Jordan Voltz

Hist 227A Medieval Mediterranean

Prof. Garceau
The Crusades and the application of ancient medical theory
Ussamah ibn Munquidh, in his text, Frankish Medicine, presents a condescending
depiction of Crusader medical practices through the authors ironic superiority [] justified by
the supremacy of the great medical tradition of the East.
1
Ussamahs supremacy arises from the
degree each culture adheres to ancient physicians such as Oribasius. The practices of the
Frankish crusaders given in Ussamahs text demonstrate the Muslim perception of the
westerners deviations from these ancient medical texts which comprise the foundation of
Muslim medical practice. Moreover, the Frankish practices are either noticeably Christian or
violent, as opposed to Ussamahs treatment, which is portrayed as sensible and scientific.
Ussamah uses knowledge of these ancient medical texts to make a distinction between beneficial
and harmful medical practices, displaying Christians as barbaric and prone to superstition, while
he, a Muslim, is educated and refined to reason.
After the Frankish doctor shaves the head of the woman who has a devil who is in love
with her,
2
he proscribes her no dietary advice, believing the problem to be entirely solved by his
intervention. This is contrasted with the Ussamahs interactions with the woman at the beginning
of Frankish Medicine, where he diagnoses her as a woman with consumption
3
and proscribes
her with a cleansing and refreshing diet.
4
The type of diet Ussamah prescribes is likely in line
with the writings of the fourth century imperial physician Oribasius, who states that, on arrival

1
Ussamah ibn Munquidh, Frankish Medicine in Arab Historians of the Crusades (Berkeley: University of California
Press, 1969) pg. 77
2
ibn Munquidh, pg. 76
3
ibn Munquidh pg. 76
4
ibn Munquidh pg. 76
in a foreign country one is obliged to eat something unusual
5
The Frankish doctor, who lacks
the proper medical education, fails to give his patient this advice, as she went back to eating her
usual Frankish food, garlic and mustard, which made her illness worse.
6
As this eventually
results in her death at the hands of the Frank, Ussamah uses this scene to illustrate the superiority
of ancient medicine, as well as the superiority of the Muslims who continue to follow that
tradition. The Frankish doctor gives the appearance that he can cure his patients immediately,
resulting in their death, while Ussumahs patients are actually cured quickly,
7
demonstrating
the effectiveness of ancient medical techniques.
While we certainly have evidence that Frankish doctors adhered to these ancient medical
traditions,
8
the question deserves to be asked, How does the elitism associated with the ancient
medical tradition legitimize those who practice it, while allowing them to delegitimize those who
dont?
Bibliography:
A. Z. Iskandar, A Catalogue of Arabic Manuscripts on Medicine and Science in the
WeIlcome Historical Medical Library (London, 1967)
Avicenna, Canon Edward Grant (ed) A Sourcebook in Medieval Science (Cambridge,
1974)
Ussamah ibn Munquidh, Frankish Medicine in Arab Historians of the Crusades
(Berkeley: University of California Press, 1969)

5
A. Z. Iskandar, A Catalogue of Arabic Manuscripts on Medicine and Science in the WeIlcome Historical Medical
Library (London, 1967), pg. 4.
6
Ussamah ibn Munquidh, Frankish Medicine pg. 77
7
Ussamah ibn Munqidh, pg. 76
8
Avicenna, Canon Edward Grant (ed) A Sourcebook in Medieval Science (Cambridge, 1974), pg. 715