LITERATURE OF THE ARABS. 89 



though D'Herbelot states that he wrote 500 volumes 

 on chymistry. The greater number of chymical 

 processes, such as they were almost to the end of 

 the eighteenth century, were perfectly known to 

 him ; and if we compare his writings with those of 

 Dioscorides and Pliny, we shall perceive the vast 

 progress which chymistry, or rather pharmacy, had 

 made in the schools of the Saracens. The early 

 nomenclature of the science demonstrates how 

 much it owes to the Arabs. The terms alcohol, 

 alembic, alkali, aludel, and others, clearly indicate 

 their derivation ; nor should it be forgotten that 

 those characters of drugs, essences, extracts, and 

 medicines which are frequently to be found in apothe- 

 caries' shops, and which to vulgar eyes appear to be 

 vested with occult powers of healing, are all to be 

 traced to them. It is the opinion of Sprengel, that 

 the writings of the Arabs, even at the present day, 

 might be of service, were our chymists and physi- 

 cians capable of perusing the works of Geber, Mes- 

 •sue, Rhazes, Averroes, and Avicenna in the native 

 tongue. 



Allied to medicine was the science of astrology, 

 which the Saracens cultivated with great zeal. The 

 doctrine of sidereal influences is very ancient ; and 

 lai a later period each part and member of the human 

 t)ody was assigned to the custody or dominion of a 

 particular star. The heart, brain, liver, spleen, 

 iDile, kidneys, and other viscera were successively 

 affected by the sun and moon, and by the planets 

 Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury, Mars, and Venus ; so that 

 a physician, before he could understand or attempt 

 to cure a disease, had to ascertain the magical 

 harmony between the planets and the habits oif his 

 patient. He durst not venture to draw blood with- 

 out consulting the position of the heavens, nor order 

 a cathartic unless the constellations were favoura- 

 ble. With a people so superstitious as the Arabs, 

 such a science could not fail to be popular. Accord- 



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