Arbroath Abbey, Scotland
Ancient European Books
There is a misconception among many practitioners of western (Euro-American) herbal medicine that it does not have a strong connection to its historical roots. This comes in strong distinction to Asian herbal medicine, which is clearly and firmly rooted in its large extant written history (as well as oral transmission). This misconception comes from the fact that ancient Chinese is relatively more easily read by modern Chinese practitioners, or at least there has been more of a concerted effort to insure these ancient texts remain accessible today. The reality is the European tradition is every bit as much rich, but it is generally published in languages that are not accessible to most people today, ranging from Old English (which is not really understandable by modern English speakers without a lot of study), Latin, and Classical Arabic to the many other languages of Europe. Here is an introductory listing of some of the accessible and important members of the European herbal canon.
An excellent overview is available in Collins M (2000) Medieval Herbals: The Illustrative Traditions (British Library and University of Toronto Press).
An excellent overview is available in Collins M (2000) Medieval Herbals: The Illustrative Traditions (British Library and University of Toronto Press).
Ancient Greek Herbals
Greek Medical Manuscripts - Diels' Catalogues, 5 volumes by Alain Touwaide (Berlin: De Gruyter, Medical Traditions Series 2, 2021)
Tome 1: Diels' Catalogue with Indices
Tome 2: Corpus Hippocraticum
Tome 3: Corpus Galenicum
Tome 4: Ceteri Medici
Tome 5: The Manuscripts and Their Texts
This epic series is an updating of the catalog of Ancient Greek medical manuscripts compiled by a group of philologists led by Hermann Diels (1848–1922). Just having a thorough and complete listing of all available Ancient Greek medical manuscripts will be an invaluable tool in studying this topic.
Tome 1: Diels' Catalogue with Indices
Tome 2: Corpus Hippocraticum
Tome 3: Corpus Galenicum
Tome 4: Ceteri Medici
Tome 5: The Manuscripts and Their Texts
This epic series is an updating of the catalog of Ancient Greek medical manuscripts compiled by a group of philologists led by Hermann Diels (1848–1922). Just having a thorough and complete listing of all available Ancient Greek medical manuscripts will be an invaluable tool in studying this topic.
Dioscorides De Materia Medica
Best available modern English translation: Beck L (2005) Pedanius Dioscorides of Anazarbus, De Materia Medica. Translated by Lily Y Beck. Hildesheim: Olms-Weidmann.
Serviceable modern English translation: Dioscorides (2000) De Materia Medica. Being an Herbal With Many Other Medicinal Materials. Trans Osbaldeston TA, Wood RPA (Johannesburg, South Africa: Ibdis).
Poor quality, oldest English translation: Goodyer J (1933) Dioscorides Pedanius, of Anazarbos. The Greek herbal of Dioscorides; illustrated by a Byzantine, A.D. 512 (original from 1655; edited and reprinted by Robert T. Gunther).
Best available modern English translation: Beck L (2005) Pedanius Dioscorides of Anazarbus, De Materia Medica. Translated by Lily Y Beck. Hildesheim: Olms-Weidmann.
Serviceable modern English translation: Dioscorides (2000) De Materia Medica. Being an Herbal With Many Other Medicinal Materials. Trans Osbaldeston TA, Wood RPA (Johannesburg, South Africa: Ibdis).
Poor quality, oldest English translation: Goodyer J (1933) Dioscorides Pedanius, of Anazarbos. The Greek herbal of Dioscorides; illustrated by a Byzantine, A.D. 512 (original from 1655; edited and reprinted by Robert T. Gunther).
Ancient Latin Herbals
St.Tractatus de Herbis (British Library, Sloane manuscript 2016)
There is no information in the book itself as to its author or authors, date of production, publisher's mark, or anything else about its origin. It consists entirely of illustrations of plants and their names (both ancient and current, for the time). It is believed to have been made in the 1400s in Northern Italy.
