The Physician as a Rebellious Intellectual

206 Pages·2014·2.61 MB·English

by  N. Peter Joosse

18 Beihefte zur
Tbyh eth me emdiecdaile sveacl taiounth oofr tchAeb dK itaa¯l-bL aatl.-¯ıNf iabs.n¯ı h.Yau¯tsauynf aolr- BBaogohkd ao¯df ¯ıt h(e1 1T6w2o- 1P2ie3c1e) sc hoaf lAlednvgieces KS 95
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the idea that Arabic-Islamic medicine declined after the twelfth century A.D. More-
over, it offers some interesting insights into the social history of medicine. cAbd al-Lat.¯ıf
composed his work as a diatribe directed against false knowledge, and employed the Monographien, Editionen, Sammelbände
framework of Greek medical epistemology to criticize the rationalist physicians of his
day and age. He argued that female and itinerant practitioners, relying on experience,
Herausgegeben von Peter Dinzelbacher · Band 18
were superior to some rationalists, and decried the wickedness and incompetence of
certain medical practitioners of his time. In addition, he lambasted contemporaneous
medical education because it put too much faith in a restricted number of textbooks such
as the Canon of Medicine by the celebrated physician Ibn S¯ına¯ (Avicenna), or chiefly
relied on imperfect abridgments. The medical section of the Book of the Two Pieces
of Advice is translated here for the first time in a modern language. It is preceded by a
lengthy introduction that highlights cAbd al-Lat.¯ıf's complicated relation to both medicine
and alchemy. The present study also contains the first full bibliography on cAbd al-Lat.¯ıf
al-Baghda¯d¯ı and his milieu.
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N. Peter Joosse was a fellow-in-residence at the Netherlands Institute for Advanced
r
Study in the Humanities and Social Sciences, and a senior research fellow at the univer- te The Book of the Two Pieces of Advice or Kita¯b al-Nas.¯ıh.atayn
sities of Frankfurt am Main and Leiden. In 2010, he joined the Department of Classics e
P by cAbd al-Lat.¯ıf ibn Yu¯suf al-Baghda¯d¯ı (1162-1231)
& Ancient History of the University of Warwick as a Wellcome Trust research fellow to
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work on cAbd al-Lat.¯ıf ibn Yu¯suf al-Baghda¯d¯ı's Arabic commentary on the Hippocratic Introduction, Edition and Translation of the Medical Section
Prognostic. In 2013 he joined the University of Oxford based project on Ibn ab¯ı Us.aybica.
www.peterlang.de ISBN 978-3-631-64285-6
BEIMED 18-264285_Joosse_BR155x230_TH PLE.indd 1 14.10.13 11:59
18 Beihefte zur
Tbyh eth me emdiecdaile sveacl taiounth oofr tchAeb dK itaa¯l-bL aatl.-¯ıNf iabs.n¯ı h.Yau¯tsauynf aolr- BBaogohkd ao¯df ¯ıt h(e1 1T6w2o- 1P2ie3c1e) sc hoaf lAlednvgieces KS 95
H
the idea that Arabic-Islamic medicine declined after the twelfth century A.D. More-
over, it offers some interesting insights into the social history of medicine. cAbd al-Lat.¯ıf
composed his work as a diatribe directed against false knowledge, and employed the Monographien, Editionen, Sammelbände
framework of Greek medical epistemology to criticize the rationalist physicians of his
day and age. He argued that female and itinerant practitioners, relying on experience,
Herausgegeben von Peter Dinzelbacher · Band 18
were superior to some rationalists, and decried the wickedness and incompetence of
certain medical practitioners of his time. In addition, he lambasted contemporaneous
medical education because it put too much faith in a restricted number of textbooks such
as the Canon of Medicine by the celebrated physician Ibn S¯ına¯ (Avicenna), or chiefly
relied on imperfect abridgments. The medical section of the Book of the Two Pieces
of Advice is translated here for the first time in a modern language. It is preceded by a
lengthy introduction that highlights cAbd al-Lat.¯ıf's complicated relation to both medicine
and alchemy. The present study also contains the first full bibliography on cAbd al-Lat.¯ıf
al-Baghda¯d¯ı and his milieu.
al
u
t
c
e
ell
t
n
I

