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Syriac Medicine
Syriac Medicine
The Syriacs had special concern for the science of medicine which they became famous for in the Orient and which they practiced for more than thousand years. In his Syriac Chronography, Bar Hebraeus mentioned the physicians Sergius of Rish 'Ayna, Athanus (or Atanas) of Amid, Phylagrius, Simon Taybutha, Gregory and Theodosius, Patriarch of Antioch, and Hunayn Ibn Ishaq who along with Simon Taybutha is Nestorian (Church of the East).
From the writings of these physicians we know that Sergius translated into Syriac a group of Galen's works as had been formerly mentioned. From Sergius we have the translation of Galen's Ars Medica and De Alimentorum F'acultatibus. Yet we know nothing of Atanas, Phylagrius and the bishop Gregory except that the first and the third had a Kunnash (medical collection) mentioned by Ibn Abi Usaybi'a. It is most likely that Atanas and Phylagrius lived in the seventh century whereas Gregory lived in the eighth. We also have a Kunnash by Theodosius the Patriarch in which he attained the highest achievement. Pognon published an anonymous Syriac translation of Hippocrates' Aphorism. We also have a large anonymous medical book consisting of more than 600 pages written in smooth and solid style preserved in the library at Homs. It is slightly imperfect at the beginning and at the end but it contains a treatise by Hunayn ibn Ishaq. The notes on this book are written by the deacon Basil, the son of the priest John of Melitene, in his own handwriting in 1224.
From the pen of the Syriac philosopher Gabriel of Edessa (1227) we have many books on medicine and philosophy. Bar Hebraeus was also a skilled physician who attained to the utmost skill in medicine. He translated Dioscorides' treatise De Medicamentis Simplicibus and four parts of Ibn Sina's Canon or al-Qanun fi al-Tibb into Syriac. Of his own composition is a large medical book containing all of the then extant medical theories. In Arabic he wrote a digest of the great book of al-Ghafiqi and a commentary on the Aphorisms of Hippocrates. Further, he composed a treatise on the advantages of the members of the body and wrote a commentary on the Quaestiones Medicae of Hunayn to the chapter on the antidote.
The following is a list of the Syrian physicians whom we were able to find. While the list is long, we only have detailed infomration about some of them and many of them were known for their skills in different areas of knowlwdge.
Marutha, bishop of Miyapharqin (d. 421)
The other names on this list, have very little infomration about them
Emaous the priest, Athanus (Atanas) of Amid, Phylagrius, Gregory the bishop (8th century), Patriarch Theodosius (d. 896), Abraham Ibn Bacchus, 'Ali Ibn Bacchus (d. 1004), 'Isa Ibn Zur'a (d. 1008), Abu al-Khayr al-Hasan Ibn al-Khammar, Abu Bishr the Syrian, Abu al-Faraj al-Yabrudi (d. 1035), 'Isa Ibn 'Ali Ibn Bacchus (d. 1043), Al-Fadl Ibn Jarir al-Takriti, Abu Nasr Yahya Ibn Jarir al-Takriti (d. 1079), Deacon Abu al-Yusr (d. 1100), The priest Abu al-Faraj (d. 1112), Deacon Abu Sa'd of Edessa (d. 1138), Deacon Abu 'Ali the chief physician (d. 1169), Deacon Sahdo Al Shumanna (d. 1170), Burhan the skilled physician (d. 1190), Athanasius Denha, metropolitan of Edessa (d. 1191), Simon of Khartbart (d. 1207), John Mina, metropolitan of Amid (d. 1222), Abu al-Hasan al-Qaysari (d. 1222), Abu al-Karam Sa'id Ibn Thomas of Baghdad (d. 1223), Archdeacon Abu Sa'd, chief of the Eastern physicians (d. 1224), Hasnun of Edessa (d. 1227), Gabriel of Edessa, Abu Salim Ibn Karaba of Melitene (d. 1234), Mari Al-Tuma of Baghdad (d. 1236), The sage Theodore of Antioch (d. 1240), 'Isa of Edessa, the disciple of Hasnun (d. 1244), Abu al-Khayr Sahl Ibn Sa'ad Al-Tuma (d. 1245), The priest Yeshu Al-Tuma of Hisn Kifa (d. 1248), Deacon Aaron Ibn Thomas of Melitene (d. 1252), father of Abu al-Faraj Bar Hebraeus, Michael Ibn Barjas of Melitene (d. 1255), Abu al-'Iz Ibn Daqiq. of Mosul (d. 1258), Maphryono Saliba of Edessa (d. 1258), Taj al-Dawla Abu Tahir Al-Tuma (d. 1277), Qufir Ibn Aaron of Melitene, Abu al-Khayr of Edessa (d. 1284), The priest Simon Al Thomas (d. 1289), Deacon John Ibn Saru of Bartelli (d. 1292), Deacon Bahnam Habbo Kanni of Bartelli (d. 1293), Ishaq Ibn Abi al-Faraj Ibn al-Qassis (the priest) (d. 1299), Priest Jamal al-Din of Arbil (d. 1369), Maphryono 'Aziz of Se'ert (d. 1487), Deacon John of Damascus (d. 1580), Patriarch Ni'mat Allah Nur al-Din (d. 1587), Bishop Thomas Nur al-Din (d. 1592), Prince Qura, the chief physician and contemporary of Jacob of Sarug
Of these physicians the ones who wrote medical books in Arabic are: Abraham Ibn Bacchus, Yahya Ibn 'Adi, 'Ali Ibn Bacchus, 'Isa Ibn Zur'a, Abu al-Faraj al-Yabrudi, the two brothers al-Fadl Ibn Jarir and Yahya Ibn Jarir.
Sources:
Patriarch Ignatius Aphram I Barsoum (2003), The Scattered Pearls, A History of Syriac Literature and Sciences, Translated and Edited by Matti Moosa, New Jersey
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