bfcame the propiity of the Jewisli phyThe latter, juilgiiig fioiii the discussions in
L'Tiulually
sicians.
various treatises, were well aei|uainte(l with most of the parts of the human body and even jiractised
np'^C The
— 'hat
dis.seetion of the same. declared that there were 248
is.
rahliis
members
(bones) in the human bo(ly namely, 40 in the tar.sal 40):' 2 in the lejj; (the rejriou and the foot (;i(J+"lO tibia and libula); ti in tlie knee (inelu<lini: the head of llie f<'mur. ami the epiphyses of the tibia and libula)
- i in the
pelvis (ilium, ischium, and ]iidies); 11 ribs
=
(the lw<lfili rib. owing to its diminutive si/e, was not eounled); ;i() in the liand (the carpall)onesand tlie phalanges): 2 in the forearm (radius and ulna): 2 at the elbow (the olecrauou and the head of the radius); 1 in I he arm (humerus); 4 in the shoulder (clavicle, scajiwliich makes ula, eoracoid jjrocess, and acromion) mi for each side of the liody, or 2ll2 for both— IS
—
Vertebra': 9 in the head (cniiiiiun and face). S in the neck (T vertebral and the os liyoides), ') around the (jienings [sic] of the body (cartilaginous bones), and () in the key of the heart (the sternum) (Oh. i. 8). Hergel ("Stiidien." p. 7) lias shown, however, that the true ninnber would be 208. But the fact that the rabbis liail a<lvance<l far enough to enumerate till' bones at all shows a certain aciiuaiutaucc with osti'ology. An inciih'Ut is related which shows that tlic discipies of 1!. Ishmael engaged in jiraetical Anatomy: The di.sciples of Hablii Ishmael once dis.sected the corpse of a harlot who had been eondenmed by the king to l)e burned. On close examination they discovered that the body had 2-V2 members instead of •-4S. ISabbi Ishmael explained the di.screi>ancy. and supported his reasonings with citations from i^eri])ture. In Jiddition to the ordinary number of 248 members found in the male liody, that of the female
has
"two hinges
an<l
two doors," making four more
parts (Bek. 45" )
However near the truth the Jewish sages were in thiirspeeilieationof the human bones, they were nevertheless in the dark in matters concerning lyniphan^'ciology. splanchnology, etc. For insiance. under the name of D"T3 they often include<I sinews, nerves, and even blood-vessels. Further, their Limitations knowledge of the construction of the of Knowl- urinary and generative organs was c.xedge.
ceedingly faulty. They were, however, acquainted with the science of
-Vnatoniy as it was tauirht in those davs. Many especially Hullin. Bekorot. Ohoiot. an<l Niddah —contain iliscussions upon the Anatomy and physiology of man and beast. The theories of the .sages in matters of gynecology are interesting: even fads tises
trea-
—
concerning the
XvC
(placenta) and
DX
(matri.x) are
discussed. The njp (trachea), and CL"1 (esophagus) are often miiitioneil. as well as the nX'1 (lungs),
ni:iaDD (bronchi),
mO
ing of the bniin:
meninges),
^inc
Anatolio
THE JEWISH ENCYCLOPEDIA
565
(spleen),
(gall).
and many
mO
Sl"
nnp
(cover-
rmj," (spinal cord), other internal i)arts. See
I.ewysohn, "Zoologie des Talmud," pp. |M-5."). The numerous discussions in connection with sacritiiial
precepts, uiuleanliness,
and
purilicalion. re-
corded in .several treatises, deinonstmte that the TaliMUilieal sages Were not behind theficntile physicians in the lield of medical science. From llie time when the Talmud was complete<I until after the death of .Mohammed, little or no progrivs was maile by the Jews in the various sciences. Hut with Iheailvenl of the califati art and science nviviil and in w sealsof learning were opened. The studeiitsdf the Ji'wisli academii'S joinni the Arabian and Moorish .schools. The works of Hippocniles, Ua-
Anatomy
len, and others were translated into Arabic, and not a few into Hebrew. From these schools proceeded a large number of Hebrew savants who became distinguished in letters, philosophy, and science; but very little is known of
their labors in Anatomy, possibly owing to the fact that the Arabs themselves had objections to Anat-
omy (Hiiiiilioldt." Cosmos, "ii.
2')4). There must have branch of medical science; for the names of several skilled Jewish surgeons have been recorded, as. for instance, Samuel ibn W'akkar. The foremost of all the Jiidao-Arabian surgeons of that [leriod (900) was Isaac Israeli of Kairwan. He was court physician to Abu MohamIsraell med al Malidi; yet among his works, and Mai- which have been translated from the monides. .Vrabic into Latin (published in Lej'-
been some experts
in that
den.l.'il.")),
there
is
not a single treatise
on Anatomy and only a few references to it. The most emiiii-nt of all Jewish philosophers and plij'sicians was Moses b. !Maiinon (.Maimonides. 11351204). But even he. notwithstanding his many works, only touched on Anatomy, merely translating a few extracts from Galen, whom he considers his great authoritv (see Preface to Maimonides' " Pirke Mosheli " or "Sefcr ba-Hefuot," ed. AVilna. 1888, p. v.): "
I tiave cnniposeii I do not altribiite to I liavwsflccU'il anil r<.||i'<-ttMi iheni frem the vi irks of ami from liis sji in^rs n'm-crniiit' the wriiinesof Hipi>ucI have iRtt qiuited him verbatim, lis I have ditne in my
TlH'st' <-l(a)iiri-s wiiii-t)
myself, but (ialeii,
nites.
I>n'Vious epuscula, Itavlii^ taliea speciaj care l<) elucidate thtise ot)seure passutfes in (ialen, where. In his attempt to e|i|ain tile theiirlesi>t HIpjxM rates, the tatter's words seem to be coiilounded Willi
hisiiWB."
That M.iimonides studied Anatomy and was an e.v]UMl in it, is evident from his own words. In speaking of the nerves, "Those
etc.,
he says:
Anatomy think that are the same; and were It not for the which we were busily engaged, we also
that are not acquaiiitait with
iierve,s. arteries, ete., stuily "f .Viiainmy in
shoukl net
know
the Ulllerence."
In the folk-medicine of the .Tows there was a rough enumeialion of twelve members or parts of the body, with which were a.ssociated certain qualities of the mind or character, anger with the liver, hearing with These are found enuthe left nerve, and the like.
meraled in the "Sefer "i'e/.inih," and led in later cabalistic writings to the jiictorial conception of Adam Kadmou (see Zuuz, "Literaturgeschichte," p. 009). The only other striking .statement worthy of no'
concerning the old jewi.sh .system of Anatomy that in the Zohar(cxxxvii. 33). The author (supposed to be -Moses de Leon, about the end of the
tices
is
thirl eenlh
century) says:
" Then- an- UMS memlMTs [t"'>3't*l In the human body, corresiKiiKlliiir to the LM.s |iniepi.< of the law, anil to the 24N anirels liivf.stiiiir tile SlK*klnal). whose names an- tin* sjime as ttielr mailer's. .inl there are alw> in the human lM»ily '.ii't sinews [1^"^*^; under which vayue term are iiicliidi-d, its stated alnive. arteries, nerves, etc.], corn-sindullnjr to the :ttl.'» neiiallve laws, and repivsi-ntinK the ;til.'i days of the year. Thes4' an- iroveriutl by
- iiL> aiiK^els, one of whom is Siimael liiiiiM'If. who n-pn-.v-nts the
ninth day of llie iiioiiih I'f .b |ihe fast commemonuini; the ilestructloii of Jerusalem by tin' Itomans]. The n'iis«iii why the sliiew of the ihlifli ueni" ^•'i ""MJ wu.s forbidden was becaiiiMIt renn-seiits Sainael (Sauinl. who b one of the 3i& augeb whose I
day
Is
the
.Miilli
of
.VI)."
Sevend attiinpts have been ma<le by niiMliTn Hebrew writers lo reconcile the "248 members" theory The most reof the ancients with iiKKlern science. cent ari' "Ma.sekel Xiltual.i." by Schereschewski, and "HcMaH Kbarim " (the 248 iiiembers), by Kulzuellsoti. Iluii.icnin.vpiiv: Itenn't. Mnlirin ilrr Tnhnuilixlrn, IS-Vi; Idem, SUiilitii I)/m f (lir yiitiiririivi-u/tcli(lftUch)-n Krntttnittur tier 7'>i'iiMi<lij<(iii,|ip.il Ui.liiiiloiiiu I. Lelialr. ISM; .Maimonides.
