Bookplate of the Solomon M. Hyams Collection of Medical Hebraica and Judaica
Hyams, Solomon M.
Bookplates
Unknown
The Boston Medical Library does not hold copyright on all materials in this collection. For use information, consult Public Services at chm@hms.harvard.edu
image
English
still image
The book of knowledge, treating of the wisdom of the ancients in four parts
Erra Pater
Frontispieces (illustrations)
Title pages
Woodcuts (prints)
Judaica
Editions of <em>The book of knowledge</em>, a popular astrological and medical work, begin to appear in the 1530s and were printed regularly in England and America into the early 19th century. Although described on the title-page as <em>“a Jew, Doctor in Astronomy and Physic, born in Bethany, near Mount Olivet, in Judea,”</em> Erra Pater was not a real person.
Erra Pater
J. and M. Robertson
The Boston Medical Library does not hold copyright on all materials in this collection. For use information, consult Public Services at chm@hms.harvard.edu
text
English
text
DigID0002850
Tetrabiblos (Quadripartite)
Ptolemy, active 2nd century
Incunabula
Judaica
Excerpts
Astrology
The <i>Tetrabiblos</i> examines the influence of the stars on human affairs.
Ptolemy, active 2nd century
Boneto Locatelli
The Boston Medical Library does not hold copyright on all materials in this collection. For use information, consult Public Services at chm@hms.harvard.edu
text
Latin
DigID0002795
Diatriba de Avibus Esu Licitis
Norrelius, Andreas, 1679-1749
Judaica
Jews--Dietary laws
Excerpts
The author elucidates the sections of Leviticus and Deuteronomy concerning the Mosaic laws of <em>kashrut</em>, specifically those pertaining to birds. Norrelius was the librarian of the Royal Academy, and his learning is evident in these pages: he attests Syriac and Greek sources in addition to the Biblical texts in question.
Norrelius, Andreas, 1679-1749
Royal Academy
The Boston Medical Library does not hold copyright on all materials in this collection. For use information, consult Public Services at chm@hms.harvard.edu
text
Latin
DigID0002758
Medical leaves
Medical Leaves
Judaica
Book covers
Excerpts
Articles
"Medical leaves is dedicated to a study of Jewish medical history and contemporary Jewish medical problems …One of the most pressing problems confronting the Jewish physicians in this country today is that of medical Jewish refugees … [a] good deal of space is devoted to the medical aspects of Palestine…" This issue includes an article entitled <em>The psychopathology of Nazism</em>.
Medical Leaves
Medical Leaves, Inc.
The Boston Medical Library does not hold copyright on all materials in this collection. For use information, consult Public Services at chm@hms.harvard.edu
text
English
DigID0002756
DigID0002757
The three pillars: thought, worship and practice for the Jewish woman
Melamed, Deborah M. (Deborah Marcus)
Judaica
Book covers
Jewish women
"This book is a brief exposition of those aspects of Jewish life which have special significance for the woman … it focuses the attention only on those fundamentals with which every modern Jewish woman should be familiar." – Preface. This concise volume covers home life, <em>Shabbat</em>, holidays, dietary laws, and life-cycle events such as birth, circumcision, <em>bar mitzvah</em>, death, burial, and mourning.
Melamed, Deborah M. (Deborah Marcus)
Women
The Boston Medical Library does not hold copyright on all materials in this collection. For use information, consult Public Services at chm@hms.harvard.edu
text
English
DigID0002765
Liber de Gradibus Simplicium
Israeli, Isaac, approximately 832-approximately 932
Manuscripts (document genre)
Judaica
Excerpts
Ibn al-Jazzar, -980
Israeli, Isaac, approximately 832-approximately 932
Ibn al-Jazzar, -980
The Boston Medical Library does not hold copyright on all materials in this collection. For use information, consult Public Services at chm@hms.harvard.edu
text
Latin
DigID0002791
De Urinis
Israeli, Isaac, approximately 832-approximately 932
Manuscripts (document genre)
Judaica
Excerpts
Urine
This manuscript version of Isaac Israeli’s treatise on urine is part of a larger compilation of texts which was probably used by a German medical student (the binding is typical of German craftsmanship and materials). The lack of embellishment or illumination, as well as the small hand and margins, suggest that this codex was meant for use by a student.
<p>The text of <em>De Urinis</em> begins just under the circle and the words ‘S[an]ta maria’: “In the name of Christ begins the book of urine translated by Constantine the African into the Latin language from the Arabic …”</p>
Israeli, Isaac, approximately 832-approximately 932
The Boston Medical Library does not hold copyright on all materials in this collection. For use information, consult Public Services at chm@hms.harvard.edu
text
Latin
DigID0002788
Kitab al-Maliki
Israeli, Isaac, approximately 832-approximately 932
Manuscripts (document genre)
Judaica
Excerpts
This work is also attributed to Haly Abbas. Also included in this volume are Constantine the African’s <em>De Stomacho (On Diseases of the Stomach)</em> and Marbode’s <em>De Lapidibus (On Stones)</em>. This volume is bound in a vellum leaf of manuscript, probably a 16th-century hand.
