Mamluks and Animals: Veterinary Medicine in Medieval Islam (Sir Henry Wellcome Asian)

In Mamluks and Animals: Veterinary Medicine in Medieval Islam Housni Alkhateeb Shehada offers the first comprehensive study of veterinary medicine, its practitioners and its patients in the medieval Islamic world, with special emphasis on the Mamluk period (1250-1517). Contents 8 Acknowledgments 14 ABBREVIATIONS 16 Transliteration of Arabic 16 List of Illustrations 18 Introduction 24 A. A New Approach 24 B. Terminology 24 C. Historiography 27 1. Publication of Sources 27 2. Islamic Veterinary Medicine in the General Historiography of the Profession 32 3. Studies Focused on Medieval Arabic Veterinary Medicine and Other Related Subjects 35 Chapter one 42 Animals in Mamluk Society 42 A. Farm and Pack Animals 42 B. Furūsīyah—The Art of Horsemanship 47 1. War and Jihad 49 2. Competitions and Games 51 C. Hunting 53 1. Perceptions of the Hunt 54 2. Hunting Methods 59 3. Purity of the Hunt 60 4. Equipment and Tools 62 5. The Hunting Party 62 6. Hunting Grounds and Their Perils 64 7. Animals that Participated in the Hunt 66 i. Horses 66 ii. Dogs 67 iii. Hunting Birds 68 iv. Cheetahs 71 D. Processions and Celebrations 73 E. The Ḥajj Caravan 78 F. Animals in the Postal Service 82 1. Post Horses 82 2. Postal Pigeons 86 G. Trade in Animals and Gifts 90 H. Menageries 95 I. Companion Animals, Songbirds and Stray Cats 98 1. Dogs as Companion Animals 98 2. Songbirds 99 3. Stray Cats 100 Chapter two 102 The Pre-Mamluk Veterinary Traditions 102 A. Introduction: The Sources of Mamluk Veterinary knowledge 102 B. The Graeco-Roman-Byzantine heritage 104 C. The Indian Heritage 113 D. The Persian Heritage 120 E. The Armenian Heritage 123 F. The Turkish Heritage 124 G. The Pre-Mamluk Arab Heritage 125 1. Jāhilīyah and early Islam 125 2. Hippiatry and the Treatment of Falcons and Hawks in the Umayyad and Abbasid Periods 133 H. Between Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine— Ibn al-ʿAwwām’s Treatise 143 Chapter three 148 Scholars, Equestrians, and Veterinarians 148 A. Scholars 148 1. Introduction 148 2. Abū Muḥammad Sharaf al-Dīn ʿAbd al-Muʾmin b. Khalaf al-Dimyāṭī (613-705/1217-1306) 149 3. Abū al-Thanāʼ Shihāb al-Dīn al-Ḥalabī 154 4. Lisān al-Dīn b. al-Khaṭīb 155 5. Abū al-Ḥafṣ ʿUmar al-Balqīnī al-Shāfiʿī 157 6. Al-Nāshirī, Abū ʿAbd Allāh Ḥamzah b. ʿAbd Allāh b. Muḥammad 160 B. The Equestrians 162 1. Al-Malik al-Ashraf, ʿUmar b. Yūsuf al-Rasūlī al-Ghassānī, Writer of al-Mughnī fī al-Bayṭarah 162 2. Al-Ṣāḥib Tāj al-Dīn, Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad b. ʿAlī 165 3. Al-Malik al-Mujāhid, ʿAlī b. Dāʾūd b. Yūsuf b. ʿUmar al-Rasūlī (Ruled 721-764/1321-1362) 171 4. Ibn Mankalī—A Mamluk in the Sultan’s Service 179 C. Veterinary practitioners 185 1. Abū Bakr al-Bayṭār—A Veterinarian in the Mamluk Court 185 D. Furūsīyah and Jihad in Veterinary Essays 192 Chapter four 196 The Veterinary Profession 196 A. Identity, Origin and Social Status 196 1. Identity and Origin of Veterinarians and Animal Caretakers 196 2. Social Status 198 B. Professional Training 203 C. Areas of Specialization 211 1. Specialization in Horses, Donkeys, Mules and Camels 213 2. Specialization in Hunting Animals 217 D. Sites of Activity 225 1. The Sultan’s Stables 226 2. Hippodromes 226 3. Housing Hunting Animals and Their Keepers 229 4. Markets 231 i. The Horse Market and Other Big Animals’ Markets 231 ii. The Bird Market 232 iii. The Meat Roasters’ Market 233 5. The Battlefield 233 6. Hunting Grounds 234 7. Other Sites of Activity 236 E. Government Supervision of Veterinarians 238 F. Professional Ethics 242 Chapter five 248 Theoretical Aspects 248 A. Elements, Temperaments and Humours in General Medicine 248 1. Elements 249 2. Temperaments 249 3. Humours 250 B. The Galenic Theory of Veterinary Medicine 252 C. Anatomy 262 1. Anatomy of the Horse 262 2. The Blood Vessels 267 3. Osteology of the Horse: Bones, Ribs and Teeth 271 4. Joints 273 5. Anatomy of the Eye 273 6. Anatomy of Birds of Prey 275 D. Physiology 277 1. Physiology of Animals as Described in General Medical Literature and Other Sources 277 2. Physiology