Qust a ibn Luqa’s Medical Regime for the Pilgrims to Mecca: The Risala fi tadbir safar al-h ajj

This work by Qusta Ibn Luqa, the only known health guide for the pilgrims to Mecca, discusses the best regime for the travellers, the diseases which may befall them and their treatment. It demonstrates the author’s knowledge of the works of ancient physicians, especially those of the Byzantine physician Paul of Aegina. Qusta covers such diseases as fatigue, earache, diseases of the bronchial tubes and those caused by dust. Recommended remedies are simple and compound drugs, bathing and massage. He then discusses criteria to determine the quality of water, means to improve bad water, and means to quench one’s thirst. Qusta also treats the prophylaxis against vermin and the treatment of stings and bites caused by them. After an exposition of spontaneous generation, he concludes his treatise by discussing the occurrence of the Dracunculus medinensis and its treatment.