Commentary on Ibn Abi Usaybi’ah’s History of Physicians, which was written in Arabic in thirteenth-century Damascus. Ibn Abi Usaybi’ah’s book describes physicians and medical practices from the origin of medicine to the thirteenth century.
Outsiders could achieve high status in ancient Baghdad, but the paths to high status were complex and volatile. … Read the post Awhad al-Zamān’s rise: status dynamics in 12th-century Baghdad
Ibn Abi Usaybia apparently sought to write literary-biographical reference works for all intellectual fields — astronomers, physicians, and others. … Read the post Ibn Abi Usaybia's historical-biographical book enterprise
Ibn Abi Usaybia’s social-biographical directory of physicians memorialized social status within 13th-century Damascus’ highly insecure social markings. … Read the post Ibn Abi Usaybia in 13th-century Damascus status economy
Ancient arguments over the creation of the heavens and the earth set the pattern for ancient arguments about the origin of medicine. … Read the post ancient arguments about the origin of medicine
Medicines for the poor developed in contrast to expensive medicines like Mithridatium and Theriac that were popular among the wealthy. … Read the post history of medicine for the poor
Astonishing medical use of excrement (dreckapotheke) has been widely accepted historically and has existed within well-developed, scholarly medical knowledge. … Read the post bird-shit medicine
In the intellectually vibrant ancient Islamic world, the expertise of astrologers and physicians shaped medical treatment for elite persons. … Read the post astrologers and physicians in ancient intellectual competition
The Barmakids encouraged translating Indian texts into Arabic in the late eighth century. Indian texts commonly were first translated into Persian. … Read the post translation of Indian texts into Arabic under the Abbasids
The Indian physician Manka purportedly proposed killing a drug peddler to prevent his nostrums from killing many other persons. … Read the post ancient Indian utilitarian pharmaceutical regulation
As physicians to Abbasid caliphs, the illustrious Bakhtīshū` of Jundishapur were eminent in both medical-technical knowledge and elite culture. … Read the post the illustrious Bakhtishu of Jundishapur