The Healing Past: Pharmaceuticals in the Biblical and Rabbinic World

Description

This volume focuses on our present knowledge of pharmaceuticals in the Biblical and Rabbinic world, a subject which has received little attention. Although many aspects of ancient Near Eastern cultural life have been studied thoroughly, no one has dealt with the pharmaceutical knowledge of this period. The essays in this study deal with their themes in different ways. They thus provide the best current information on a particular subject. They also demonstrate various approaches which may prove fruitful for further investigation. References in specialized studies and archeological field work have demonstrated that our knowledge in this area continues to grow. The fragmented and isolated nature of this material has led to it remaining unknown to those interested in the history of medicine, pharmacy, and horticulture. The authors have sought to fill this gap. THE HEALING PAST: Pharmaceuticals in the Biblical and Rabbinic World CONTENTS Preface Contributors Introduction Pharmacology and Dietetics in the Bible and Talmud Medicinal Plants of the Bible-Another View Drugs and Pharmaceuticals in Ancient Mesopotamia Ancient Egyptian Pharmaceutical Plants and the Eastern Mediterranean Ricinus Communis-The Miracle Tree through Four Thousand Years Medicinal Drugs in the Works of Flavius Josephus Asaph the Jew and Greco-Roman Pharmaceutics Index of Materia Medica STUDIES IN ANCIENT MEDICINE