul. Meyerhof edited the original Arabic manuscript, translated it with

> a French commentary and published it in Cairo in 1940. The work is a

> pharmacopia consisting of 405 short discriptions of medicinal substances in

> Arabic, Greek, Syrian, Persian, Berber and Spanish. In 1995 Fred Rosner, MD,

> translated it into English along with Meyerhofs commentary. However, each

> selection is very brief, more for identification purposes, and lists little

> or none of the medical applications or properties.

>

> Would anyone be interested in using the Rambam's glossary as a basis to

> write the first Materia Medica of traditional Jewish substances? Also,

> should I open this question up to the scholarly world in general by posting

> this to groups such as TCM and CHA? Obviously, also, as this is an

> undertaking of such magnitude, we would need to write a grant to get funding

> for the extensive research which would be involved with it. I am on very

> good terms with Dan Bensky. Should I approach him for ideas or suggestions?

> Maybe he would even be interested in publishing it.

>

> Shabbat Shalom,

>

> Yidel

>

>

>

>

>

> Got a little couch potato?

> Check out fun summer activities for kids.

>

>

[Guest guest]

My last sentence was cut off:

 

The information I believe is readily available, it is just a matter of

research and organization.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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