Israeli, Isaac, approximately 832-approximately 932
The Boston Medical Library does not hold copyright on all materials in this collection. For use information, consult Public Services at chm@hms.harvard.edu
text
Latin
DigID0002797
A Tutti Voi Mercanti
Ferdinando I, Grand-Duke of Tuscany, 1549-1609
Manuscripts (document genre)
Judaica
Excerpts
Legal documents
This document bestows legal, religious, and commercial privileges on foreign merchants and the Jewish community in the cities of Pisa and Livorno. Section 18, on the right hand page, grants Jews the right to practice medicine, and section 20 grants the right to build a synagogue in Pisa.
Ferdinando I, Grand-Duke of Tuscany, 1549-1609
The Boston Medical Library does not hold copyright on all materials in this collection. For use information, consult Public Services at chm@hms.harvard.edu
text
Italian
DigID0002792
Viaticum
Constantine, the African, approximately 1020-1087
Manuscripts (document genre)
Judaica
Excerpts
Translations (documents)
Handbooks
The <em>Viaticum</em>is a systematic and detailed medical handbook originally written in Arabic and translated at least 3 times into Hebrew. Its popularity in medieval Europe is well-documented. The Latin translation on view here is almost certainly the work of Constantine.
<p>From the Prince Dietrichstein Library.</p>
Constantine, the African, approximately 1020-1087
The Boston Medical Library does not hold copyright on all materials in this collection. For use information, consult Public Services at chm@hms.harvard.edu
text
Latin
DigID0002789
Lilium Medicinae; De Phlebotomia
Bernard, de Gordon, approximately 1260-approximately 1318
Manuscripts (document genre)
Judaica
Excerpts
Bernard de Gordon taught in the medical faculty at Montpellier, which was a refuge for Jewish students from Spain. The <i>Lilium Medicinae</i>, written in 1303 and first printed in Naples in 1480, must have been well-known and well-used, as there were 7 editions printed before 1501. The text is notable for including one of the first descriptions of a truss for inguinal hernia. The <i>De Phlebotomia</i> is exceedingly rare, with only 4 manuscript copies known.
<p>
From the Prince Dietrichstein Library.
Bernard, de Gordon, approximately 1260-approximately 1318
The Boston Medical Library does not hold copyright on all materials in this collection. For use information, consult Public Services at chm@hms.harvard.edu
text
Hebrew
DigID0002793
Astronomica
Judaica
Manuscripts (document genre)
Astrology
Astronomy
Eclipses
This is a collection of 38 treatises on astronomy, astrology, and mathematics, including one of León Hebreo, <em>(De coniunctione Saturni et Iovis anni Christi 1345 (On the conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter in the year of our Lord 1345)</em>.
Unknown
The Boston Medical Library does not hold copyright on all materials in this collection. For use information, consult Public Services at chm@hms.harvard.edu
text
Latin
DigID0002790
Sefer Goralot
Avraham ben Me
Manuscripts (document genre)
Judaica
Cabala
Astrology
A treatise on <em>Kabbalah</em>, astrology and fortunetelling with elaborate diagrams of the zodiac. Ibn Ezra was an earnest apologist for astrology and translated many astrological treatises from Arabic into Hebrew. Maimonides, using Biblical law as a guide, was an early and important critic of this “science”, although predictions of the coming of the Messiah depended heavily on it.
Avraham ben Me'ir Ibn 'Ezra, 1092-1167
The Boston Medical Library does not hold copyright on all materials in this collection. For use information, consult Public Services at chm@hms.harvard.edu
text
Hebrew
DigID0002766
Hilkhot Shehitah
Joseph ben Ephraim Karo, 1488-1575
Manuscripts (document genre)
Judaica
Jews--Dietary laws
Kashering of meat
Karo was a renowned codifier of rabbinical Judaism. This text specifies conditions for the kosher slaughtering of animals, including the dimensions and sharpness of the knives to be used.
Joseph ben Ephraim Karo, 1488-1575
The Boston Medical Library does not hold copyright on all materials in this collection. For use information, consult Public Services at chm@hms.harvard.edu
text
Hebrew
DigID0002787
Relatio de Simone Puero Tridentino (Bartholomaeus Guldinbeck, 1475)
Tiberinus, Johannes Matthias (fl. 1475)
Incunabula
Simon, of Trent, -1475
Judaica
Excerpts
The story of Simon of Trent is among the most egregious examples of the “blood libel” against Jews. This accusation usually involves the sacrificial killing of children whose blood is then used in various rituals, among them the making of Passover <em>matzoh</em>. Simon of Trent (or Trento), 28 months old, disappeared on 23 March 1475; his body was found in a river several days later. Earlier in the Lenten season, the Franciscan friar Bernardinus of Feltre had delivered several inflammatory sermons denouncing the Jews of Trent and predicting the murder of a Christian child during Passover. The discovery of Simon’s body engendered widespread condemnation of the Jewish community and eventually led to the torture and execution of several of its members. Simon of Trent was canonized about a century later. After the second Vatican Council (1962-1965), the entire episode was declared a fraud; Simon’s name was removed from the calendar of saints’ days in 1965, the cult dedicated to him was dissolved, and further veneration of him was forbidden.