in Mamluk Veterinary Treatises 279 3. The Digestive System 280 4. The Limitations of Veterinary Physiology 281 E. Taxonomy, Breeds and Pedigrees 283 1. The Nobility of the Horse 283 2. The Horse’s Body Structure and Physiognomy 286 3. Horses’ Colours, Stars, Markings and Whorls 290 4. Donkeys and Mules 295 5. Camels 296 6. Elephants 297 7. Farm Animals 298 8. Dogs 299 9. Cheetahs 302 10. Hunting Birds: Hawks, Falcons and Eagles 303 Chapter six 310 Preventive Medicine and Diagnostics 310 A. Health Management—Preventive Medicine and Dietetics 310 1. Horses 312 2. Camels 316 3. Hunting Birds 317 4. Dogs 328 5. Cheetahs 330 6. Postal Pigeons 331 B. Diagnostics 332 1. Diagnostic Theory 332 2. Bodily Secretions 335 3. Testing the Pulse 340 4. Diagnosis by Behaviour and External Manifestations 341 5. Diagnosis of Internal Diseases 346 6. Diagnosis of Poisoning 351 Chapter seven 358 Non-invasive Practises in Veterinary Treatment 358 A. Medicines and Ointments 358 1. Laxatives and Anti-Diarrhea Medication 361 2. Eye Medications 362 3. Orthopedic Bandages (for Setting Broken Bones) 365 4. Creams and Powders 367 5. Enemas, Suppositories and Water Treatments 371 B. Medical Use of Animal and Human Secretions, Blood and Organs 373 1. Secretions 373 2. Blood 376 3. Animals’ Body Parts 377 C. Treatment of Mental Disorders and Behavioural Problems 381 1. Treating Mental Illnesses 381 2. Treating Behavioural Problems 385 D. Problems related to Breeding, Reproduction and Fertility 395 1. Equines 395 2. Dogs 413 3. Raising Young Hunting Birds 416 4. Cheetahs 419 E. The Use of Charms and Whispers 419 1. Magic Signs and Numerology 420 2. Organic Substances 421 3. Whispers and Religion Materials 422 Chapter eight 430 Invasive Methods of Treatment in Veterinary Medicine 430 A. Phlebotomy 430 B. Cauterization 435 C. Emergency Treatments 450 1. External Cuts, Internal Tears, and Open Wounds 450 2. Surgical Treatment of Hooves 453 3. Removal of Foreign Objects from the Head and Throat 455 4. Eradication of Parasites 455 5. Enemas 456 D. Orthopedic Surgery 463 E. Plastic surgery 465 1. Excision of Skin Growths (Corns, Warts, Abscesses, and Heel Spurs) 465 2. Haemorrhoids 467 3. Removal of Tissues and Growths from the Head and Face 469 4. Surgical Treatment of Al-khuld in the Area of the Head 470 5. Treatment of the Bird’s Beak, Extraction of Canines and Treatment of Teeth, Gums and Tongue in Horses and Camels 471 6. Skin, Feather, and Talon Implants in Hunting Birds 472 F. Gynecological Surgery 474 1. Preparatory Procedures for Impregnation 474 2. Removal of a Dead Foetus from the Womb 475 3. Treatment of Uterine Prolapse 477 4. Treatment of ‘Ikhtilāṭʼ 477 G. Castration 478 H. Anesthetizing, Stabilizing and Sterilizing 483 Conclusions 488 Sources and Bibliography 498 A. Manuscripts 498 i. Dār al-Kutub, Cairo 498 ii. Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Paris 498 iii. Bodleian Library, Oxford 499 iv. The British Library, London 499 v. Cambridge University Library, Cambridge 499 vi. Istanbul 499 vii. Escorial Library, Madrid 499 B. Medieval Sources (Including Translations) 500 C. Studies 506 GENERAL INDEX 522 plates 561 Housni Alkhateeb Shehada's Mamluks And Animals: Veterinary Medicine In Medieval Islam Is The First Comprehensive Study Of Veterinary Medicine, Its Practitioners And Its Patients In The Medieval Islamic World, With Special Emphasis On The Mamluk Period (1250-1517). Based On A Large Variety Of Sources, It Is A History Of A Scientific Field That Is Also Examined From Social And Cultural Perspectives. Horses, As Well As Birds Of Prey Used For Hawking And Falconry, Were At The Centre Of The Veterinary Literature Of That Period, But The Treatment And Cure Of Other Animals Was Not Totally Neglected. The Mamluk Period Is Presented Here As The Time When Veterinary Medicine Reached Its Pinnacle In Medieval Islam And Often Even Surpassed Human Medicine--back Cover. By Housni Alkhateeb Shehada. This Study Originated As A Doctoral Dissertation Written At The School Of History Of Tel Aviv University...--page Xiii. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 477-497) And Index.