{"title":"中世纪波斯医学和矿物学文献中的Zinjafr案例:在缺乏化学元素概念的情况下创造的谜题","authors":"Nazila Farmani Anooshe, Aliyar Mousavi","doi":"10.1007/s10698-022-09436-9","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>An examination of some of the writings in the medical and mineralogical texts of Persia in the Middle Ages, written in the Arabic language during the caliphate period, revealed an inconsistency concerning the modern chemical identity of the substance called <i>zinjafr</i>, which was recognized as a medication for wounds, burns, mange, and cavities. Although some of the literature identified it as the important ore cinnabar (red mercury(II) sulfide), some questioned that identification or even ambiguously described it as a substance produced from lead. A modern chemical study was conducted and identified the latter substance as minium (trilead tetraoxide). The reason for the medieval authors not distinguishing between those two compounds is discussed and the fact that the dictionaries of modern written Arabic commonly have the words <i>zinjafr</i> and <i>cinnabar</i> listed as equivalents is also explored. Further, the ability of Arabic alchemy to distinguish between cinnabar and minium is assessed in light of modern chemistry.</p><h3>Graphical abstract</h3><p>A 1973 Soviet postage stamp celebrating the 1000th anniversary of al-Biruni’s birth (https://sl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slika:Biruni-russian.jpg).</p><figure><div><div><div><picture><source><img></source></picture></div></div></div></figure></div>","PeriodicalId":568,"journal":{"name":"Foundations of Chemistry","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.8000,"publicationDate":"2022-07-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":"{\"title\":\"The case of Zinjafr in the medical and mineralogical texts of medieval Persia: a puzzle created in the absence of the concept of chemical elements\",\"authors\":\"Nazila Farmani Anooshe, Aliyar Mousavi\",\"doi\":\"10.1007/s10698-022-09436-9\",\"DOIUrl\":null,\"url\":null,\"abstract\":\"<div><p>An examination of some of the writings in the medical and mineralogical texts of Persia in the Middle Ages, written in the Arabic language during the caliphate period, revealed an inconsistency concerning the modern chemical identity of the substance called <i>zinjafr</i>, which was recognized as a medication for wounds, burns, mange, and cavities. Although some of the literature identified it as the important ore cinnabar (red mercury(II) sulfide), some questioned that identification or even ambiguously described it as a substance produced from lead. A modern chemical study was conducted and identified the latter substance as minium (trilead tetraoxide). The reason for the medieval authors not distinguishing between those two compounds is discussed and the fact that the dictionaries of modern written Arabic commonly have the words <i>zinjafr</i> and <i>cinnabar</i> listed as equivalents is also explored. Further, the ability of Arabic alchemy to distinguish between cinnabar and minium is assessed in light of modern chemistry.</p><h3>Graphical abstract</h3><p>A 1973 Soviet postage stamp celebrating the 1000th anniversary of al-Biruni’s birth (https://sl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slika:Biruni-russian.jpg).</p><figure><div><div><div><picture><source><img></source></picture></div></div></div></figure></div>\",\"PeriodicalId\":568,\"journal\":{\"name\":\"Foundations of Chemistry\",\"volume\":null,\"pages\":null},\"PeriodicalIF\":1.8000,\"publicationDate\":\"2022-07-13\",\"publicationTypes\":\"Journal Article\",\"fieldsOfStudy\":null,\"isOpenAccess\":false,\"openAccessPdf\":\"\",\"citationCount\":\"0\",\"resultStr\":null,\"platform\":\"Semanticscholar\",\"paperid\":null,\"PeriodicalName\":\"Foundations of Chemistry\",\"FirstCategoryId\":\"92\",\"ListUrlMain\":\"https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10698-022-09436-9\",\"RegionNum\":3,\"RegionCategory\":\"化学\",\"ArticlePicture\":[],\"TitleCN\":null,\"AbstractTextCN\":null,\"PMCID\":null,\"EPubDate\":\"\",\"PubModel\":\"\",\"JCR\":\"Q1\",\"JCRName\":\"HISTORY & PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE\",\"Score\":null,\"Total\":0}","platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Foundations of Chemistry","FirstCategoryId":"92","ListUrlMain":"https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10698-022-09436-9","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"HISTORY & PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE","Score":null,"Total":0}
The case of Zinjafr in the medical and mineralogical texts of medieval Persia: a puzzle created in the absence of the concept of chemical elements
An examination of some of the writings in the medical and mineralogical texts of Persia in the Middle Ages, written in the Arabic language during the caliphate period, revealed an inconsistency concerning the modern chemical identity of the substance called zinjafr, which was recognized as a medication for wounds, burns, mange, and cavities. Although some of the literature identified it as the important ore cinnabar (red mercury(II) sulfide), some questioned that identification or even ambiguously described it as a substance produced from lead. A modern chemical study was conducted and identified the latter substance as minium (trilead tetraoxide). The reason for the medieval authors not distinguishing between those two compounds is discussed and the fact that the dictionaries of modern written Arabic commonly have the words zinjafr and cinnabar listed as equivalents is also explored. Further, the ability of Arabic alchemy to distinguish between cinnabar and minium is assessed in light of modern chemistry.
Graphical abstract
A 1973 Soviet postage stamp celebrating the 1000th anniversary of al-Biruni’s birth (https://sl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slika:Biruni-russian.jpg).
期刊介绍：
Foundations of Chemistry is an international journal which seeks to provide an interdisciplinary forum where chemists, biochemists, philosophers, historians, educators and sociologists with an interest in foundational issues can discuss conceptual and fundamental issues which relate to the `central science'' of chemistry. Such issues include the autonomous role of chemistry between physics and biology and the question of the reduction of chemistry to quantum mechanics. The journal will publish peer-reviewed academic articles on a wide range of subdisciplines, among others: chemical models, chemical language, metaphors, and theoretical terms; chemical evolution and artificial self-replication; industrial application, environmental concern, and the social and ethical aspects of chemistry''s professionalism; the nature of modeling and the role of instrumentation in chemistry; institutional studies and the nature of explanation in the chemical sciences; theoretical chemistry, molecular structure and chaos; the issue of realism; molecular biology, bio-inorganic chemistry; historical studies on ancient chemistry, medieval chemistry and alchemy; philosophical and historical articles; and material of a didactic nature relating to all topics in the chemical sciences. Foundations of Chemistry plans to feature special issues devoted to particular themes, and will contain book reviews and discussion notes. Audience: chemists, biochemists, philosophers, historians, chemical educators, sociologists, and other scientists with an interest in the foundational issues of science.
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