Pharmacopoeias for the Hospital and the Shop r 199The contrast between the several lines of benefits of this pastille ac-
cording to Ibn Abi ’l-Bayan, and so al-Kuhin al- ̔Attar’s laconic nadhkur
manafi ̔ahu fi ’l-far ̔ is striking. Ibn Abi ’l-Bayan claims that this pastille
is beneficial for weakness of the liver and stomach and for chronic and
phlegmatic fevers; alleviates (literally: halves, shatara) tertian, quartan,
and quintan fevers; opens blockages; acts against putrefaction occurring
in the arteries, is beneficial for the beginning of dropsy caused by the heat
of the liver and evil properties; and strengthens the internal organs. All al-
Kuhin al- ̔Attar says is something along the lines of “We note its excellent
benefits.” Was this perhaps such a successful panacea that the pharmacist
considered exact indications unnecessary? He ends the recipe with the
word nafi ̔ (beneficial), indicating that this medicine did, in fact, work.
Did he rely on the physician to prescribe this pastille correctly?
Once again, the instructions for preparation are slightly more detailed
in al-Dustur al-bimaristani; however, Minhaj al-dukkan has more practi-
cal advice on how to reach the desired dry weight of each pastille.
In the case of a decoction of fruits (matbukh al-fakiha) called may-
bukhtaj, the version appearing in Minhaj al-dukkan is more detailed. See
table 11.4.
In this recipe, the Minhaj al-dukkan version lists several additional
stages of preparation: The various simples are soaked in almond oil be-
fore being tied in a linen rag; ingredients are pounded and added to the
julab to which the second straining of the cooked fruits is poured—and
these extra ingredients are missing from the Dustur al-bimaristani version
(perhaps a line was omitted from the Sbath manuscript?); the final mix-
ture is formed into pills before being dissolved for ingestion. Moreover,
the last sentence of the recipe is a list of ailments for which this decoction
is beneficial, and the Minhaj al-dukkan version adds hemicrania (shaqiqa)
to purification of the brain, nerves, and long-standing eye problems.
The only place where Ibn Abi ’l-Bayan gives more details than al-Kuhin
al- ̔Attar is, surprisingly, at the heading, when discussing the name of the
medicine: he notes that this is a decoction known in Egypt as al-may-
bukhtaj (a Persian word meaning “cooked wine”) and in Syria and Iraq as
“decoction of fruits,” while al-Kuhin al- ̔Attar conflates this by the head-
ing “Decoction of fruits, and this is the one known as al-maybukhtaj.”
According to both authors, the two names refer to the same thing, but
Ibn Abi ’l-Bayan tells his readers where each name is used. It is unclear
whether this is of any significance; after all, in other recipes al-Kuhin