Paper; Egypt; 10th–13th century; Judaeo-Arabic and Arabic

T-S Ar.30.305

The Genizah reveals details of the relationship between physicians and patients in medieval Cairo. A patient would be seen by a doctor in a dedicated space, like a hospital attached to a religious or political institution’s medical practice, or at home. After interview and examination, the physician would produce a prescription for a drug that the patient would bring to a pharmacist for preparation.

This fragment describes the preparation of a medicine made from chicory seeds, liquorice stems, barberry, tamarisk, pistachio and rose, to be mixed with quince jam and chalk. This was to be taken together with chicken cooked in sour grape juice and preserved almonds.

The treatment was evidently effective: a little note in Arabic script at the bottom of the text proclaims it ‘beneficial’.