2024-03-25 17:30:00
The Jewish presence in the Iberian Peninsula, known as Sefarad in Hebrew, dates back to the second diaspora of the 1st century AD. C., following the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem by the Roman Empire. This diaspora, unlike the first, caused by Nebuchadnezzar II in the 6th century BC. BC, marked a turning point in the history of the Jewish people, dispersing them throughout the Roman Empire.
Roman Hispania, considered the “end of the world” (Sepharad in Hebrew), became one of the most distant destinations for exiled Jews. There they settled and forged a rich community with a deep cultural and religious identity.
Historical influences of the Sephardic doctors of Spain on the evolution of modern medicine. Photo: Istock
Under Roman rule, Jews enjoyed a certain tolerance, although not without tensions. However, the arrival of the Visigoths in the 5th century marked a period of persecution and religious intolerance.
The Muslim conquest of the Iberian Peninsula in the year 711 brought with it a radical change for the Sephardic community. And under Arab rule, Jews experienced a time of prosperity and prosperity, marked by religious tolerance and peaceful coexistence between the two cultures.
Córdoba: birthplace of Maimonides and cultural flourishing
The coexistence between Jews, Arabs and Christians in the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages left an invaluable cultural legacy. The Sephardic influence can be seen in various areas, from architecture and gastronomy to literature and science.
The coexistence between Jews, Arabs and Christians in the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages left an invaluable cultural legacy. Photo: Istock
This period of splendor reached its peak in the city of Córdoba, where a vibrant Sephardic culture flourished. Figures such as Moses Maimonides (1135-1204), one of the most important Jewish philosophers and theologians in history, were born and trained in this environment of tolerance and erudition.
This character’s vast intellectual training in medicine, philosophy and theology, along with his deep spirituality, shaped him as a humanist doctor. His rational and selfless approach to patient care made him a benchmark in his time.
His medical and humanistic knowledge allowed him to see the patient as a human being suffering from an illness, and not just as a “disease in a human being.” This comprehensive vision of health led him to write ten medical treatises, covering various topics such as mental health, nutrition and hygiene.
Featured works
Among the most notable works of Maimonides we find:
- Extracts from Galen: a synthesis of the teachings of the Roman doctor
- Medical Aphorisms: Collection of Medical Principles and Advice
- Treatise on hemorrhoids: a study on this medical condition
- Asthma treatise
- Treatise on intercourse: compendium on sexuality and reproduction
- Treatise on poisons and their antidotes: study on poisons and their remedies
In his work “Commentary on the Mishnah” he exposes his vision of medical ethics. He states that a doctor is like a criminal if he refuses to care for a patient in need or if he practices medicine without due study. He also stresses the importance of starting with simple treatments, such as diet, before turning to medications.
A legacy that still endures
Maimonides personified the virtues that every doctor should aspire to have: humanism, intellectuality and dedication. His philosophical thought was channeled in the line dominated by Platonism and Aristotelianism (with a preponderance of the latter) that attempts to reconcile religion with philosophy. His work had an extraordinary influence on the great scholastics of the 13th century.
Recreation of life in al-Andalus. Dionysius Baixeras / Wikimedia Commons
In his “Aphorisms” he defended that “if a person is emotionally upset or is in a state of mental agitation, his physical well-being suffers and his body may eventually become ill.” With this statement he is more than eight hundred years ahead of the World Health Organization’s concept of health, understood as a state of physical, mental and social well-being, not simply the absence of health.
Maimonides also addressed the doctor-patient relationship in which he sought to empathize with patients to gain their trust and get them to follow his prescriptions. Thus in his writings we can read: “May my patients trust me and my art; that they obey my prescriptions and instructions. Throw away from me all the healers and multitudes of “advising” and “wise” relatives. Make me humble in everything, but not in great art.”
His profound influence on medicine led him to be known as “the second Moses.” The inscription on his tombstone, “From Moses (the biblical) to Moses (Maimonides), there was no one like Moses,” summarizes his enormous significance for the Jewish world.
References:
- Simon S. Moses Maimonides. Medieval physician and scholar. Arch Intern Med 1999; 159: 1841-5.
- Casal MT, Casal M. Eight centuries since the death of a great doctor: ‘Maimónides El Español’ Enferm Infecc Microbiol Clin 2004; 22:660-2.
- Rosner F. The life of Moses Maimónides, a prominent medieval physician. Einstein Quart J Biol Med 2002; 19: 125-8.
- Rosner F. Moses Maimónides and the diseases of the chest. Chest 1971; 60: 68-72.
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