One domestic short manuscript handbook on pharmacology from manuscript collection of Oriental Institute in Sarajevo

Abstract

This article deals with a short manuscript handbook on pharmacology and popular medicine which was most probably written in Sarajevo in the 18th century. (The manuscript is in the possession of the Oriental Institute of Sarajevo, item No 3742). Although neither the title of this writing nor the name of its author are known, the translation of the names of the medicinal herbs from the oriental languages into Serbo-Croatian clearly points to the native origin of the writer.

At the end of the book in the description of one of the herbs the author says that it grows on the unfertile land and stone walls as for example on the courtyard wall of the Sultan mosque in Sarajevo (page 59a of the manuscript) which undoubtedly shows that the author came from Sarajevo. The references to well known books and their authors also speak in favour of his having been well informed and acquainted with the achievements in those fields. He resorts a lot to the medical experience of Omer efendi, the seller of herbs from Sarajevo, i. e. to his manuscript, whereby for the first time we indirectly get informed about Omer efendi and his work.