Another book, Egerton manuscript 747, is the likely source material for Tractatus and contains more written discuss. Egerton msp 747 was believed to have been copied between 1280 and 1350 (though this is somewhat speculative). The book is written in Latin.
Reproduction limited edition published in 2012 by M. Moleiro (along with full commentary volume by Alain Touwaide, PhD). Some sample images can be seen on the Public Domain Review website.
Reproduction limited edition published in 2002 by the Folio Society, all copies sold (only available used as of 2021)
Egerton msp 747 has been digitized and can be viewed page by page at the British Library website.
Hildegard von Bingen Physica (Florentine Manuscript)
Hildebrandt R, Gloning T (2010) Hildegard von Bingen Physica: Liber subtilitatum diversarum naturarum creaturarum. (Berlin: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co. KG).
St. Hildegard von Bingen (ca. 1098–1179, canonized in 2012) is perhaps the most famous female, European herbalist from the Middle Ages. She was a Benedictine abbess, mystic, polymath, and visionary. She was one of the rare composers of her time who wrote both the words and music for her many surviving chants. She was born in what is today NW Germany, then part of the Holy Roman Empire. The Physica is one of her most extensive surviving treatises including a discussion of the medicinal properties and uses of herbs and other materia medica.
This edition is based on a manuscript that came to light in 1983, generally known as the Florentine manuscript, as it is held at the Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana in Florence (Ashburnham 1323), written/copied around 1300 (thus this oldest extant manuscript is at least 120 years older than St. Hildegard's death). It passed through many hands through the ages before making its way into the hands of Lord Ashburnham in 1847 before being added to the Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana in 1884. The only other three known surviving manuscripts of the Physica contain far less information and are universally now considered incomplete but still containing important clues to the totality of her original text (Cod. 6952 held by Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris, Cod. Guelf. 56. 2 believed to have been written in 1425–1450, Aug. 4 held by Herzog-August-Bibliothek in Wolfenbüttel believed to have been written in the last 13th/early 14th century, and Cod. 2551 held by Bibliothèque Royale in Brussels, written ca. 1450). The other complete manuscript of the Physica, announced in 1986, is Cod. Ferraioli 921 held by Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana in Rome, written in the late 14th/early 15th century. This discussion draws heavily on Adamson MW (2014) "A reevaluation of Saint Hildegard's Physica in light of the latest manuscript finds" In: Schleissner MR (ed) Manuscript Sources of Medieval Medicine: A Book of Essays (Taylor and Francis).
A German translation of the Florentine manuscript and including other sources is also available: Müller I, Schulze C (2008) Physica: Edition der Florentiner Handschrift (Cod. Laur. Ashb. 1323, ca. 1300) im Vergleich mit der Textkonstitution der Patrologia latina (Migne) (Olms-Weidmann).
An English translation of the Physica is available: Throop P (1998) Hildegard von Bingen's Physica: The Complete English Translation of Her Classic Work on Health and Healing (Healing Arts Press).
There is no information in the book itself as to its author or authors, date of production, publisher's mark, or anything else about its origin. It consists entirely of illustrations of plants and their names (both ancient and current, for the time). It is believed to have been made in the 1400s in Northern Italy.
Another book, Egerton manuscript 747, is the likely source material for Tractatus and contains more written discuss. Egerton msp 747 was believed to have been copied between 1280 and 1350 (though this is somewhat speculative). The book is written in Latin.
Reproduction limited edition published in 2012 by M. Moleiro (along with full commentary volume by Alain Touwaide, PhD). Some sample images can be seen on the Public Domain Review website.
Reproduction limited edition published in 2002 by the Folio Society, all copies sold (only available used as of 2021)
Egerton msp 747 has been digitized and can be viewed page by page at the British Library website.
Hildegard von Bingen Physica (Florentine Manuscript)
Hildebrandt R, Gloning T (2010) Hildegard von Bingen Physica: Liber subtilitatum diversarum naturarum creaturarum. (Berlin: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co. KG).