Tiberinus, Johannes Matthias (fl. 1475)
Bartholomaeus Guldinbeck
The Boston Medical Library does not hold copyright on all materials in this collection. For use information, consult Public Services at chm@hms.harvard.edu
text
Latin
DigID0002782
Relatio de Simone puero Tridentino (Albrecht Kunne, 1476)
Tiberinus, Johannes Matthias (fl. 1475)
Incunabula
Simon, of Trent, -1475
Judaica
Excerpts
The story of Simon of Trent is among the most egregious examples of the “blood libel” against Jews. This accusation usually involves the sacrificial killing of children whose blood is then used in various rituals, among them the making of Passover <em>matzoh</em>. Simon of Trent (or Trento), 28 months old, disappeared on 23 March 1475; his body was found in a river several days later. Earlier in the Lenten season, the Franciscan friar Bernardinus of Feltre had delivered several inflammatory sermons denouncing the Jews of Trent and predicting the murder of a Christian child during Passover. The discovery of Simon’s body engendered widespread condemnation of the Jewish community and eventually led to the torture and execution of several of its members. Simon of Trent was canonized about a century later. After the second Vatican Council (1962-1965), the entire episode was declared a fraud; Simon’s name was removed from the calendar of saints’ days in 1965, the cult dedicated to him was dissolved, and further veneration of him was forbidden.
Tiberinus, Johannes Matthias (fl. 1475)
Albrecht Kunne
The Boston Medical Library does not hold copyright on all materials in this collection. For use information, consult Public Services at chm@hms.harvard.edu
text
Latin
DigID0002783
Relatio de Simone Puero Tridentino (Gabriele di Pietro, 1475)
Tiberinus, Johannes Matthias (fl. 1475)
Incunabula
Simon, of Trent, -1475
Judaica
Excerpts
Annotations
The story of Simon of Trent is among the most egregious examples of the “blood libel” against Jews. This accusation usually involves the sacrificial killing of children whose blood is then used in various rituals, among them the making of Passover <em>matzoh</em>. Simon of Trent (or Trento), 28 months old, disappeared on 23 March 1475; his body was found in a river several days later. Earlier in the Lenten season, the Franciscan friar Bernardinus of Feltre had delivered several inflammatory sermons denouncing the Jews of Trent and predicting the murder of a Christian child during Passover. The discovery of Simon’s body engendered widespread condemnation of the Jewish community and eventually led to the torture and execution of several of its members. Simon of Trent was canonized about a century later. After the second Vatican Council (1962-1965), the entire episode was declared a fraud; Simon’s name was removed from the calendar of saints’ days in 1965, the cult dedicated to him was dissolved, and further veneration of him was forbidden.
Tiberinus, Johannes Matthias (fl. 1475)
Gabriele di Pietro
The Boston Medical Library does not hold copyright on all materials in this collection. For use information, consult Public Services at chm@hms.harvard.edu
text
Latin
DigID0002784
Liber Aggregatus in Medicinis Simplicibus
Ibn Serapion, active 9th century
Incunabula
Judaica
Abraham, of Tortosa, active 13th century (translator)
Translations (documents)
Initials (layout features)
This is the first medical book – an Arabic work on medicine, pharmacology, and therapeutics – translated by a Jew (Abraham of Tortosa, fl. 13th century). “Simples” are the foundations (plant, animal, or mineral) upon which compounded preparations are formulated.
Ibn Serapion, active 9th century
Antonio Zarotto
Abraham, of Tortosa, active 13th century (translator)
The Boston Medical Library does not hold copyright on all materials in this collection. For use information, consult Public Services at chm@hms.harvard.edu
text
Latin
DigID0002794
Mishnah (compendium of Jewish Oral Law) with commentary of Maimonides
Maimonides, Moses, 1135-1204
Incunabula
Judaica
Commentaries
Excerpts
Floor plans
Maimonides composed his Judeo-Arabic commentary on the <em>Mishnah</em> (known in Arabic as <em>Kitab al-Siraj</em>; in Hebrew, <em>Sefer ha Ma’or</em>) between 1145 and 1168. The <em>Mishnah</em>, compiled in the 2nd century CE by Judah ha-Nasi, is divided into six main sections (<em>Seeds, Festivals, Women, Torts, Sacred Things,</em> and <em>Purity</em>) which are in turn subdivided into many smaller sections. Maimonides’ commentary can be distinguished from the text of the <em>Mishnah</em> by the type face; the text is in a so-called square script, while the commentary is in a Sephardi script.
Maimonides, Moses, 1135-1204
Joshua Solomon ben Israel Nathan Soncino
The Boston Medical Library does not hold copyright on all materials in this collection. For use information, consult Public Services at chm@hms.harvard.edu
text
Hebrew
DigID0002796
De Regimine Sanitatis ad Soldanum Babyloniae
Maimonides, Moses, 1135-1204
Incunabula
Translations (documents)
Excerpts
Hygiene
Annotations
Judaica
This is an early work on hygiene and longevity addressed to the Egyptian Sultan Saladin; Maimonides served as physician to the vizier of Saladin. Maimonides offers advice on such subjects as diet in health and disease, common illnesses, and therapeutics. This copy is extensively annotated in a 16th-century hand.
