Influence of Judaism and Jewish physicians on Greek and Byzantine medicine and their contribution to nephrology.
Both the Old Testament and the Talmud contain a great deal of information on medicine, nephrology, health and disease. The basic premise of early Jewish medicine is based on the notion that disease is due to structural changes in internal organs. This is in contrast to the mythical dogma of humoralism as the basis of health and disease espoused by Hippocrates and Galen. The Old Testament and the Mosaic Codes provided the basis for modern public health and for the hygienic rules practised in our times. The Talmudists laid the foundations for the science of pathology as we know it today. These issues are discussed in detail and the contributions of three prominent medieval physicians (Asaph Judaeus, Isaac Judaeus and Maimonides) are presented.
Massry
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Division of Nephrology, University of Southern California School of Medicine, Los Angeles 90033, USA.
Smogorzewski
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Hazani
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Shasha
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D001633:Bible; D018612:Byzantium; D018645:Greek World / Q000266:history; D049690:History, Ancient; D049691:History, Medieval; D006801:Humans; D007585:Jews / Q000266:history*; D007599:Judaism / Q000266:history*; D009398:Nephrology / Q000266:history*; D012068:Religion and Medicine