St. Hildegard von Bingen (ca. 1098–1179, canonized in 2012) is perhaps the most famous female, European herbalist from the Middle Ages. She was a Benedictine abbess, mystic, polymath, and visionary. She was one of the rare composers of her time who wrote both the words and music for her many surviving chants. She was born in what is today NW Germany, then part of the Holy Roman Empire. The Physica is one of her most extensive surviving treatises including a discussion of the medicinal properties and uses of herbs and other materia medica.
This edition is based on a manuscript that came to light in 1983, generally known as the Florentine manuscript, as it is held at the Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana in Florence (Ashburnham 1323), written/copied around 1300 (thus this oldest extant manuscript is at least 120 years older than St. Hildegard's death). It passed through many hands through the ages before making its way into the hands of Lord Ashburnham in 1847 before being added to the Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana in 1884. The only other three known surviving manuscripts of the Physica contain far less information and are universally now considered incomplete but still containing important clues to the totality of her original text (Cod. 6952 held by Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris, Cod. Guelf. 56. 2 believed to have been written in 1425–1450, Aug. 4 held by Herzog-August-Bibliothek in Wolfenbüttel believed to have been written in the last 13th/early 14th century, and Cod. 2551 held by Bibliothèque Royale in Brussels, written ca. 1450). The other complete manuscript of the Physica, announced in 1986, is Cod. Ferraioli 921 held by Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana in Rome, written in the late 14th/early 15th century. This discussion draws heavily on Adamson MW (2014) "A reevaluation of Saint Hildegard's Physica in light of the latest manuscript finds" In: Schleissner MR (ed) Manuscript Sources of Medieval Medicine: A Book of Essays (Taylor and Francis).
A German translation of the Florentine manuscript and including other sources is also available: Müller I, Schulze C (2008) Physica: Edition der Florentiner Handschrift (Cod. Laur. Ashb. 1323, ca. 1300) im Vergleich mit der Textkonstitution der Patrologia latina (Migne) (Olms-Weidmann).
An English translation of the Physica is available: Throop P (1998) Hildegard von Bingen's Physica: The Complete English Translation of Her Classic Work on Health and Healing (Healing Arts Press).
Ancient English Herbals
Intriguingly, herb books started to appear in vernacular English (rather than Latin or Arabic) before almost any other vernacular European language.
Cotton Vitellius C III (Old English Herbarium), also Hatton 76, and Harley 585 (see Lacnunga below)
Ninth Century CE, original author unknown. This is a translation of several Mediterranean-origin texts, particularly the Herbarium of Pseudo-Apuleius, De herba vetonica, De taxone, Medicina de quadrupedibus, and the Liber medicinae ex herbis feminis. It is basically a materia medica of 185 herbs.
Early Middle English version: British Library Harley 5258B
Facsimile edition of Cotton Vitellius C III: D'Aronco MA, Cameron ML (1998) The Old English Illustrated Pharmacopoeia: British Library Cotton Vitellius C III. Early English Manuscripts in Facsimile, vol. 27 (Copenhagen: Rosenkilde & Bagger).
Description of this manuscript from the British Library, along with full digital copy (page by page).
Book review of the facsimile edition with some historical context.
An excellent, non-literal, modern English translation: van Arsdall A (2002) Medieval Herbal Remedies: The Old English Herbarium and Anglo-Saxon Medicine (New York: Routledge).
Another modern English translation is available, which has the original Old English and modern English on facing pages, but is far more literal: Pollington S (2000) Leechcraft: Early English Charms, Plant Lore, and Healing (Hockwold-cum-Wilton, UK: Anglo-Saxon Books).
Another modern English translation, though not clearly readily available: De Vriend HB (1984) The Old English Herbarium and Medicine de Quadrupedibus. Early English Text Society, OS 286 (London: Oxford University Press).
Oldest modern English translation that is extremely problematic in its blatant sexism: Cockayne O (1864) Leechdoms, Wortcunning, and Starcraft of Early England 3 volumes (London: Kraus Reprint Ltd, 1965). However, this work was very influential, in particular in that he introduced a system of numbering the entries in the original manuscript, which pretty much all future translations continue.
