Arabic manuscript on paper, 110 leaves, 13 lines to the page, written in bold naskhi script in brown ink, catchwords picked out in red, some marginal notes, including those in Hebrew in the hands of at least two Jewish medical scholars, in later brown leather binding with gilt foliate cartouches and marbled doublures

Acquired in the early 20^th century by a European scholar of Middle Eastern Studies.

In fairly good overall condition, opening page fragmentary and relaid, some repairs to margins, slight waterstaining in patches, particularly at the end, otherwise script bold, as viewed.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Hunayn Ibn Ishaq (d.A.H. 260/A.D. 873) was the most important translator of the ancient Greek sciences into Arabic during the great Abbasid translation movement, and this manuscript is one of the earliest extant copies of his own most famous work on medicine the "Kitab al-Masail fi'l-Tibb".

An Arab Christian living in Baghdad in the ninth century, Hunayn was himself an accomplished physician and as well as medical texts he translated works on philosophy, astronomy, mathematics, pharmacology, zoology and antidotes, and composed his own treatises on many of these subjects and more. As Seyyed Hosain Nasr comments, "...With his mastery of Arabic, Greek and Syr🤡iac, he is more than anyone responsible for the high quality of translation of the work of the Greek masters.... into Arabic."  The enormous influence of his translations cannot be overestimated, and to say that Renaissance and modern European science, philosophy and medicine owes him a great debt would not be to overstate the case.

The Masail fi'l-Tibb is his most famous medical work, and the inclusion in the present copy of additions by Ishaq's nephew and pupil Hubaysh is an interesting and rare occurrence. For more information on Hunayn Ibn Ishaq and his works see Young et al (Eds.), Religion, learning and science in the 'Abbasid Period, Cambridge, 1990, pp.487-91; EI (2n�🌳�d Edition), "Hunayn B. Ishaq".

A further interesting and important aspect of the present copy is the link to a series of Jewish physicians in the 13th and 14th century. Among the marginal commentaries are several written in Hebrew, and at the end of the manuscript are two notes which re🌺cord that the manuscript was read and learned by two Jewish physicians, one who gives his name as Abu'l-Ala b. `Abd al-Latif al-Isra'ili and the date A.H. 693/A.D. 1293, and other as Yusuf b. Ya`qub ...al-Shami al-Isra'ili. This is a significant aspect as it shows the close links between scholars of the three monotheistic faiths in the medieval Islamic world.

A considerably later copy of the present work, dated 11 Jamada A.H. 787/A.D. 1385, can be found in the Wellcome Library (WMS ARABIC 402); see Nikolaj Serikoff, Arabic Medical Manuscripts of the Wellcome Library; A Descriptive Catalogue of the Haddad Collection, Boston, 2005, pp.17-30.