Take a lame and decrepit female Hyena... A Genizah study of two additional fragments of Sābūr Ibn Sahl's al-Aqrābādhīn al-Saghīr

Leigh N. Chipman, Efraim Lev

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Sbūr ibn Sahl's al-Aqrbdhīn al-saghīr is the earliest Arabic pharmacopoeia known to have survived. Finding fragments of Sābūr's pharmacopoeia in the Cairo Genizah shows that it was used by the medical practitioners of the Jewish community of Cairo, possibly long after it is supposed to have been superceded by other works. We present here a synoptic edition of two Arabic fragments, T-S Ar. 40.5 and Ar. 41.90. These fragments overlap to a large extent, but are not exactly the same. We suggest that one (T-S Ar. 41.90) may be the work of a professional scribe, while the other (T-S Ar. 40.5) was copied by a practitioner for his personal use.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)361-383
Number of pages23
JournalEarly Science and Medicine
Volume13
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Jun 2008

Keywords

  • Genizah
  • Islamic medicine
  • Manuscripts
  • Pharmacology
  • Sabur ibn sahl

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Medicine (miscellaneous)
  • History
  • History and Philosophy of Science

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