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Ibn Butlan’s Tacuini Sanitatis (1531)

The Maintenance of<br /><br />
The Maintenance of Health by Ibn ButlanImage via the guardian.com, credit Royal Society

This images are from a 14th century translation of Arabic doctor Ibn Butlan, who died circa 1068. Butlan’s title roughly translates to “health report.” The report addresses the impact of nature, emotional states, daily life, and meteorological conditions on health. Butlan wrote that his book concerned “the six things that are necessary for every man in the daily preservation of his health.” These included:

1. “The treatment of air, which concerns the heart.”

2. “The right use of foods and drinks.”

3. “The correct use of movement and rest.”

4. “The problem of prohibiting excessive wakefulness.”

5. “The correct use of elimination and retention of humors.”

6. “The regulating of the person by moderating joy, anger, fear, and distress.”

Illustration from the 15th century edition of Tacuinum Sanitatis by Ibn Butlan.Wine. Image via offi.fr                                                                                                                        Making spaghetti. Image via spaghettiforever.wordpress.com