Saladin's Court Physician: Maimonides and the Art of Healing

In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the medical world of Saladin's Ayyubid court, focusing on the legendary physician and philosopher Moses Maimonides. From his exile in Cordoba to his rise as court physician in Cairo, Maimonides treated sultans and commoners alike, blending Galenic tradition with his own insights. We discuss his ten medical works, including the 'Aphorisms' and the 'Regimen of Health', his famous letter to the sultan's son advising on diet and exercise, and the broader medical landscape of the Islamic Golden Age—hospitals, humoral theory, and the translation movement that preserved Greek knowledge. We also address the complexity of Maimonides' legacy: a Jewish scholar serving a Muslim ruler during the Crusades, a man who wrote in Arabic but whose works were translated into Hebrew and Latin. How did he navigate faith and medicine? What was it like to practice in a world where superstition and science coexisted? Join us for a look at the healing arts in the medieval Middle East, and the man who embodied an age of exchange. #Maimonides #Saladin #Ayyubid #IslamicGoldenAge #MedievalMedicine #CairoGeniza #Hospitals #HumoralTheory #Galen #Philosophy #Crusades #Sephardic #Cordoba #Translations #FexingoHistory #History #Podcast #Biography Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo