The influence of oriental medicine in modern Europe: the case of the balm of Gilead
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.2447-2158.i15p30-51Keywords:
balm of Gilead, medicine, Egypt, Ottoman Empire, Modern EuropeAbstract
This paper aims to analyse the influence of a substance of oriental origin in the modern European medicine. The balm of Gilead or balm of Mecca, as it became known, was described by lay authors and doctors, and demonstrates the exchanges that occurred between Christians and Muslims in the medical field. Related to this discussion, we seek to verify whether the fact that balm was cultivated in regions of Islamic domain during this period generated criticism from Europeans.
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