Lacnunga ("Remedies"), British Library Manuscript Harley 585
Late 10th or early 11th Century CE, original author unknown. It is not originally titled, Oswald Cockayne dubbed it Lacnunga in the 19th century and the name has stuck ever since. It is partly in Old English, partly in Latin, and some in corrupt Old Irish.
A modern English translation, but very literal: Pollington S (2000) Leechcraft: Early English Charms, Plant Lore, and Healing (Hockwold-cum-Wilton, UK: Anglo-Saxon Books).
Bald's Leechbooks, Three Volumes, British Library, London, Royal 12 D.xvii
Tenth Century CE (circa 950 CE), apparently written at the Winchester Scriptorium founded by Alfred (and sometimes attributed to him). It is clearly a copy of a prior work. Two volumes state in Latin that they were owned by Bald (further information on who this was is not extant), but that it was copied and possibly edited or compiled by someone named Cild. The first two volumes relate ideas of Mediterranean origin; the third volume is more purely English and probably the oldest extant English herbal.
A modern English translation (of volume three), but very literal: Pollington S (2000) Leechcraft: Early English Charms, Plant Lore, and Healing (Hockwold-cum-Wilton, UK: Anglo-Saxon Books).
Cotton Vitellius C III (Old English Herbarium), also Hatton 76, and Harley 585 (see Lacnunga below)
Ninth Century CE, original author unknown. This is a translation of several Mediterranean-origin texts, particularly the Herbarium of Pseudo-Apuleius, De herba vetonica, De taxone, Medicina de quadrupedibus, and the Liber medicinae ex herbis feminis. It is basically a materia medica of 185 herbs.
Early Middle English version: British Library Harley 5258B
Facsimile edition of Cotton Vitellius C III: D'Aronco MA, Cameron ML (1998) The Old English Illustrated Pharmacopoeia: British Library Cotton Vitellius C III. Early English Manuscripts in Facsimile, vol. 27 (Copenhagen: Rosenkilde & Bagger).
Description of this manuscript from the British Library, along with full digital copy (page by page).
Book review of the facsimile edition with some historical context.
An excellent, non-literal, modern English translation: van Arsdall A (2002) Medieval Herbal Remedies: The Old English Herbarium and Anglo-Saxon Medicine (New York: Routledge).
Another modern English translation is available, which has the original Old English and modern English on facing pages, but is far more literal: Pollington S (2000) Leechcraft: Early English Charms, Plant Lore, and Healing (Hockwold-cum-Wilton, UK: Anglo-Saxon Books).
Another modern English translation, though not clearly readily available: De Vriend HB (1984) The Old English Herbarium and Medicine de Quadrupedibus. Early English Text Society, OS 286 (London: Oxford University Press).
Oldest modern English translation that is extremely problematic in its blatant sexism: Cockayne O (1864) Leechdoms, Wortcunning, and Starcraft of Early England 3 volumes (London: Kraus Reprint Ltd, 1965). However, this work was very influential, in particular in that he introduced a system of numbering the entries in the original manuscript, which pretty much all future translations continue.
Lacnunga ("Remedies"), British Library Manuscript Harley 585
Late 10th or early 11th Century CE, original author unknown. It is not originally titled, Oswald Cockayne dubbed it Lacnunga in the 19th century and the name has stuck ever since. It is partly in Old English, partly in Latin, and some in corrupt Old Irish.
A modern English translation, but very literal: Pollington S (2000) Leechcraft: Early English Charms, Plant Lore, and Healing (Hockwold-cum-Wilton, UK: Anglo-Saxon Books).
Bald's Leechbooks, Three Volumes, British Library, London, Royal 12 D.xvii
Tenth Century CE (circa 950 CE), apparently written at the Winchester Scriptorium founded by Alfred (and sometimes attributed to him). It is clearly a copy of a prior work. Two volumes state in Latin that they were owned by Bald (further information on who this was is not extant), but that it was copied and possibly edited or compiled by someone named Cild. The first two volumes relate ideas of Mediterranean origin; the third volume is more purely English and probably the oldest extant English herbal.
