Latest / Timbuktu: Africa's Forgotten Center of Knowledge — Fexingo History
Timbuktu's Lost Medical Manuscripts
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the forgotten medical tradition of Timbuktu. While the city is famous for its libraries of astronomy, law, and theology, its physicians produced hundreds of manuscripts on surgery, pharmacology, and diagnosis. Lucas introduces listeners to the work of Abd al-Rahman al-Timbukti, a 16th-century doctor who compiled a surgical manual based on Galen and Ibn Sina, but adapted for the Sahel. They discuss treatments for snakebites, malaria, and river blindness, and the use of local plants like baobab and tamarind. Lucas explains how Timbuktu's medical…
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