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Jordan Voltz

Hist227A Medieval Mediterranean

Prof. Garceau

The Crusades and the application of ancient medical theoryUssamah ibn Munquidh, in his text,Frankish Medicine, presents a condescending

depiction of Crusader medical practices through the authors ironic superiority [] justified by

the supremacy of the great medical tradition of the East.1Ussamahs supremacy arises from the

degree each culture adheres to ancient physicians such as Oribasius. The practices of the

Frankish crusaders given in Ussamahs text demonstrate the Muslim perception of the

westerners deviations from these ancient medical texts which comprise the foundation of

Muslim medical practice. Moreover, the Frankish practices are either noticeably Christian or

violent, as opposed to Ussamahs treatment, which is portrayed as sensible and scientific.

Ussamah uses knowledge of these ancient medical texts to make a distinction between beneficial

and harmful medical practices, displaying Christians as barbaric and prone to superstition, while

he, a Muslim, is educated and refined to reason.

After the Frankish doctor shaves the head of the woman who has a devil who is in love

with her,2he proscribes her no dietary advice, believing the problem to be entirely solved by his

intervention. This is contrasted with the Ussamahs interactions with the woman at thebeginning

ofFrankish Medicine, where he diagnoses her as a woman with consumption3and proscribes

her with a cleansing and refreshing diet.4The type of diet Ussamah prescribes is likely in line

with the writings of the fourth century imperial physician Oribasius, who states that, on arrival

1Ussamah ibn Munquidh, Frankish Medicine inArab Historians of the Crusades (Berkeley: University of California

Press, 1969) pg. 772ibn Munquidh, pg. 76

3ibn Munquidh pg. 76

4ibn Munquidh pg. 76

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in a foreign country one is obliged to eat something unusual5The Frankish doctor, who lacks

the proper medical education, fails to give his patient this advice, as she went back to eating her

usual Frankish food, garlic and mustard, which made her illness worse.6As this eventually

results in her death at the hands of the Frank, Ussamah uses this scene to illustrate the superiority

of ancient medicine, as well as the superiority of the Muslims who continue to follow that

tradition. The Frankish doctor gives the appearance that he can cure his patients immediately,

resulting in their death, while Ussumahs patients are actuallycured quickly,7demonstrating

the effectiveness of ancient medical techniques.

While we certainly have evidence that Frankish doctors adhered to these ancient medical

traditions,8the question deserves to be asked, How does the elitism associated with the ancient

medical tradition legitimize those who practice it, while allowing them to delegitimize those who

dont?

Bibliography:

A. Z. Iskandar,A Catalogue of Arabic Manuscripts on Medicine and Science in the

WeIlcome Historical Medical Library(London, 1967)

Avicenna, Canon Edward Grant (ed)A Sourcebook in Medieval Science(Cambridge,

1974)

Ussamah ibn Munquidh, Frankish Medicine in Arab Historians of the Crusades

(Berkeley: University of California Press, 1969)

5A. Z. Iskandar, A Catalogue of Arabic Manuscripts on Medicine and Science in the WeIlcome Historical Medical

Library(London, 1967), pg. 4.6Ussamah ibn Munquidh, Frankish Medicinepg. 77

7Ussamah ibn Munqidh, pg. 76

8Avicenna, Canon Edward Grant (ed) A Sourcebook in Medieval Science(Cambridge, 1974), pg. 715

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