A modern English translation (of volume three), but very literal: Pollington S (2000) Leechcraft: Early English Charms, Plant Lore, and Healing (Hockwold-cum-Wilton, UK: Anglo-Saxon Books).
Ancient Egyptian Texts
The use of papyrus for the majority of writing in Ancient Egypt was a real problem, as it simply doesn't last (compare the clay tablets in Ancient Mesopotamia, discussed below). As a result, most knowledge from Ancient Egypt was lost. But a few important medical papyri are still extant and available in translation.
The Eber's Papyrus (circa 1550 BCE)
The Ebers Papyrus is an Ancient Egyptian materia medica and treatment manual, and the best approximation dates it to around 1550 BCE (because, for example, one passage clearly discusses the reign of Amenhotep I [1526 to 1506 BCE]). It contains 877 prescriptions of herbal and animal medicines for a wide range of conditions. It appears to be a compilation of older texts, and these almost certainly go back quite a bit further (to 3000 BCE or before). It is written in the Hieratic script, a sort of cursive shorthand Egyptian hieroglyphic writing used from approximately 3300 to 660 BCE. The papyrus came to light first when it was purchased by American Egyptologist Edwin Smith (18221–1906) in 1862 in Luxor. The true origin of the papyrus is unknown, but Smith was apparently told it came from between the legs of a mummy. However, it came to be known as Eber's Papyrus because it was purchased by German Egyptologist Georg Ebers (1837–1898) in 1873 from Smith, and it was he who first published a version in 1875. Remarkably, the Ebers Papyrus is the only extant papyrus that is essentially completely intact. Originally, it was a single long scroll 68 feet long and just under a foot wide, with 108 columns of 20 lines each. At some unknown point, however, it was cut into pages and bound as a book. It is considered by many the oldest surviving true book given its breadth and length. It now resides at the University Library at Leipzig.
Many versions are available. Here is a sample:
Bryan CP (1931) The Papyrus Ebers Translated from the German Version (New York: D. Appleton and Company). [Based on the German translation by Joachim listed below.]
Ebbell B (1937) The Papyrus Ebers: The Greatest Egyptian Medical Document (Copenhagen: Levin & Munskgaard). [Based on the hieroglyphic transcription by Wreszinski listed below.]
Ghalioungui P (1987) The Papyrus Ebers, A New English Translation, Commentaries and Glossaries (Cairo: Academy of Scientific Research and Technology).
Joachim H (1890) Papyros Ebers. Das älteste Buch über Heilkunde. Aus dem Aegyptischen zum erstenmal vollsändig übersetz (Berlin: Druck und Verlag von Georg Reimer).
Wreszinski W (1913) Der Papyrus Ebers: Umschrift, Übersetzung und Kommentar. Teil I: Umschrift (Leipzig: JC Hinrichs’sche Buchhandlung). [this is a hieroglyphic transliteration from the original Hieratic]
The Ebers Papyrus is an Ancient Egyptian materia medica and treatment manual, and the best approximation dates it to around 1550 BCE (because, for example, one passage clearly discusses the reign of Amenhotep I [1526 to 1506 BCE]). It contains 877 prescriptions of herbal and animal medicines for a wide range of conditions. It appears to be a compilation of older texts, and these almost certainly go back quite a bit further (to 3000 BCE or before). It is written in the Hieratic script, a sort of cursive shorthand Egyptian hieroglyphic writing used from approximately 3300 to 660 BCE. The papyrus came to light first when it was purchased by American Egyptologist Edwin Smith (18221–1906) in 1862 in Luxor. The true origin of the papyrus is unknown, but Smith was apparently told it came from between the legs of a mummy. However, it came to be known as Eber's Papyrus because it was purchased by German Egyptologist Georg Ebers (1837–1898) in 1873 from Smith, and it was he who first published a version in 1875. Remarkably, the Ebers Papyrus is the only extant papyrus that is essentially completely intact. Originally, it was a single long scroll 68 feet long and just under a foot wide, with 108 columns of 20 lines each. At some unknown point, however, it was cut into pages and bound as a book. It is considered by many the oldest surviving true book given its breadth and length. It now resides at the University Library at Leipzig.