Maimonides, Moses, 1135-1204
Convent of San Jacopo de Ripoli
The Boston Medical Library does not hold copyright on all materials in this collection. For use information, consult Public Services at chm@hms.harvard.edu
text
Latin
DigID0002785
Aphorismi Secundum Doctrinam Galeni
Maimonides, Moses, 1135-1204
Incunabula
Judaica
Excerpts
Translations (documents)
This volume, the first printed edition of Maimonides’ interpretation of Hippocratic and Galenic doctrine, also includes the <em>Aphorismi</em> of St. John of Damascus, Razi’s <em>De Secretis in Medicina</em>, and Hippocrates’ <em>Prognostica</em>. Maimonides, born at Córdoba in 1135, was not only a physician, but also a rabbinical scholar, scientist, and philosopher. This text is based on a 9th-century Arabic translation of Hippocrates’ <em>Aphorisms</em> together with Galen’s commentary. All of Maimonides’ medical works were composed in Arabic, and subsequently translated into Hebrew and Latin. The Hebrew translations of this work and <em>De Regimine Sanitatis</em> were the work of Moses ibn Tibbon; the Latin translator is unknown.
Maimonides, Moses, 1135-1204
Benedetto Faelli
The Boston Medical Library does not hold copyright on all materials in this collection. For use information, consult Public Services at chm@hms.harvard.edu
text
Latin
DigID0002786
Opera
Josephus, Flavius
Incunabula
Judaica
Excerpts
Initials (layout features)
Judaism
This edition of Josephus' entire <em>oeuvre</em> includes the <em>Contra Apionem</em>, an apologetic work on behalf of Judaism. This copy, unrubricated save for the occasional crudely drawn initial, stands in stark contrast to the copy of <em>De Antiquitate Judaica</em>.
Josephus, Flavius
Giovanni Rosso
The Boston Medical Library does not hold copyright on all materials in this collection. For use information, consult Public Services at chm@hms.harvard.edu
text
Latin
DigID0002780
De Antiquitate Judaica; De Bello Judaico
Josephus, Flavius
Incunabula
Judaica
Excerpts
Initials (layout features)
Josephus, born in Jerusalem, had a multifaceted career as priest, soldier, and historian. His retelling of Jewish history and partially first-hand account of the rebellion against the Romans (66-70 CE), originally written in Aramaic (now lost) and Greek, appear here in Latin translation. Josephus served as military commander of the Jewish army in Galilee despite his reluctance to join in the revolt. After the destruction of the Temple in 70, Josephus, whose ties with Roman culture were paradoxically strong, took up residence in Rome and began his literary career.
<p>
This copy has a particularly beautiful illuminated initial and is extensively rubricated.
Josephus, Flavius
Petrus Maufer
The Boston Medical Library does not hold copyright on all materials in this collection. For use information, consult Public Services at chm@hms.harvard.edu
text
Latin
DigID0002781
Oratio in Die Circumcisionis Anno 1484 Habita
Carvajal, Bernardino de, 1456-1523
Incunabula
Judaica
Excerpts
Circumcision
This sermon on Christ’s circumcision, given before Pope Sixtus IV in 1484, explores the symbolic aspects of the ritual and compares it to Christ’s eventual suffering on the cross. Carvajal claims that the process of circumcision and its attendant blood loss and pain help demonstrate the humanity of Christ. The early Christian writers, in particular St. Augustine, interpreted Christ’s circumcision as the redemption of original sin -- thus likening it to baptism -- rather than as a sign of the covenant between Abraham and God. Because Christ was circumcised, it was not required of his followers; baptism would suffice.
Carvajal, Bernardino de, 1456-1523
Stephan Plannck
The Boston Medical Library does not hold copyright on all materials in this collection. For use information, consult Public Services at chm@hms.harvard.edu
text
Latin
DigID0002776
Anulus astronomicus
Bonet, de Lates, -1514 or 1515
Incunabula
Woodcuts (prints)
Judaica
Astronomical instruments
Excerpts
Frontispieces (illustrations)
Bonet de Lates was a Provençal physician and astrologer who settled in Rome, where, in addition to acting as physician to Popes Alexander VI and Leo X, he served the Jewish community as a rabbi. He is best known for his invention of the ring-shaped astronomical dial, described in this work, which could measure the altitudes of the sun and stars, as well as the time of day or night. This is said to be the first printed illustration of a scientific instrument. Bonet also wrote a treatise entitled <em>“Prognosticum”</em> (Rome, 1498), in which he predicted the coming of the Messiah in 1505.
