2010-03-23 15:05:28
Moses Maimonides (1135-1204) was one of the most important scientists of the Middle Ages. He was born in Córdoba, the capital of Arab Spain, but had to leave his native land, driven, like so many others in history, by religious intransigence. He was a doctor and philosopher of rich and poor.
Judging by the continuous mentions he makes of them in his writings, he found inspiration in reading the Greek sages of Hippocrates, Galen and Aristotle, and drank from the sources of knowledge of the great Arab sages, Rhazes of Persia, al-Farabi and the Spanish-Arabic physician Ibn Zhur.
His fame as a wise man led him to be a doctor for powerful lords, but he never forgot the poor. Maimonides describes a typical working day like this:
“My duties to the Sultan are a heavy burden. I am obliged to visit him every day and when one of his sons, or one of his harem women, is indisposed. I dare not leave Cairo because I have to spend a large part of the day in the palace… I arrive in Cairo very early, and even when nothing of importance is happening, I do not return to Fostat until late afternoon, hungry and tired. When I arrive I find the anteroom of my house full of people… I talk with them and I prescribe while I remain lying down due to fatigue. When night falls I am so exhausted that I barely have the strength to speak…“
That way of caring for the sick was highly commented because Maimonides often diagnosed and wrote the prescription without having to exchange a word with his patient. They say that once a healthy man decided to visit him as one more patient to test the wisdom of Maimonides. The wise man observed the patient for a few moments and, without saying a word, he began to write the recipe. The man left the office smiling to himself because he thought he had fooled the doctor. He tried to read what he had prescribed but he didn’t understand anything, so he showed the prescription to a pharmacist. The latter, accustomed to Maimonides’ scribbles, read the diagnosis aloud: “What you are hungry is. Have a good breakfast.”
Among the great medical works of Maimonides, a group of books stands out, intended to comment on, disseminate, and sometimes argue, the works of his predecessors, among them are: Galen extracts, Comments on the aphorisms of Hippocrates y Medical Aphorisms of Moses.
He wrote treatises on hemorrhoids and asthma. In the latter, he recommends asthmatics to flee from the polluted air of the city, to live on high and ventilated floors, with rooms far from the latrines. “Pure air – says Maimonides – is the most important rule for the preservation of the health of the body and spirit“.
At the request of a nephew of Saladin, who wanted to increase his sexual potency, Maimonides wrote his treatise on sexual relations . It is an extensive work in which, among many other topics, he describes useful drugs such as aphrodisiacs, advises moderation in sexual activity, and describes the physiology of the sexes.
wrote a Treatise on poisons and their antidotes which was used as a toxicology text throughout the Middle Ages. In it he talks about treatments against snake bites and describes the symptoms of poisoning caused by different toxins.
Convinced that the best way to prevent disease is to lead a healthy life, have healthy habits and avoid excesses, he wrote a series of hygienic and dietary recommendations in his work The Health Regime.
We invite you to listen to his biography.
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