The eleventh century author, Ubayd Allah bin Jibra’il bin Bakhtishu‘ (or Bokhtishu‘), the last prominent member of the famous Bakhtishu‘ family of physicians, Christians in the service of the Abbasid caliphs, wrote what has appropriately been called (by Meyerhof) a compendium of medical-philosophical definitions. Sbath here publishes that work with notes and a brief introduction. His text is based on three manuscripts from his own collection, dating from the 13th to the 17th centuries. As the works of this important family have generally perished, this unique witness to their knowledge and skill makes will be welcomed warmly. The book will be of great interest to Arabic scholars interested in medicine and philosophy of the Greek tradition.
Paul Sbath