Bonet, de Lates, -1514 or 1515
Andreas Freitag
The Boston Medical Library does not hold copyright on all materials in this collection. For use information, consult Public Services at chm@hms.harvard.edu
text
Latin
DigID0002777
DigID0002778
Perush 'al ha-Torah
Levi ben Gershom, 1288-1344
Incunabula
Excerpts
Judaica
This volume is a commentary on the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible). Only 6 books are known to have been printed by Conat, who introduced Hebrew printing in Mantua in 1474. Conat's wife Estellina was the first woman to become involved in Hebrew printing with the production of Jedaiah ben Abraham Bedersi's <em>Behinat 'Olam (Investigation of the World)</em>.
Levi ben Gershom, 1288-1344
Abraham ben Solomon Conat and Abraham Jedidiah ha-Esrachi
The Boston Medical Library does not hold copyright on all materials in this collection. For use information, consult Public Services at chm@hms.harvard.edu
text
Hebrew
DigID0002779
Compendiosa Introduttione alla Prima Parte della Specularia
Mirami, Rafael
Judaica
Excerpts
Optics
The Jewish community at Ferrara was one of the largest and most active in Italy; it grew rapidly during the 15th century in part because of substantial immigration from less congenial parts of Europe. The Jewish presence dwindled during and after the 16th century, when the rulers of the city built a ghetto to isolate and weaken the population. Rafael Mirami was a Jewish Ferrarese physician and mathematician with a special interest in mirrors, optics, and poetry: the text is sprinkled throughout with verses of Dante, Petrarch, and Horace intended to support Mirami’s arguments. P. 32-33 show the differences in reflections between flat, concave, and convex mirrors.
Mirami, Rafael
Heirs of Francesco Rossi and Paolo Tortorino
The Boston Medical Library does not hold copyright on all materials in this collection. For use information, consult Public Services at chm@hms.harvard.edu
text
Italian
DigID0002767
The Sanatory Institutions of the Hebrews
Sola, Abraham de, 1825-1882
Judaica
Excerpts
Abraham de Sola was born in London and became rabbi of the Spanish and Portuguese congregation in Montreal in 1846 at the age of 22. In 1849, when a religious furor arose over the use of obstetrical anesthesia, he was asked to interpret Genesis 3:16, which implies that childbirth must inevitably be accompanied by great pain. His reponse, published as a three-part article in a Canadian medical journal, was in favor of pain relief during childbirth. <i>The Sanatory Institutions of the Hebrews</i> relies on Biblical, Talmudic, and modern medical sources to justify the Jewish dietary and hygienic laws. Sola was the first Jew to be awarded an honorary degree from McGill University.
Sola, Abraham de, 1825-1882
John Lovell
The Boston Medical Library does not hold copyright on all materials in this collection. For use information, consult Public Services at chm@hms.harvard.edu
text
English
Hebrew
DigID0002769
New Experiments Upon Vipers
Charas, Moyse, 1619-1698
Judaica
Engravings (prints)
Title pages
Venom
Charas trained as a classicist and pharmacist in France; his interests lay in a curious mix of therapeutics, toxicology and natural history. This volume focuses on the anatomy, physiology, and habits of snakes. Charas believed that venom was poisonous only when a snake was enraged, and used classical texts to bolster his arguments. His discussion of the therapeutic value of venom is more in line with current scientific and medical thinking.
Charas, Moyse, 1619-1698
Mark Pardoe
The Boston Medical Library does not hold copyright on all materials in this collection. For use information, consult Public Services at chm@hms.harvard.edu
text
English
DigID0002768
Gerokomia Basilike
Smith, John, 1630-1679
Judaica
Title pages
Smith's paraphrase and exegesis of the text of Ecclesiastes 12:1-6 is noteworthy for its claim that "Solomon perfectly knew, and as plainly as his Figurative Method would give leave, described the Circular Motion of the Bloud, the best and most useful Invention of this Latter Age." The first edition of William Harvey’s pioneering work on this topic was published in 1628, so Smith’s Solomon was clearly ahead of his time.
Smith, John, 1630-1679
J. Hayes for S. Thomson
The Boston Medical Library does not hold copyright on all materials in this collection. For use information, consult Public Services at chm@hms.harvard.edu
text
English
DigID0002770
Dialogi d'Amore
Le
Judaica
Excerpts
Love--Philosophy
León Hebreo was a Portuguese poet, physician, and philosopher who eventually settled in Venice. The <em>Dialogi</em> are Neoplatonic reflections on the nature and philosophy of love; this is the first edition, published posthumously.
