This is the English text of the great Syriac Book of Medicines, drawn from a rare manuscript that came into the hands of legendary Orientalist Wallis Budge. The unknown author was a Syrian physician from the early Christian era who was probably a Nestorian, well acquainted with Greek and Syriac. The system of medicine described here is fundamentally Hippocratean, but also involves more arcane aspects of the art of healing, as well as the holistic approach that is so much a part of medicine today. In addition to concentrations on anatomy, pathology, and therapeutics, the book also includes sections pertaining to astrology--omens, spells, and divination--as well as 400 prescriptions for ointments and medicines.
