 Ibn Butlan'sTacuinum sanitatis,Rhineland, 2nd half of 15th c. | |
| Author | Ibn Butlan |
|---|---|
| Original title | Taqwīm as‑Siḥḥa |
| Language | Arabic,Latin |
| Subjects | health and wellbeing |
| Genres | medical |
Publication date | 11th century |
| Publication place | Baghdad underAbbasid Caliphate |
| Text | Tacuinum Sanitatis online |
TheTaccuinum Sanitatis is a medieval handbook mainly onhealth aimed at a cultured lay audience. Originally an 11th-century Arab medical treatise composed byIbn Butlan ofBaghdad under the name ofTaqwīm aṣ‑Ṣiḥḥa (Arabic:تقويم الصحة,lit. 'Tabular Register of Health').[1] In the West, the work is known by theLatinized name taken by its translations:Tacuinum (sometimesTaccuinum)Sanitatis.[2] The text exists in several variant Latin versions, the manuscripts of which are profusely illustrated. Numerous European versions were made in increasing numbers in the 14th and 15th centuries.[3]
TheBritish Library possesses in its Oriental Manuscripts collection a presentation copy ofTaqwīm as‑Siḥḥa from 1213 copied inArabic foral-Malik al-Ẓāhir, son ofSaladin.[4]
The terse paragraphs of the treatise were freely translated into Latin in mid-13th centuryPalermo or Naples,[5] which continued anItalo-Norman tradition as one of the prime sites for peaceable intercultural contact between the Islamic and European worlds. One translation was made in KingManfred of Sicily's court between 1254 and 1266.[3] "Magister Faragius" (Ferraguth) in Naples took responsibility for one translation into Latin, in a manuscript in theBibliothèque Nationale, Paris, MS Lat. 15362 (noted by Witthoft 1978:58 note 9).
Four handsomely illustrated, complete, late 14th-century manuscripts of theTacuinum, all produced inLombardy, survive, in Vienna, Paris, Liège and Rome, as well as scattered illustrations from others, as well as 15th-centurycodices.[6] Carmelia Opsomer published a commented facsimile of the ms 1041 held in the library of the university of Liège.[7] Unillustrated manuscripts present a series of tables, with a narrative commentary on the facing pages. TheTacuinum was first printed in 1531.
TheTacuinum was very popular in Western Europe in theLate Middle Ages; an indication of that popularity is the use of the wordtaccuino in modern Italian to mean "notebook". "Neither religious nor scientific motives could explain the incentive to create such an image; only a cultured lay audience [...] could have commissioned and then perused these delightful pages."[8]
In addition to its importance for the study ofmedieval medicine, theTacuinum is also of interest in the study of agriculture and cooking; for example, one of the earliest identifiable images of thecarrot—a modern plant—is found in it.
In 2008, the Spanish publishing houseM. Moleiro Editor published the first and only facsimile of theTacuinum Sanitatis kept at theBibliothèque nationale de France, in an edition limited to 987 copies.[9] This edition was accompanied by a commentary volume by Alain Touwaide (Smithsonian), Eberhard König (Freie Universität Berlin) and Carlos Miranda García-Tejedor (Doctor in History).
Though describing in detail the beneficial and harmful properties of foods and plants, it is far more than aherbal. Listing its contents organically rather than alphabetically, it sets forth the six essential elements for well-being:
Tacuinum Sanitatis says that illnesses result from imbalance of these elements.
Depending on the translation, theTacuinum Sanitatis consists of a number of horticulture remedies for a variety of conditions and circumstances. One compilation of theTacuinum Sanitatis that combines the text from all four of the existing manuscripts includes forty-eight different vegetables, fruits, and clothes. Each of the sections isolates a single remedy and considers the ways that the remedy is useful, the possible consequences, methods to mitigate the consequences, and the beneficial qualities.[10]
Although the exact taxonomic classification of each plant is uncertain due to differences between manuscripts and errors during translation, the remedies described in theTacuinum Sanitatis can still be loosely identified. The manuscripts describe root vegetables, alliums, leafy vegetables, cucurbits, other vegetables, temperate fruits, subtropical fruits, nuts, flowers, herbs, and even clothing material. The exact identity of the plant species are not always certain, as they are often labeled with Arabic words.
There are several categories of vegetables present in the various manuscripts. Root vegetables of the manuscripts includeradishes (Rafani),turnips (rappe),parsnips (pastinace), andcarrots (alsopastinace). Thealliums represented areonions (cepe),leeks (pori), andgarlic (alea). Theleaf vegetables included arekale (caules onati),lettuce (lactuce), andspinach (spinachie).Cucumber (cucumeres et citruli),melon (melones indi et palestini),watermelon (Melones dulces/insipidi), andbottle gourd (cucurbite) are present for theCucurbitaceae. Other vegetables includeasparagus (sparagus),cowpea (faxioli), andeggplant (melongiana).
Another main category within the manuscripts is fruits, including temperate fruits –grape (uve),apple (mala acetosa ormala dulcis),pear (pira),peach (persica), andcherry (cerosa acetosa orcerosa dulcia) – and subtropical fruits –lemon (citra) andpomegranate (granata acetosa).
Other items beyond vegetables and fruits are presented as remedies for conditions, such as nuts, flowers, and herbs. These remedies includechestnut (castanee),hazelnut (avelane),rose (roxe),lily (lilia),violet (viole),sage (salvia),marjoram (maiorana), anddill (aneti). However, the above examples are not a comprehensive list of every remedy included in all of the manuscript editions—some of these items are included in multiple manuscripts, whereas others are missing or additional remedies included.[11][10]
Within each entry of a remedy, a few qualities and uses are explained. The optimal state of the plant for medicinal use is described, such as the quality of the plant leaves. The entries include not only the benefits from the item, but also the potential dangers from using the remedy, similar to a list of side effects from modern medicine. However, the dangers described can be mitigated by a neutralizing element that is also included. Additionally, there is also typically an image corresponding to the item that is prescribed.[10]
The detailed images that accompany each remedy typically offer skewed depictions of the agricultural process, including placing too much emphasis on plant size and production, although these drawings exhibit better quality depictions of agriculture than similar images from that time. Many of the images depict people in the process of harvesting the crop instead of administering the remedy from the plant. Thus, there is a degree to which horticulture is also presented alongside the medicinal qualities of plants, however, the quality of the depictions can make identifying the species difficult.[11]