s
u
o
elli
b
e
R

a

s
a

n
a
ci
si
y
N. Peter Joosse
h
P

e
h
T The Physician as a

·
e
s
s Rebellious Intellectual
o
o
J
N. Peter Joosse was a fellow-in-residence at the Netherlands Institute for Advanced
r
Study in the Humanities and Social Sciences, and a senior research fellow at the univer- te The Book of the Two Pieces of Advice or Kita¯b al-Nas.¯ıh.atayn
sities of Frankfurt am Main and Leiden. In 2010, he joined the Department of Classics e
P by cAbd al-Lat.¯ıf ibn Yu¯suf al-Baghda¯d¯ı (1162-1231)
& Ancient History of the University of Warwick as a Wellcome Trust research fellow to
N.
work on cAbd al-Lat.¯ıf ibn Yu¯suf al-Baghda¯d¯ı's Arabic commentary on the Hippocratic Introduction, Edition and Translation of the Medical Section
Prognostic. In 2013 he joined the University of Oxford based project on Ibn ab¯ı Us.aybica.
www.peterlang.de
BEIMED 18-264285_Joosse_BR155x230_TH PLE.indd 1 14.10.13 11:59
The Physician as a Rebellious Intellectual
Beihefte zur
MEDIAEVISTIK

Monographien, Editonen, Sammelbände
Herausgegeben von Peter Dinzelbacher

Band 18
N. Peter Joosse

The Physician as a

Rebellious Intellectual
The Book of the Two Pieces
of Advice or Kit(cid:407)b al-Na(cid:1663)(cid:431)(cid:1601)atayn
by cAbd al-La(cid:1673)(cid:431)f ibn Y(cid:460)suf al-Baghd(cid:407)d(cid:431)
(1162–1231)
Introduction, Edition and Translation
of the Medical Section
Bibliographic Information published by the Deutsche
Nationalbibliothek
The Deutsche Nationalbibliothek lists this publication in the Deutsche
Nationalbibliografie; detailed bibliographic data is available in the
internet at http://dnb.d-nb.de.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Joosse, N. Peter, author, translator.
The physician as a rebellious intellectual : The book of the two pieces
of advice, or, Kitab al-Nasihatayn by 'Abd al-Latif ibn Yusuf al-Baghdadi
(1162-1231) : introduction, edition, and translation of the medical section /
N. Peter Joosse.
pages cm. -- (Beihefte zur Mediaevistik ; Band 18)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-3-631-64285-6
1. 'Abd al-Latif al-Baghdadi, Muwaffaq al-Din, 1162-1231. Kitab al Nasihatayn.
2. Medicine, Arab--Philosophy. 3. Physicians' writings, Arabic--Criticism and
interpretation. I. 'Abd al-Latif al-Baghdadi, Muwaffaq al-Din, 1162-1231, author.
II.'Abd al-Latif al-Baghdadi, Muwaffaq al-Din, 1162-1231. Kitab al Nasihatayn.
Selections. III. 'Abd al-Latif al-Baghdadi, Muwaffaq al-Din, 1162-1231. Kitab al
Nasihatayn. Selections. English. IV. Title. V. Series: Beihefte zur Mediaevistik ;
Bd. 18.
R128.3.J66 2013
610.1--dc23
2013039166
Cover image:
A portrait of cAbd al-La(cid:1673)(cid:260)f al-Baghd(cid:222)d(cid:260) lecturing on medicinal plants
to a group of students seated in a so-called Study Circle
at the Umayyad Mosque of Damascus, Syria. The original
of this drawing is found in The Museum of Arab Medicine
and Sciences, Damascus, Syria (date of production and artist: unknown)
© by Farida Bhayat (2008)
ISSN 1617-657X
ISBN 978-3-631-64285-6 (Print)
E-ISBN 978-3-653-03127-0 (E-Book)
DOI 10.3726/978-3-653-03127-0
© Peter Lang GmbH
Internationaler Verlag der Wissenschaften
Frankfurt am Main 2013
New edition 2014
All rights reserved.
Peter Lang Edition is an Imprint of Peter Lang GmbH.
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All parts of this publication are protected by copyright. Any
utilisation outside the strict limits of the copyright law, without
the permission of the publisher, is forbidden and liable to
prosecution. This applies in particular to reproductions,
translations, microfilming, and storage and processing in
electronic retrieval systems.
This book is part of the Peter Lang Edition
list and was peer reviewed prior to publication.
www.peterlang.com
5
Table of Contents
The Physician as a Rebellious Intellectual: The Book of the Two Pieces of Advice
or Kitāb al-Naṣīḥatayn by ‘Abd al-Laṭīf ibn Yūsuf al-Baghdādī (1162-1231):

Introduction, Edition & Translation of the Medical Section ................................... 7

