Catalogue: Chemical Medicine
Ghāyat al-itqān fī tadbīr badan al-insān (MS A 12)- (The Culmination of Perfection in the Treatment of the Human Body)
- غاية الاتقان فى تدبير بدن الانسان
- by Ṣāliḥ ibn Naṣr Allāh al-Ḥalabī Ibn Sallūm (d. 1670/1081)
- صالح ابن نصر الله ابن سلوم الحلبى
This is an incomplete copy of the version of Ghāyat al-itqān fī tadbīr badan al-insān that is divided into four maqalat, or chapters, the first of which is concerned with the basic principles of medicine, while the second chapter is in two parts concerned with materia medica and with compound remedies. The third chapter of this version discusses diseases associated with specific parts of the body, while the fourth concerned those diseases, such as fevers and skin complaints, not specific to any one part.
The copy is incomplete, breaking off in the section on diseases occurring from fever (maqalah 4, bab 2, fasl 1); NLM MS A 30 is a complete copy of this version.
Illustrations
The opening of a copy a version of the treatise on chemical medicine titled Ghāyat al-itqān fī tadbīr badan al-insān by Ibn Sallūm (d. 1670/1081).The title Istikhraj [fi al-]tibb Extract on Medicine) is given in the second line. The copy is undated and unsigned. The appearance of the paper, ink, and script suggests a 19th-century date.
Physical Description
Arabic. 242 pages (pp. 1-242). Dimensions 21 x 15.5 (text area 17 x 11.4) cm; 20 lines per page. The title Istikhraj [fi al-]tibb is given on p. 1, line 2. The author of the treatise is given as Salih ibn Nasr Allah (p. 1, line) and it is stated that he was in the service of al-Sultan Muhammad ibn al-Sultan Ibrahim in the years 1058 (= 1648). Name of book being extracted is given (p. 1, line 4) as: Ghāyat al-itqān fī tadbīr badan al-insān.
The copy is undated and unsigned. The appearance of the paper, ink, and script suggests a 19th c. date.
The copy is incomplete, breaking off in the section on diseases occurring from fever (maqalah 4, bab 2, fasl 1); NLM MS A 30 is a complete copy of this version.
The text is written in a somewhat awkward naskh script, using black ink with headings in red. The text area has been frame-ruled. There are catchwords and red text stops formed of 3 teardrops. There is very little marginalia. The pages are numbered in Arabic numerals with some errors; the volume has been recently renumbered in Western numerals.
The stiff, cream paper has horizontal laid lines and single chain lines; no watermarks were detected. The paper is water damaged at the start of the volume.
The volume consists of 242 pages and one unnumbered folio at the end. The latter is of slightly different paper from the main text and is blank, though a text area has been frame-ruled.
Binding
The volume is bound in a tan leather library binding with envelope flap. There are modern paper pastedowns and endpapers.
Provenance
The volume was purchased in 1941 by the Army Medical Library from A.S. Yahuda (ELS no. 2356).
References
Schullian/Sommer, Cat. of incun. & MSS., entry A 12, pp. 300-1, where author's name given as Ibn Salam, Ṣāliḥ ibn Naṣr Allāh al-Ḥalabī.
NLM Microfilm Reel: FILM 48-114 no. 2
