Tacuinum Sanitatis, Winter
Entitled: Nature: Cold in the third degree, humid in the second, when it is normal. Optimum: Its final period. Usefulness: Good for diseases of the liver and helpful to the digestion. Dangers: It is harmful to phlegmatic diseases and increases phlegm. Neutralization of the Dangers: With fire and heavy clothing. It is good for warm and dry temperaments, for the young, in Southern regions and in those close to the sea. 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