History of Research ................................................................................................. 7

Dating the Manuscript & Principle of Edition ......................................................... 9

Brief Survey of the Contents ................................................................................. 10

‘Abd al-Laṭīf's Life and Medical Work ................................................................. 11

The Kitāb al-Naṣīḥatayn: Topoi as Sources? ........................................................ 12

The Physician and the Ruler .................................................................................. 17

‘Abd al-Laṭīf al-Baghdādī and his Relation to Alchemy ....................................... 29
The Book of the Two Pieces of Advice or Kitāb al-Naṣīḥatayn by ‘Abd al-Laṭīf
ibnYūsuf al-Baghdādī (1162-1231): Annotated Translation of the Medical

Section - Ms. Bursa (Turkey): Hüseyin Çelebi 823 (fol. 62r-78r) ......................... 63
The Book of the Two Pieces of Advice or Kitāb al-Naṣīḥatayn by ‘Abd al-Laṭīf
ibn Yūsuf al-Baghdādī (1162-1231): Arabic Edition of the Medical
Section on the basis of the unique Ms. Bursa (Turkey):

Hüseyin Çelebi 823 (fol. 62r-78r) ......................................................................... 95

Bibliography ........................................................................................................ 113
1.‘Abd al-Laṭīf al-Baghdādī: manuscripts consulted .......................................... 113
2.‘Abd al-Laṭīf al-Baghdādī: autobiographical and biographical

information ..................................................................................................... 114
3.‘Abd al-Laṭīf al-Baghdādī and his milieu: editions, studies & translations ..... 117
4.Primary sources ............................................................................................... 126
5.Secondary sources ........................................................................................... 131
Index of Terms Relating to the English Translation of the Medical Section

of the Kitāb al-Naṣīḥatayn .................................................................................. 163
Index of Authors and Works Cited in the Medical Section of the

Kitāb al-Naṣīḥatayn ............................................................................................. 167
Appendix: The Arabic Originals of the Medical Section of the
Kitāb al-Naṣīḥatayn - Ms. Bursa (Turkey):

Hüseyin Çelebi 823 (fol. 62r-78r) ....................................................................... 169