Many versions are available. Here is a sample:
Bryan CP (1931) The Papyrus Ebers Translated from the German Version (New York: D. Appleton and Company). [Based on the German translation by Joachim listed below.]
Ebbell B (1937) The Papyrus Ebers: The Greatest Egyptian Medical Document (Copenhagen: Levin & Munskgaard). [Based on the hieroglyphic transcription by Wreszinski listed below.]
Ghalioungui P (1987) The Papyrus Ebers, A New English Translation, Commentaries and Glossaries (Cairo: Academy of Scientific Research and Technology).
Joachim H (1890) Papyros Ebers. Das älteste Buch über Heilkunde. Aus dem Aegyptischen zum erstenmal vollsändig übersetz (Berlin: Druck und Verlag von Georg Reimer).
Wreszinski W (1913) Der Papyrus Ebers: Umschrift, Übersetzung und Kommentar. Teil I: Umschrift (Leipzig: JC Hinrichs’sche Buchhandlung). [this is a hieroglyphic transliteration from the original Hieratic]
Ancient Mesopotamian Texts
The use of clay tablets for writing in Ancient Mesopotamia (including various empires such as Babylon, Sumeria, Assyria, Neo-Babylonian, and others) was a boon. A large number of these highly durable tablets have survived to modern times, and as a result we have more information about medicine in Ancient Mesopotamia than Ancient Greece, Rome, or Egypt. The library of Aššur-bāni-apli (Ashurbanipal), king of the Neo-Assyrian Empire from 668 to 631 BCE was particularly critical in preserving a large number of clay tablets. The difficulties in translating the various languages recorded in cuneiform have been significantly overcome and there are English translations of a huge range of these tablets now available.
Oracc (Open Richly Annotated Cuneiform Corpus) is a database of Mesopotamian clay tablets and other information sources. It supposedly can be searched but this system was not working as of January 2022.
Oracc (Open Richly Annotated Cuneiform Corpus) is a database of Mesopotamian clay tablets and other information sources. It supposedly can be searched but this system was not working as of January 2022.
Die babylonisch-assyrische Medizin in Texten und Untersuchungen
Edited by: Robert D. Biggs and Marten Stol
Founded by: Franz Köcher
Berlin: De Gruyter
Band 1 Keilschrifttexte aus Assur 1 (1963) by Franz Köcher
Band 2 Keilschrifttexte aus Assur 2 (1963) by Franz Köcher
Band 3 Keilschrifttexte aus Assur 3 (1964) by Franz Köcher
Band 4 Keilschrifttexte aus Assur 4, Babylon, Nippur, Sippar, Uruk und unbekannter Herkunft (1971) by Franz Köcher
Band 5/6 Keilschrifttexte aus Ninive 1 und 2 (1980) by Franz Köcher
Band 7 Renal and Rectal Disease Texts (2005) by Markham Judah Geller
Band 8 Healing Magic and Evil Demons: Canonical Udug-hul Incantations (2016) by Markham J. Geller, Ludek Vacin
Band 9 Assyrian and Babylonian Scholarly Text Catalogues: Medicine, Magic and Divination (2018) by Ulrike Steinert, European Research Council (ERC). Available for free download.
Band 10 Mesopotamian Eye Disease Texts: The Nineveh Treatise (2020) by Markham J. Geller, Strahil V. Panayotov, European Research Council (ERC). Available for free download.
Band 11 Gastrointestinal Disease and Its Treatment in Ancient Mesopotamia: An Edition of the Medical Prescriptions Dealing with the Gastrointestinal Tract (2022) by J. Cale Johnson, Krisztian Simko, European Research Council (ERC). This will be available for free download once it is published.