Le
Antonio Blado
The Boston Medical Library does not hold copyright on all materials in this collection. For use information, consult Public Services at chm@hms.harvard.edu
text
Italian
DigID0002764
Hanahatan va-Halitsatan Shel Tefilin
Kreyer, Matthias
Title pages
Engravings (prints)
Excerpts
Judaica
Tefillin
<p>A thesis, delivered and defended publicly, on the laws surrounding the use of phylacteries, or <em>tefillin</em>.</p>
<p>Deuteronomy 6:5-8: "And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might. Take to heart these instructions with which I charge you this day. Impress them upon your children. Recite them when you stay at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you get up. Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them serve as a frontlet between your eyes."</p>
<p>These verses serve as foundational texts for the tradition of <em>tefillin</em> -- two small boxes that are equipped with leather straps and placed on the arm and the head during morning prayer, except on the Sabbath and holidays.</p>
Kreyer, Matthias
Bauhof
The Boston Medical Library does not hold copyright on all materials in this collection. For use information, consult Public Services at chm@hms.harvard.edu
text
Hebrew
Latin
DigID0002759
DigID0002760
Doctor Perplexorum
Maimonides, Moses, 1135-1204
Judaica
Excerpts
Translations (documents)
Ibn Tibon, Mosheh, active 13th century (translator)
Maimonides' philosophical treatise on Judaism takes a rationalist perspective while embracing the Jewish mystical tradition, albeit in a limited way. The first of the 3 books examines the attributes of God and rejects the trend toward anthropomorphizing Him. Maimonides stresses the danger of exposing the uneducated to mysticism; a broad knowledge of <em>Torah</em> and other texts, as well as an understanding of tradition, are necessary to prevent inadvertent heresy. The second book is concerned with the physical aspects of the universe and the notion of prophecy, and the third includes an explication of the book of Ezekiel as well as a discussion of the 613 <em>mitzvot</em>, or commandments, found in the Pentateuch.
Maimonides, Moses, 1135-1204
Monasch
Ibn Tibon, Mosheh, active 13th century (translator)
The Boston Medical Library does not hold copyright on all materials in this collection. For use information, consult Public Services at chm@hms.harvard.edu
text
Hebrew
German
DigID0002761
Gedenkbuch "Chewra Kadischa"
Hevra kaddisha
Judaica
Excerpts
This volume commemorates the <em>Hevra Kaddisha</em>, or Jewish burial society, in several districts of Vienna during the years 1864-1905.
<p>The <em>Hevra Kaddisha</em> performs an invaluable service to the Jewish community. It is charged with ensuring that the dead are treated respectfully and according to Jewish law. Members of the <em>Hevra Kaddisha</em>wash and dress the newly deceased and stay with the body until burial. These tasks are considered especially praiseworthy because the favor cannot be returned.</p>
<p>This page lists the founding members of the society.</p>
Unknown
Ferdinand Riess
The Boston Medical Library does not hold copyright on all materials in this collection. For use information, consult Public Services at chm@hms.harvard.edu
text
German
DigID0002771
Rebecca oder das Judische Weib
Levi, Abraham
Judaica
Excerpts
Fasts and feasts--Judaism
More on the duties of Jewish women. These pages list the holidays and fast days in the months of <em>Av</em>, <em>Elul</em>, and <em>Tishrei</em>. <em>Tisha b'Av</em> (the ninth of Av) commemorates the two occasions on which the Temple was destroyed (587 BCE and 70 CE). <em>Elul</em> is a month of repentance focusing on the coming holidays in <em>Tishrei</em>: <em>Rosh Hashanah</em> (the New Year) and <em>Yom Kippur</em> (the Day of Atonement).
Levi, Abraham
S
The Boston Medical Library does not hold copyright on all materials in this collection. For use information, consult Public Services at chm@hms.harvard.edu
text
Hebrew
DigID0002773
Ha-likhot Betah
Lazarus, Harris M. (Harris Myer), 1878-
Judaica
Excerpts
Menstruation
This volume is concerned with the laws of <em>niddah</em>, or separation during menstruation, and <em>taharah</em>, ritual purification following menstruation.
Lazarus, Harris M. (Harris Myer), 1878-
Myers & Co.
The Boston Medical Library does not hold copyright on all materials in this collection. For use information, consult Public Services at chm@hms.harvard.edu
text
English
DigID0002772
Ruach Chaim
Hufeland, Christoph Wilhelm, 1762-1836
Judaica
Title pages
Yovel, Mosheh Mordekhai (translator)
Translations (documents)
Macrobiotic diet
"The Art of Prolonging Life" is the best known of Hufeland’s works, and is often cited as the origin of the concept of macrobiotics.
Hufeland, Christoph Wilhelm, 1762-1836
Matsuft Buchdruckerei
The Boston Medical Library does not hold copyright on all materials in this collection. For use information, consult Public Services at chm@hms.harvard.edu
text
Hebrew
DigID0002762
Doktor Bukh
Dubovsky, Benjamin, 1888-
Judaica
Title pages
Childbirth
Hygiene
First aid in illness and injury
This series, in 4 volumes, covers childbirth and childhood illnesses, hygiene, and first aid.
Dubovsky, Benjamin, 1888-
Hebrew Publishing Company
The Boston Medical Library does not hold copyright on all materials in this collection. For use information, consult Public Services at chm@hms.harvard.edu
text
Yiddish
DigID0002763
The Makers of Hebrew Books in Italy
Amram, David Werner, 1866-1939
Judaica
Excerpts
Soncino family
The Soncino family was originally from Speyer, one of the German towns in which printing had an early impact. After a decree of expulsion in 1435, the family moved to the Italian town that lent the family its name. Soncino printed the first Hebrew Bible in Europe in 1488; the edition of the <em>Mishnah</em>in this exhibit was one of the last Hebrew books printed in Naples in 1492. The expulsion of the Jews from Spain in that same year led to massive emigration into Italy. A plague among the Jewish refugees in Naples, along with other unfortunate events, caused the eventual dissolution of the Jewish community in that city. It is unclear what became of Joshua Solomon Soncino, but it is known that his brother Gerson had taken refuge in northern Italy, where religious tolerance was more prevalent than in the south. Gerson Soncino eventually settled in Rimini, where he adopted the tower motif and verse from Proverbs as his printer’s mark – the first for a printer of Hebrew in Italy. The Soncino family was responsible for the printing of approximately 135 Hebrew books between 1483 and 1547.
