Tacuinum Sanitatis, Squash
Entitled: Nature: Cold and humid in the second degree. Optimum: Those that are fresh and green. Usefulness: They quench thirst. Dangers: They constitute a swift laxative. Neutralization of the Dangers: With salted water and mustard. Effects: A moderate and cold nourishment. They are good for choleric temperaments, for the young, in Summer, in all regions, and above all in Southern areas. The Tacuinum Sanitatis is a medieval handbook based on the Taqwim as-sihhah, an 11th century Arab medical treatise by Ibn Butlan of Baghdad. Listing its contents organically rather than alphabetically, it sets forth the six essential elements for well-being: sufficient food and drink in moderation, fresh air, alternations of activity and rest, alternations of sleep and wakefulness, secretions and excretions of humours, and finally the effects of states of mind. In addition to its importance for the study of medieval medicine, the Tacuinum is also of interest in the study of agriculture, cooking and society. Each scene is accompanied by a brief summary of the health aspects of the subject. From the Tacuinum of Vienna, 14th century
