Medical Aphorisms Format: Hardcover

Maimonides, one of the most celebrated rabbis in the history of Judaism, was a prolific author of influential Arabic philosophical and medical treatises as well as two of the most important works on Jewish law. Medical Aphorisms is the best-known and most comprehensive of his medical works, and Gerrit Bos offers here a masterful English translation with detailed annotations.

 

Medical Aphorisms consists of approximately 1,500 maxims compiled by Maimonides from the treatises of Galen, the renowned ancient Greek physician. Maimonides arranges the aphorisms into twenty-five treatises, organizing them by traditional medieval subspecialties such as gynecology, hygiene, and diet. He also includes a section examining unusual cases from Galen and offers a critical analysis of Galen’s theories.

 

The second of six volumes, Medical Aphorisms: Treatises 6-9 provides tantalizing insights into the work of Galen and the world of medieval medicine. It will be a rich and valuable resource for students and scholars working in the history of medicine, Jewish studies, and medieval Arabic culture.

Gerrit Bos is chair of the Martin Buber Institute for Jewish Studies at the University of Cologne, Germany.