<p>Today its namesake, the New York-based Soncino Press, continues the tradition of publishing Judaica.</p>
Amram, David Werner, 1866-1939
Holland Press
The Boston Medical Library does not hold copyright on all materials in this collection. For use information, consult Public Services at chm@hms.harvard.edu
text
English
DigID0002755
The Solomon M. Hyams Collection in Holmes Hall, the old Boston Medical Library, 8 The Fenway, Boston
Lenscraft Photos
Photographs
Judaica
Solomon M. Hyams Collection
Boston Medical Library
Lenscraft Photos
The Harvard Medical Library does not hold copyright on all materials in this collection. For use information, consult Public Services at chm@hms.harvard.edu
image
still image
DigID0002774
De Astrologia
Maimonides, Moses, 1135-1204
Astronomy
Excerpts
Maimonides was probably the most famous Jewish physician of all time but known also as a philosopher, theologian, and astronomer. The <em>De Astrologia</em>, his letter to the rabbis of Marseilles condemning astrology, was composed in 1194; this is the first printed edition and contains facing-page texts in Latin and Hebrew.
Maimonides, Moses, 1135-1204
per Iacobum Soterem
The Boston Medical Library does not hold copyright on all materials in this collection. For use information, consult Public Services at chm@hms.harvard.edu
text
Latin, Hebrew
text
DigID0002709
Opera Omnia Ysaac
Israeli, Isaac, approximately 832-approximately 932
Collected Works
Title pages
Woodcuts (prints)
This first printed edition of the collected works of Isaac Israeli includes the tract on fevers. The title-page woodcut depicts an impossible meeting of Isaac with his eleventh century commentators Constantine the African and Ibn Abi al-Rijal.
Israeli, Isaac, approximately 832-approximately 932
curavit ea imprimi Bartholomeus Trot in officina Johannis de Platea
The Boston Medical Library does not hold copyright on all materials in this collection. For use information, consult Public Services at chm@hms.harvard.edu
text
Latin
text
DigID0002708
Sefer ‘Evronot
Excerpts
Treatises
Manuscripts (document genre)
Calendar- and almanac-making manuals were commonly used to calculate the solar and lunar Jewish calendar. In the fourth century CE, a fixed calendar was established based on astronomical and mathematical calculations. This calendar is still used, and is based on a 19-year cycle, which allows the lunar Jewish months to come into alignment with the solar Gregorian calendar.
Unknown
The Boston Medical Library does not hold copyright on all materials in this collection. For use information, consult Public Services at chm@hms.harvard.edu
text
Hebrew
text
DigID0002707
Coloquios dos Simples, e Drogas he Cousas Medicinais da India
Orta, Garcia de, active 16th century
Title pages
Treatises
Once physician to the King of Portugal, Garcia de Orta travelled to India in order to escape the Inquisition, and remained there the rest of his life. He taught in the faculty of medicine at Lisbon in the early 1530's; in 1534, he settled in Goa, where he began a successful practice. De Orta survived the Inquisition unharmed, but after his death, his Jewish ancestry was discovered, and his body was exhumed and burned in an <em>auto-da-fé</em>in 1580.
<p>The <em>Coloquios</em>, the third book ever published in India, consists of dialogues between De Orta and a friend named Ruano on the subject of drugs, herbs, and medical traditions native to the East. The book was a revelation to European readers unfamiliar with these ideas. Many editions were published in Latin, French, Spanish, and the original Portuguese.</p>
Orta, Garcia de, active 16th century
por Ioannes de Endem
The Boston Medical Library does not hold copyright on all materials in this collection. For use information, consult Public Services at chm@hms.harvard.edu
text
Latin
text
DigID0002714
Ueber Schwarzwasserfieber
Koch, Robert, 1843-1910
Excerpts
Pamphlets
The Hyams Collection includes the <em>Hand-apparat</em>, an extensive working pamphlet collection of August von Wassermann (1866-1925), a German bacteriologist who worked with Robert Koch and discovered the Wassermann test for syphilis. The collection focuses on immunology, bacteriology, virology, and toxicology. This item on blackwater fever, a form of malaria, is a presentation copy from Koch to Wassermann.
Koch, Robert, 1843-1910
The Boston Medical Library does not hold copyright on all materials in this collection. For use information, consult Public Services at chm@hms.harvard.edu
text
German
text
Opera of Aristotle
Aristotle
Excerpts
Volume one of the first printed edition of Aristotle’s works in Greek.