Band 13 Mesopotamische Diagnostik: Untersuchungen zu Rekonstruktion, Terminologie und Systematik des babylonisch-assyrischen Diagnosehandbuches und eine Neubearbeitung der Tafeln 3–14 (2021) by Eric Schmidtchen
This project began as the magnum opus of the German Assyriologist Franz Köcher (1916–2002). He envisioned as complete as possible a corpus with copies of all clay tablets dealing with medicine with translations and commentaries. However, he died before he could complete this massive project. Happily, the project has been revived and expanded in modern times by Biggs and Stol, and some of the volumes (as noted above) are even available for free download.
Edited by: Robert D. Biggs and Marten Stol
Founded by: Franz Köcher
Berlin: De Gruyter
Band 1 Keilschrifttexte aus Assur 1 (1963) by Franz Köcher
Band 2 Keilschrifttexte aus Assur 2 (1963) by Franz Köcher
Band 3 Keilschrifttexte aus Assur 3 (1964) by Franz Köcher
Band 4 Keilschrifttexte aus Assur 4, Babylon, Nippur, Sippar, Uruk und unbekannter Herkunft (1971) by Franz Köcher
Band 5/6 Keilschrifttexte aus Ninive 1 und 2 (1980) by Franz Köcher
Band 7 Renal and Rectal Disease Texts (2005) by Markham Judah Geller
Band 8 Healing Magic and Evil Demons: Canonical Udug-hul Incantations (2016) by Markham J. Geller, Ludek Vacin
Band 9 Assyrian and Babylonian Scholarly Text Catalogues: Medicine, Magic and Divination (2018) by Ulrike Steinert, European Research Council (ERC). Available for free download.
Band 10 Mesopotamian Eye Disease Texts: The Nineveh Treatise (2020) by Markham J. Geller, Strahil V. Panayotov, European Research Council (ERC). Available for free download.
Band 11 Gastrointestinal Disease and Its Treatment in Ancient Mesopotamia: An Edition of the Medical Prescriptions Dealing with the Gastrointestinal Tract (2022) by J. Cale Johnson, Krisztian Simko, European Research Council (ERC). This will be available for free download once it is published.
Band 13 Mesopotamische Diagnostik: Untersuchungen zu Rekonstruktion, Terminologie und Systematik des babylonisch-assyrischen Diagnosehandbuches und eine Neubearbeitung der Tafeln 3–14 (2021) by Eric Schmidtchen
This project began as the magnum opus of the German Assyriologist Franz Köcher (1916–2002). He envisioned as complete as possible a corpus with copies of all clay tablets dealing with medicine with translations and commentaries. However, he died before he could complete this massive project. Happily, the project has been revived and expanded in modern times by Biggs and Stol, and some of the volumes (as noted above) are even available for free download.
Thompson RC (1923) Assyrian Medical Texts from the Originals in the British Museum (London: Oxford University Press).
This is simply a publication of drawings of the complete corpus of medical texts from Ashurbanipal's library. Available free online.
This is simply a publication of drawings of the complete corpus of medical texts from Ashurbanipal's library. Available free online.
Zisa G (2022) The Loss of Male Sexual Desire in Ancient Mesopotamia: ›Nīš Libbi‹ Therapies (Berlin: De Gruyter, Medical Traditions Series Volume 5).
If there was ever any doubt, this text confirms that dealing with male sexual dysfunction is a topic as old as history. This work reviews the Mesopotamian medical tradition called šà-zi-ga in Sumerian or nīš libbi in Akkadian, lit. "raising of the 'heart'" (i.e., the penis).
If there was ever any doubt, this text confirms that dealing with male sexual dysfunction is a topic as old as history. This work reviews the Mesopotamian medical tradition called šà-zi-ga in Sumerian or nīš libbi in Akkadian, lit. "raising of the 'heart'" (i.e., the penis).
Modern Herbals
There is an absolutely dizzying array of books about herbs available in English. Here I review some of them, both to indicate those that are most helpful to the practitioner and those that are lacking.