Encyclopaedia of philosophical and natural sciences as taught in Baghdad about A.D. 817, or Book of treasures / by Job of Edessa ; Syriac text edited and translated with a critical apparatus by A. Mingana.

  • Job, of Edessa, active 817-832.
Date:
1935
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Encyclopaedia of philosophical and natural sciences as taught in Baghdad about A.D. 817, or Book of treasures / by Job of Edessa ; Syriac text edited and translated with a critical apparatus by A. Mingana. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    CHAPTER IX. On the reason why eunuchs have no beard, or hair on their body, and their voice is thin and unbroken; while the voice of men is deep and broken ..... X. On the reason why women have a womb, but not men ; and why women menstruate, while men and the females of other animals do not ....... XI. On the reason why the incisors and molars came into existence in the mouth, and not in another place; why the number of the teeth is thirty-two, and why they are different from one another; why the molars, which are larger, are inside, and the incisors, which are smaller, outside; and why the incisors fall and then grow again, while the molars do not. XII. On the reason why the bodies of men are tall, short, black, white, light, heavy, straight-haired or curly-haired, according to the countries ; why those dwelling in northern countries are white, fat and straight-haired, while those who dwell in the confines of the eastern countries, or in the western and southern countries, are black, thin and curly-haired . XIII. On the three kinds of divisions in the differentiation of the genera of animals ........ XIV. On the reason why man, of all animals, is upright in his posture, and why he acquires everything by teaching, while other animals acquire what they possess from their nature . On the existence of an immaterial soul ..... XV. On the reason why man alone has white hair in his old age XVI. The reason why all animals, such as horse, ox, dog, eagle, pigeon, et cetera, are not one species, although all of them emanate from the elements . . . . . XVII. The reason why in the first composition the genera and species of man, horse, ox, et cetera, came into existence from the elements, and did not vary from the beginning up till now ; while other species come into existence in our days, such as flies, midges, tape-worms, et cetera .... XVIII. On the reason why all quadrupeds—with possible small excep¬ tions—and all birds have a tail, while man has not XIX. On the reason why some animals have horns, and some not; and why of those that have horns, some have one only, in the middle ; why some of them have hoofs, and some not, and of those that have hoofs, some have cloven hoofs and some round ; and why some others have claws . XX. On the reason why particular species of animals have only one food, which in the case of horse, ox and the like, is grass, in the case of lion, wolf and the like, meat, and in the case of the birds, some meat and others grain ; and the drink of all of them is water; while man eats meat, bread and in¬ numerable fruits, and drinks wine, water and various other kinds of beverages ; and this in spite of the fact that all of them emanated from the elements PAGE 78 80 82 87 89 91 92 98 99 103 106 107 110