Qusta ibn Luqa On Numbness : A Book on Numbness, Its Kinds, Causes and Treatment According to the Opinion of Galen and Hippocrates. Edition, Translation and Commentary

Abstract: Qusta ibn Luqa (fl. 860) was a prominent figure in the Graeco-Arabic translation movement that reached its peak in the 9th century. At the request of wealthy and influential commissioners, Qusta translated Greek works on astronomy, mathematics, mechanics and natural science into Arabic. He also produced works of his own: more than sixty treatises are attributed to him. He wrote mainly on medical subjects, but also on mathematics and astronomy. Only a small part of his production has so far been edited. The extant editions of Qusta’s medical works show that he was thoroughly acquainted with Hippocratic-Galenic humoral medicine– the theoretical system that constituted the basis of formal medicine in Islam. The objective of this study is to present a critical edition, with an English translation, of A book on Numbness, its kinds, causes and treatment according to the opinion of Galen and Hippocrates, an Arabic medical treatise attributed to Qusta ibn Luqa. The edition is based on a unique manuscript preserved in codex Ayasofya 3724. There is no reason to doubt that Qusta ibn Luqa is the author of the treatise. The subject of the treatise is “khadar”, numbness (Gr. narkê). The author defines “khadar” and gives an account of its causes and symptoms, discusses the appropriate regimen in detail and provides recipes of purgative remedies. In the commentary, I have focussed on elucidating the theoretical content of the book On Numbness by relating it to its theoretical background, i.e. Galenic humoral medicine. The >100 medical substances, foodstuffs and compound drugs mentioned in the treatise have been listed in the index of materia medica. No systematic study of the language has been undertaken.