Showcase F: Jewish Medicine (Rambam-Maimonides)

Jews were persecuted in a variety of ways. They
were not permitted to own land and were limited in
many fields of work and occupations. They were
naturally diverted to professions that did not
require ownership of land such as commerce, money
lending and medicine. The West lagged behind the
Islamic world and Jews were the bridge between
them. Since they were not related to any political
group, they could be trusted by all. As a result, the
Jewish physician developed a very good reputation.
Moses ben Maimon (1138–1204), commonly
known as Maimonides, also referred to by the
acronym Rambam (Hebrew: רמב״ם (was a
medieval Sephardic Jewish philosopher who
became one of the most prolific and influential
Torah scholars of the Middle Ages, as well as a
prominent physician and astronomer, serving as
the personal physician of Saladin.
Born in Córdoba, Almoravid Empire (presentday Spain),                                                                            he worked as a rabbi, physician and
philosopher in Morocco and Egypt. He died in Egypt
on December 12, 1204, and his body was taken to the
lower Galilee and buried in Tiberias.
His writings were gradually translated for a wider
readership. Three generations of the Ibn Tibbon
family were involved in translating Maimonides'
writings into Hebrew: Juda ben Shaul, his son
Shmuel, and grandson Moses Ibn Tibbon (12th
–13th
century). Of these, Moses was the most prominent.
He and another translator, Natan ha-Me'ati
(13th
–14th century) were responsible for translating
most of Maimonides' writings into Hebrew. Shortly
after, they were translated into Latin, becoming
an essential part of medical teaching in Christian
Europe and the East.

Collection of Latin treatises, mainly medical by Maimonides, translated
from Hebrew into Latin by the convert John of Capua, c. 1300.
On the left: manuscript from Italy (facsimile), early 15th century.
Harry Friedenwald Collection, Jewish Particularum detrarum libri.
Isaac Ben Solomon Israeli’s medical tract on diet and simple remedies
was considered one of the best of the Arabic works on this subject.
On the right: a 14th century manuscript (facsimile). Both from the
National Library, Jerusalem.
Photo: Museum of the Jewish People, Tel Aviv.