Liver disease in the Talmud.
Diseases of the liver have been of interest to physicians throughout the ages. There are references to hepatic diseases in ancient writings on medicine as far back as the Egyptian papyrii (1). In this article, I deal with the multiple references to the liver and liver disease that are found in the books of the Talmud. The areas discussed include anatomy, physiology, trauma, liver disease, jaundice, cholelithiasis, and hematemesis. The modes of therapy and their theory give an interesting perspective to Middle Eastern medicine 1,500 years ago.
Westreich
M
M
Department of Plastic Surgery, Tel Aviv University, Sackler School of Medicine, Tzrifin, Israel.
D000818:Animals; D049690:History, Ancient; D006801:Humans; D007599:Judaism / Q000266:history*; D008099:Liver / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000293:injuries / Q000502:physiology; D008107:Liver Diseases / Q000266:history*; D012068:Religion and Medicine