Dr. Suessmann Muntner

He used his short vacation periods for travels to attend scholarly conventions and to search for manuscripts, visiting among other places old monasteries in North Africa.

We cannot enumerate here the various medieval Jewish medical writings which Muntner published, often at his own expense, dwelling in some of them on the high ethical conduct and sense of duty of the Jewish physician, but will confine ourselves to a short description of Muntner’s great efforts to publish the medical writings of Maimonides.

Maimonides was not only a great philosopher and religious commentator and legislator, but also an eminent physician. His medical writings, written originally in Arabic were much studied and widely quoted in the Middle Ages.

Muntner set himself the task of rediscovering for the Jewish people and the world Maimondes’ greatness as a physician. He wrote extensively on Maimonides. He also published some of his medical treatises. However it was his long standing ambition to publish a Hebrew critical edition of all available medicine writings of Maimonides including those which had never been published before, complete with commentaries and references to contemporary medical literature.

He spent many years in the preparation of such an edition. He searched in many countries for manuscripts translated from the Arabic, examined and annotated medieval translations, collected references to Maimonides in medieval medical literature and wrote introductions and commentaries to the individual works.

Although it was ready for print, Muntner could not raise the necessary funds for its publication. At one time he turned for help to Einstein, whom he had met on a variety of occasions. Einstein replied that if he would have been “G-d forbid king of America,” he would have allocated a sum for the publication of the Rambam’s medical writings, and would have cut the defense budget accordingly,”

Einstein wrote further that he was certain that a foundation could be found which would furnish the necessary funds for the realization of Muntner’s project, but he could not serve as “Guide to the Perplexed” in this matter.

In the middle of the 1950s, on  the occasion of the seven hundred fiftieth anniversary of the death of the Rambam, Mosad Harav Kook, in cooperation with the Israel Medical Association, took the initiative to publish Muntner’s edition. Later other institutions as well as private individuals contributed towards the realization of the project.

In 1957 the first volume of the new edition appeared. It contained Maimonides “Hanhagat Habriut” (Guide to Good Health). Maimonides wrote it in answer to a request by one of Sultan Saladin’s sons who had asked him for medical advice. It is most interesting and one of Maimonides’ Medical treatises which even a layman, who has no special medical knowledge can enjoy.

In this treatise, Maimonides teaches man not only to abstain from food and actions which may harm the body but also from worry and other spiritual anguish which are likewise likely to affect adversely his health. He stresses the interdependence of mind and body and propounds mental as well as bodily hygiene. He instructs man not only to guard his physical well being but also how to preserve his peace of mind and not be lost in despair and sorrow in times of stress and need.

This treatise was followed in 1959 by the publication of Muntner’s edition of “Pirke Moshe”, one of Maimonides great medical text books. The twenty fifth chapter of this book is devoted to the criticism of some views of Galen, the great medical authority, Maimonides warns scholars not to blindly follow views of their predecessors, be they even the most famous savants,, but to subject their ideas to criticism and independent research.

During the last twelve years, three more volumes of Muntner’s edition, including Maimonides’ treatise on asthma, have appeared.

I knew Muntner well. I had the privilege of assisting him in the final preparations for print of the first volume of Maimonides’ medical writings. I was with him when he visited New York in connection with the publication of Maimonides Medical writings in English.

He was a humble and selfless man. Though immersed in his work as a medical practitioner and in his scholarly research, he found time to be active in communal affairs. He was a founder of the Maccabi World Movement and for many years served as its executive director.

He was a leader of the Jerusalem Academy of Medicine, taught history of medicine at Hebrew University and was editor of “Korot” a periodical devoted to the history of science.

He worked alone and with small means in his chosen field of medieval Jewish medical literature but great were his achievements. He wrote fine essays on the subject, published interesting and important Jewish medical books of the Middle Ages and saw the publication of five volumes, of a projected ten, of his edition of Maimonides Medical writings. He also lived to see the publication with his collaboration of some of Maimonides’ medical treatises in English and German translation.

May his memory be a blessing.

The Jewish Press, April 27, 1972