I found i a blog
Smattering of info about medicine in early rabbinic Judaism:
Of the prohibited Sabbath work categories, grinding is the most germane because many remedies were prepared by grinding. (bShab Ch. 7)
A rule against dressing a wound on Shabbat is derived from the prohibited tannery work of smoothing (ha-memakheq Shab 75b).
Honey: to treat a sore (76b)
Water: to dilute qilor (cp. Greek collyrium) as a red salve for the eye (76b)
(Or breast milk or animal milk could serve as the qilor solvent. )77b)
Blood: a remedy for ליארוד, cataracts or leucoma (78a)(Artscroll or Jastrow)
Antimony (כוחל Jastrow): as a cosmetics pigment and as a medicinal ingredient (80a)
Quicksilver (mercury), common for ancient remedies, was apparently kept in vials [1], according to Rashi. He calls mercury “כסף חי” literally “living silver” i.e. quicksilver. (78b)
I found it curious that Artscroll mentions J. Preuss, Biblical and Talmudic Medicine (76b n7). How often does the Artscroll (Schottenstein) Talmud cite academic works? [2]
Gesundheit,
Kaspit כספית
[1] The vials were sealed with a small amount of pitch, which for the Mishnah becomes the de minimus amount of pitch that could be carried on Shabbat.)
[2] Cf. bibliography of Jewish healing magic(Alex Jassen and Scott Noegel)
No comments:
Post a Comment