7
The Physician as a Rebellious Intellectual: The
Book of the Two Pieces of Advice or Kitāb al-
Naṣīḥatayn by ‘Abd al-Laṭīf ibn Yūsuf al-Baghdādī
(1162-1231)1 : Introduction, Edition & Translation
of the Medical Section
History of Research
In 1962 Samuel Miklos Stern presented the scholarly community with the first ever
description of the Book of the Two Pieces of Advice or Kitāb al-Naṣīḥatayn by the
well-known grammarian, lexicographer, philosopher, and physician ‘Abd al-Laṭīf
ibn Yūsuf al-Baghdādī.2 A couple of years later, the German scholar Albert Dietrich
gave a very short description of the Kitāb al-Naṣīḥatayn without referring thereby
to Stern's prior publication.3 Eight years later, in the year 1972, the physicians and
medical historians Paul Ghalioungui and Said Abdou presented us with a brief
1 This monograph, including the edition and translation, was made possible by the
Vereniging Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Geneeskunde (NTvG), the leading Dutch
medical journal: it provided the financial support for the research project "The physician
as a rebellious intellectual: ‘Abd al-Laṭīf al-Baghdādī (1162-1231) and the Arabic
medicine of his time", which the present author carried out as a SRF at the Faculty of
Arts of Leiden University, The Netherlands. The author wishes to express his gratitude to
the above institutions for their kind assistance. Thanks also goes out to emeritus Prof. dr.
Remke Kruk for initiating and realizing the aforementioned project. The author would
also like to thank the following persons for their contributions to the translation of the
medical section of the Kitāb al-Naṣīḥatayn: Hans Daiber (Düsseldorf); Rob Hilders
(Schellinkhout); Remke Kruk (Leiden); Peter E. Pormann (Manchester); and Wim Raven
(Marburg). Thanks are also due to my wife Farida Bhayat (Amsterdam) for preparing the
CRC of this manuscript. The monograph is dedicated to my grandfather, Nanne Pieter
Joosse (1888-1980), who was never given a proper chance to learn, but would have made
a terrific learner.
2 Samuel Miklos Stern, 'A Collection of Treatises by ‘Abd al-Laṭīf al-Baghdādī', in:
Islamic Studies, (Karachi), vol. 1 (1962), 53-70, at 59-66 [Reprint in: Samuel Miklos
Stern, Medieval Arabic and Hebrew Thought (London 1983): Variorum Reprints CS 183
under No. XVIII].
3 Albert Dietrich, Die arabische Version einer unbekannten Schrift des Alexander von
Aphrodisias über die Differentia specifica (Nachrichten der Akademie der
Wissenschaften in Göttingen: I. Philologisch-historische Klasse, Jahrgang 1964; Nr. 2,
Göttingen) (Göttingen 1964), 88-148, at 105.
8
description of the Kitāb al-Naṣīḥatayn in the Arabic language.4 Although the initial
section of the book must be regarded as one of the forgotten masterpieces of
Arabic-Islamic medicine, it took 35 years, until 2007, before the next publication on
the subject announced itself in the form of the present author's English translation of
a lengthy passage dealing with the untimely death of the prince al-Malik al-Ẓāhir
Ghāzī ibn Yūsuf of Aleppo,5 which in the same year was followed by his elaborate
description of the Kitāb al-Naṣīḥatayn in the Dutch language.6 In the year 2008, the
present author and Peter E. Pormann co-authored a brief article on the so-called
"mathematical fragment".7 This publication was soon followed by another article,
likewise co-authored by Joosse and Pormann, which challenges the idea that Islamic
medicine declined after the twelfth century A.D. Moreover, the article also sheds
important new light on questions regarding the social history of medicine, and
discusses a number of quotations from the Book of the Two Pieces of Advice.8
Dimitri Gutas recently has published a study on the philosophical contents of the
treatise,9 and is in the course of preparing an edition and translation of the
autobiography of ‘Abd al-Laṭīf as present in the philosophical section of the Kitāb
al-Naṣīḥatayn in which he inter alia shall comment on the linguistic peculiarities of
4 Paul Ghalioungui and Said Abdou, Maqālatān fī l-Ḥawāss wa-Masā'il Ṭabi'ya/Risāla li l-
Iskandar fī l-Faṣl/Risāla fī l-maraḍ al-Musammā Diābīṭis by Abd Al-Latif Al-Baghdadi,
[= The Arab Heritage series: Wizārat al-I‘lām/Ministry of Information No. 18] (Kuwait
1392 A.H./1972 A.D.), at 29-32.
5 N. Peter Joosse, "Pride and Prejudice, Praise and Blame'. ‘Abd al-Laṭīf al-Baghdādī's
Views on Good and Bad Medical Practitioners', in: Arnoud Vrolijk and Jan P. Hogendijk
(editors): O ye Gentlemen: Arabic Studies on Science and Literary Culture in Honour of
Remke Kruk (Leiden/Boston 2007), 129-141. [= Hans Daiber (general editor): Islamic
Philosophy, Theology and Science. Texts and Studies, Volume LXXIV]. Stern
announced already in 1962 that he would publish this account in full on another occasion.
However, he never fulfilled his promise; cf. Stern, A Collection of Treatises, at 61.
6 N. Peter Joosse, "De Geest is uit de Fles'. De middeleeuwse Arabische arts ‘Abd al-Laṭīf
ibn Yūsuf al-Baghdādī: zijn medische werk en zijn bizarre affiliatie met het twintigste-
eeuwse spiritisme'; [English] title: "The spirit has left the bottle': the medieval Arabic
physician ‘Abd al-Laṭīf ibn Yūsuf al-Baghdādī: his medical work and his bizarre
affiliation with twentieth-century spiritualism', in: Gewina 30: 4 (2007), 211-29, at 216-
221.
7 N. Peter Joosse and Peter E. Pormann, 'Archery, mathematics, and conceptualising
inaccuracies in medicine in 13th century Iraq and Syria'. Available from:
www.jameslindlibrary.org eds. Sir Iain Chalmers and Jan P. Vandenbroucke.
[Republished as: 'Archery, mathematics, and conceptualizing inaccuracies in medicine in
13th century Iraq and Syria', in: Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine 101 (2008),
425-27].
8 N. Peter Joosse and Peter E. Pormann, 'Decline and Decadence in Iraq and Syria after the
Age of Avicenna? ‘Abd al-Laṭīf al-Baghdādī (1162-1231) between Myth and History', in:
BHM 84 (2010), 1-29.
9 Dimitri Gutas, 'Philosophy in the Twelfth Century: one View from Baghdad, or the
Repudiation of al-Ghazālī', in: In the Age of Averroes: Arabic Philosophy in the
Sixth/Twelfth Century, ed. Peter Adamson (London/Turin 2011), 9-26.