Yahya ibn Sarafyun (9th century) a Syriac physician from

Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...

, known in Europe as Johannes Serapion, and commonly called Serapion the Elder to distinguish him from Serapion the Younger, with whom he was often confused.

Biography

Nothing is known of the events of his life, except that he was a

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

physician, and lived in the second half of the 9th century. Two works are extant that bear his name; one called ''Aphorismi Magni Momenti de Medicina Practica''; the other, entitled ''al-Kunnash'', which has been published under the various names, ''Pandectae'', ''Aggregator'', ''Breviarium'',
Practica
', and ''Therapeutica Methodus''. The object of the work is to collect and put together in an abridged form the opinions of the Greek and Arabic physicians concerning diseases and their treatment. He also transcribes out of

Alexander of Tralles Alexander of Tralles (; ca. 525 – ca. 605) was one of the most eminent physicians in the Byzantine Empire. His birth date may safely be put in the 6th century AD, for he mentions Aëtius Amidenus, who probably did not write until the end of the ...

, an author with whom few other Arabic writers seem to have been much acquainted.

References

*''The Penny Cyclopaedia of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge'' (1841), pages 259–260 * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ibn Sarafyun, Yahya Syrian Christians 9th-century Christians Physicians of the medieval Islamic world 9th-century physicians people from Damascus