204 r Leigh N. Chipman
near-contemporary examples are the “Father’s Admonition” (Mussar ab)
of Judah ibn Tibbon (fl. late twelfth century) and the “Gates of Instruc-
tion” (Sha ̔arei ha-mussar) attributed to Maimonides and probably com-
posed by a thirteenth-century physician.^39 Naturally, the Jewish ethical
wills are addressed from father to son, as is Minhaj al-dukkan in its en-
tirety. Like chapters 1 and 23 of Minhaj al-dukkan, the father delineates the
correct way of life for his son. I will give a few examples of similar ideas:
Ibn Tibbon tells his son, “Thou knowest, my son, that the Creator did not
specify a recompense for any of the Ten Commandments, except for hon-
oring parents,”^40 while al-Kuhin al- ̔Attar says, “Follow your prayers by
serving your parents, for Paradise is open before you during their lives.”^41
Or again, Ibn Tibbon says, “My son! If thou writest aught, read it through
a second time, for no man can avoid slips,”^42 while al-Kuhin al- ̔Attar
tells his son, “If you write a letter to anyone, reflect on it very much, for
it is your intelligence sealed with your seal.”^43 Even the advice that al-
Kuhin al- ̔Attar gives his son, to treat his shop and goods as a learned
man treats his books—that is, to check them regularly and know what is
there^44 —appears in the Mussar ab, in admonitions on the proper care of
one’s library.^45
Al-Kuhin al- ̔Attar regards carrying out one’s duties as a pharmacist
properly as a religious obligation, on the same level as belief. To him, the
profession of pharmacy means constantly to fulfill the injunction to love
one’s neighbor as one’s self. Neglectfulness on the pharmacist’s part is po-
tentially life-threatening, thus such neglect would be a sin.^46 Despite the
similarities to Jewish material noted above, however, al-Kuhin al- ̔Attar
expresses no clear-cut religious identity beyond a general monotheism.
The relevant Arabic terminology was shared by Jews, Christians, and
Muslims, allowing pharmacists from every community to see al-Kuhin
al- ̔Attar’s moral injunctions as relevant to themselves, as relevant as his
instructions for preparing medicines.
Glossary of Pharmaceutical Terms
Decoction: a liquid preparation made by boiling a medicinal plant with
water.
Julab: julep, simple syrup.
Pastille: a small medicated or flavored tablet.