Aristotle
Aldus Manutius
The Boston Medical Library does not hold copyright on all materials in this collection. For use information, consult Public Services at chm@hms.harvard.edu
text
Greek
text
DigID0002713
Somnia Danielis
Excerpts
Dreams
The <em>Somnia Danielis</em> [“Daniel’s Dreams”] is a work on the interpretation of dreams; it originated in the eighth century.
Unknown
Albrecht Kunne
The Boston Medical Library does not hold copyright on all materials in this collection. For use information, consult Public Services at chm@hms.harvard.edu
text
Latin
text
DigID0002712
Cantica de medicina
Avicenna, 980-1037
Excerpts
Initials (layout features)
This lesser-known medical work of Avicenna is bound in a manuscript musical sheet with an unusual skull-and-crossbones illuminated initial.
Avicenna, 980-1037
Andreas de Soziis
The Boston Medical Library does not hold copyright on all materials in this collection. For use information, consult Public Services at chm@hms.harvard.edu
text
Latin
text
DigID0002710-0002711
Canon medicinae
Incunabula
Excerpts
Avicenna, 980-1037
<p>The <em>Canon medicinae</em>, a compendium of medical knowledge and a guide to clinical teaching, was derived from Galenic and Hippocratic writings and infused by Avicenna with Arabic medical lore. The <em>Canon</em> includes detailed disquisitions on pathology, physiology, hygiene, therapeutics, and materia medica. The first three books were printed in Latin in 1472 and a complete edition appeared the following year. An encyclopedic and systematic treatise on medicine, it was the fundamental text in medieval and early Renaissance medical education. The text itself was read in the medical schools at Montpellier and Louvain as late as 1650, and Arnold C. Klebs described it as <em>"one of the most significant intellectual phenomena of all times."</em> Avicenna's <em>Canon</em>was translated into Hebrew in 1279.</p>
<p>This edition of Avicenna’s <em>Canon</em> is its first appearance in print as well as the first printing of a medical treatise in Hebrew—and the only one produced during the fifteenth century. Hebrew printing in the 15th century was restricted to Italy and the Iberian peninsula; after the expulsion from Spain in 1492, printers in Italy and Portugal produced a very small number of works. The Gunzenhauser family founded the first Hebrew press in Naples in 1486; this edition of the <em>Canon</em>was one of the last Hebrew books printed in that city.</p>
Avicenna, 980-1037
Azriel ben Joseph de Gunzenhausen
The Boston Medical Library does not hold copyright on all materials in this collection. For use information, consult Public Services at chm@hms.harvard.edu
text
Hebrew
text
DigID0002514
De Febribus
Israeli, Isaac, approximately 832-approximately 932
Manuscripts (document genre)
Figure initials
Isaac Israeli was born in Egypt and studied widely in natural history, mathematics, astronomy, and medicine. He settled in Kairwan, Tunisia, where he served as court physician to the caliph and wrote several esteemed medical and philosphical works in Arabic. Many of the medical treatises, including On Fevers, were translated into Latin by the Benedictine monk Constantine the African in the 11th century. Thereafter, the authorship of Israeli’s medical works was attributed to Constantine; their true origin was not discovered until the middle of the 16th century.This illuminated initial probably depicts Israeli teaching or lecturing.
<p>This manuscript tract on the treatment of fever was written in Montpellier, France, in the middle of the thirteenth century. The manuscript is one of the oldest in the Countway Library and also the first item acquired for the Hyams Collection.</p>
Israeli, Isaac, approximately 832-approximately 932
1250, circa
The Boston Medical Library does not hold copyright on all materials in this collection. For use information, consult Public Services at chm@hms.harvard.edu
image
E2003.1.49
Illustration of the parts of the body as a house
Cohn, Tobias ben Moses, 1652-1729
Woodcuts (prints)
Anatomy
Polish physician Tobias ben Moses Cohn knew nine languages and was court physician to five sultans in Adrianople. In 1724, he moved to Jerusalem. The <em>Ma’aseh Tobiyyah</em> [“Works of Tobias”] is an encyclopedia of theology, botany, astronomy, and medicine, and is remarkable for being the first work in Hebrew to mention the medicinal properties of tobacco. The illustration here compares the rooms and functions of a house with the organs of the human body.
Cohn, Tobias ben Moses, 1652-1729
Ye’snits : Nidpas paʻam rishon be-Ṿinitsiʼah, ṿe-ʻatah nidpas paʻam shenit poh ḳ.ḳ. be-Yesnits ... Be-mitsṿat baʻal ha-madpis Yiśraʼel bar Avraham,
The Boston Medical Library does not hold copyright on all materials in this collection. For use information, consult Public Services at chm@hms.harvard.edu
image
Hebrew
still image
A leaf from the Canon Medicinae of Avicenna
Avicenna, 980-1037
Manuscripts (document genre)
Excerpts
This manuscript copy of Avicenna's <em>Canon</em>, written by Mordechai bar Elia in a rabbinical hand, was formerly in the library of Prince Dietrichstein of Nikolsburg.
Avicenna, 980-1037
The Boston Medical Library does not hold copyright on all materials in this collection. For use information, consult Public Services at chm@hms.harvard.edu
text
Hebrew
text
Ballard 10