Collection ID: 0002 | Metadata type: TEI | TEI XML | Data

Title

Pharmacology handbook

Authors

• Edgar Fahs Smith Memorial Fund
• Elis & Ruth Douer Endowed Fund

Other related names

• Kholeif, Moses ben Issac, ha-Levi, former owner

Call number

Ms. Codex 1947
(3420 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104-6206, University of Pennsylvania, Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts)

Alternate identifiers

• bibid: 9977225736903681
• http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/

Publisher

University of Pennsylvania

Language

Judeo-Arabic

Origin

Date

between 1500 and 1699

Place

Middle East

Summary

Two sections of a rather comprehensive Arabic-language pharmacopoeia, or handbook of medical material, possibly originally composed in the 11th or 12th century (Langermann), written in Hebrew characters. A few terms have been left in Arabic script (for example, f. 8v, 11v, 21r, 29r, 102v, 136v). The text lists and describes pharmacological simples and compounds of vegetable, animal, and mineral origin in alphabetical sequence according to the Arabic alphabet, setting out the properties of each and giving detailed instructions for their preparation and use in the treatment of various illnesses and disorders. The beginning and ending of the manuscript are missing, as well as a section in the middle; the extant sections contain entries from the beginning of rāʹ through the beginning of lām (f. 1r-124v) and from the middle of mīm through the middle of wāw (f. 125r-146v). Extensive marginal annotations and strikethroughs in the hands of the primary and subsequent scribes throughout; annotations added by later hands mainly derive from the pharmacological writings of sixteenth-century physician Dāʼūd ibn ʻUmar al-Anṭākī and seventeenth-century physician Ṣāliḥ ibn Nasr Allāh ibn Sallūm and include reference to the death of Ibn Sallūm, which was in 1670.

Notes

• Title supplied by cataloger.
   
• Binding cracked in places; scattered staining; slight dampstaining in margins and/or gutter at foot throughout; gutter frequently reinforced or repaired; thumbing; occasional smudging; corners rounded; periodic minor tears in outer margins, not affecting text; leaves loose at foot at beginning (f. 1-3) and some leaves detached in second section (f. 122-124, 135-137, 146).
   

Watermark

Anchor within a circle surmounted by a five-pointed star, 16th or 17th century (Sotheby's).

Extent

146 leaves : 212 x 160 (135 x 90) mm

Collation

Paper, 146; last leaf only of quire 15, 16-21¹² 22¹⁴ 23-25¹², first leaf only of quire 26, 29¹²⁻¹(-1) 30¹²⁻¹(-12); early quire signatures in matching Eastern Arabic numerals on lower left last verso and lower right first recto. Early foliation in Hebrew characters in ink, 169-292, 329-350, upper left recto; modern foliation in pencil, 1-146, upper left recto; references in this record are to modern foliation. Catchwords every leaf, lower left verso.

Support

Paper

Binding

Lacking covers and spine; sewn on three thongs.

Layout

Written in 24 long lines.

Decoration

Letter divisions marked with headings of the formula "bab al-X," either outlined or filled with red ink (f. 7r, 15v, 35v, 49v, 58v, 66r, 80r, 82v, 91v, 109r, 122r, 135r, 145v, but red ink not used on f. 54v) (Langermann); manicules in red ink (for example, f. 62v-63v, 82r)

Script

Written in Oriental Hebrew square (titles and lemmata) and semi-cursive (text body) scripts (Langermann).

Provenance

• Formerly owned by Moses ben Isaac ha-Levi Kholeif (ownership stamp, f. 7r, 17r, 80r, 92r; marginal annotations, f. 80r-80v, 107v).
   
• Marginal annotations signed by former owners including Moses ibn Habib (f. 15v, 107v), Samuel (f. 86v), and Raphael Isaac (f. 136v).
   
• Sold at auction by Sotheby's (New York; catalog description assistance by Y. Tzvi Langermann, Bar-Ilan University), 20 December 2017, lot 174.
   

Subjects topical

• Materia medica--Middle East--Early works to 1800
• Medicine--Early works to 1800
• Medicine, Arab
• Medicine, Medieval
• Pharmacopoeias--Middle East--Early works to 1800

Genres

• Codices
• Formularies
• Manuscripts, Judeo-Arabic--16th century
• Manuscripts, Judeo-Arabic--17th century
• Manuscripts, Renaissance

Keywords

• 16th century
• 17th century
• Jewish
• Arabic
• Annotated
• Missing leaves
• Paper
• Science -- Medicine

Licenses

• Text

  These images and the content of Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts Ms. Codex 1947: Pharmacology handbook are free of known copyright restrictions and in the public domain. See the Creative Commons Public Domain Mark page for usage details, http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/.

  URL

  http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

• Text

  Metadata is ©2019 University of Pennsylvania Libraries and licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License version 4.0 (CC-BY-4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode. For a description of the terms of use see the Creative Commons Deed https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

  URL

  https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode

Decorations

• fol. 7r — Decorated heading
• fol. 15v — Decorated heading
• fol. 35v — Decorated heading
• fol. 49v — Decorated heading
• fol. 58v — Decorated heading
• fol. 62v — Manicule
• fol. 63r — Manicule
• fol. 63v — Manicule
• fol. 66r — Decorated heading
• fol. 80r — Decorated heading
• fol. 82r — Manicule
• fol. 82v — Decorated heading
• fol. 91v — Decorated heading
• fol. 109r — Decorated heading
• fol. 122r — Decorated heading
• fol. 135r — Decorated heading
• fol. 145v — Decorated heading