IBN ZUHR, ABU MARW ̄^ AN ‘ABD ̄
AL-M^ ALIK (1092?–1161?) ̄
Called Avenzoar in Latin translations, he was one of
the most important physicians in the history of al-
Andalus. Born circa 1092 into an important family of
physicians: his grandfather, ‘Abd Al-M ̄alik ibn Zuhr
(d. ca. 1078) studied medicine in Cairo and, when he
returned, became personal doctor to al-Muj ̄ahid, king
of the .t ̄a’ifa (free kingdom) of Denia (ca. 1010–1045).
His father, Ab ̄u-l-‘Al ̄a’ Zuhr, served as a physician to
King al-Mu‘tamid of Seville (1069–1091) and, later,
to the Almoravids Y ̄usuf ibn Tashf ̄ın (d. 1106) and
‘Ali ibn Y ̄usuf (d. 1143). Ab ̄u Marw ̄an was born and
died in Seville but after 1120 spent a good part of his
life in Marr ̄akesh, where he inherited his father’s post
as royal physician to ‘Ali ibn Y ̄usuf. Diffi culties with
this emir, due to obscure reasons, took him into prison
(ca. 1131–ca. 1140). With the arrival of the Almohads
he became, once more and until his death, personal
physician to Caliph ‘Abd al-Mu’min (1130–1163). His
son, Ab ̄u Bakr (1113–1199), served in the same way to
Caliph Ya‘q ̄ub al-Mans.ur (1184–1199). ̄
Unlike his friend, the famous philosopher and physi-
cian Ibn Rushd (Averroë’s), and following his family
tradition, his attitude toward medicine is essentially
practical and his works always contain case records
and other observations drawn from his own personal
experience or from that of other members of his family.
Among his extant works, a few merit special attention.
Kit ̄ab al-iqtis.ad f ̄ı is.l ̄ah. al-anfus wa-l-ajs ̄ad (On the
Adequate Way to Treat Souls and Bodies) is a collection
of texts of approximately equal length, written when the
author was about thirty years old, to be read to prince
Ibrah ̄ım Ibn Y ̄usuf Ibn Tashf’ ̄ın, Almoravid governor
of Seville, to whom Ab ̄u Marw ̄an was introduced in
- It deals with (zina) (cosmetics), i.e., the different
ways to preserve and embellish the external parts of
the human body, including plastic surgery and sexual
hygiene, to which Ab ̄u Marw ̄an adds a handbook on
pathology that deals with the description and treatment
of all known diseases classifi ed “from head to toe.” Kit ̄ab
al-tays ̄ır f ̄ı’^ l-mud ̄aw ̄a wa-l-tadb ̄ır (Simplifi cation of
Medical Treatment with Drugs and Diet), written after
1147 as an attempt by a cultivated, mature physician to
improve the quality of the purely practical therapeutical
treatises known as kunn ̄ash, is an excellent handbook
of pathology and therapeutics for the daily use of the
practicing physician written by a man with both a long
medical experience and an excellent knowledge of
medical theory. Kit ̄ab al-j ̄ami‘f ̄ı’^ l-ashriba wa-l-ma‘f ̄ajin
(A Comprehensive List of Syrups and Electuaries),
written—like his Kit ̄ab al-aghdhiya (On Food)—for
Caliph ‘Abd al-Mu’min, it is usually considered a kind
of appendix to the Tays ̄ır, and both appear together in
the edition by M. Kh ̄uri (Damascus, 1983). It proves the
interest Ab ̄u Marw ̄an had in practical pharmacology: it
consists of a collection of recipes for the preparation of
compounded drugs (syrups, electuaries, pills, ointments,
and so on). To this list one should, perhaps, add the Al-
Tadhkira f ̄ı-l-adw ̄a’ al-mushila wa ghayri-h ̄a (Memento
on Laxative and Nonlaxative Drugs), a short treatise
ascribed by G. S. Colin to Ab ̄u-l-‘Al ̄a Zuhr, though
Khat. t. ̄abı has given, recently, arguments in favor of
Ab ̄u Marw ̄an’s authorship. It is a work that shows that its
author had a solid knowledge in pharmaceutical theory
and a very cautious attitude toward the administration
of drugs to patients.
See also Averroës, Abu ‘L-Walid Muhammad B.
Ahmad B. RushdFurther Reading
Arnáldez, R. “Ibn Zuhr.” In Encyclopédie de l’Islam. Vol. 3.
Leyden-Paris, 1971, 1001–03.
Colin, G. S., La Tedhkira d’Aboul ’Al ̄a’. Paris, 1911.
Khat. t. ̄abi, M. A. al-T. ̄ibb wa-l-at.ibba’ f ̄ı’-l-Andalus, Vol. 1.
Beirut, 1988. 277–317.
Ibn Zuhr, A. Tays ̄ır, Ed. M. Kh ̄uri. Damascus, 1983.
Julio SamsóIMMANUEL ROMANO
(c. 1265 to 1331)
Immanuel Roman (Immanuele Giudeo; in Hebrew
Immanu’el ha-Romî) was a Jewish philosopher and
comic poet. He was the son of Rabbi Salomone of the
Sifronide (Zi-fronî) family and was raised in the Jewish
community of Rome. Immanuel lived in Ancona, Gub-
bio, and Verona; worked as a tutor for wealthy Jewish
families in Fabriano and Fermo; and was a member of
a group of Jewish philosophers centered in Rome and
headed by Jehudà Romano (Lionello).
Immanuel’s philosophical writings take the form of
biblical commentaries in Hebrew. He also wrote, again
in Hebrew, a treatise on hermeneutics and a collection
of poetry, Mekhabbérôth, inspired by Dante’s Divine
Comedy. In Mekhabbérôth, Immanuel narrates a journey
to the inferno and to paradise under the guidance of
the prophet Daniel. Immanuel also wrote, in the Italian
vernacular, three sonnets, a tenzone, and a frottola he
called Bisbidis. In his fi rst sonnet, Amor non lesse mai
l’avemaria (“Love never read the Ave Maria”), he de-
clares that love observes no particular faith or religion;
he thus takes issue with poets such as the stilnovists who
depict love in Christian terms. The other two sonnets
reiterate Immanuel’s pragmatic view of life: he vows to
support whatever political faction or religion happens to
be in power. In the tenzone, Bosone da Gubbio invites
Immanuel to mourn the deaths of Dante and of his lady:
Duo lumi son di novo spenti al mondo (“Two lights areIBN ZUHR, ABU MARW ̄^ AN ‘ABD AL-M ̄^ ALIK ̄