Tacuinum Sanitatis: Medieval Horticulture and Health

Lavishly illustrated manuscripts known as the Tacuinum Sanitatis were first commissioned by northern Italian nobility during the last decades of the 14^th century. These manuscripts were based on an 11^th-century Arabic manuscript known as the Taqwim al-Sihha bi al-Ashab al-Sitta (Rectifying Health by Six Causes) which was a guide for healthy living written by the Christian physician and philosopher Ibn Butlan (d. 1063), who was born and educated in Baghdad and whose travels took him to localities that are today in Iraq, Syria, Egypt, Israel, and Turkey. The expensive, illustrated Tacuinum Sanitatis tomes portray a utopian feudal society in which nobles are engaged in play and romance whilst feudal laborers work the estate. Rich in horticultural imagery, they include vivid scenes of the harvest of vegetables, fruits, flowers, and culinary and medicinal herbs. Each scene is accompanied by a brief summary of the health aspects of the subject. Although medieval medicine was based on ancient philosophical concepts of Greek sciences, particularly Hippocrates and Galen, these documents connect vegetables and fruits with human health and well-being, similar to modern medicine. Hence, the present-day focus on the connection between horticulture and health can be seen as an extension of ancient and medieval regimens for a healthy lifestyle.

The Tacuinum sanitatis are a series of lavishly illustrated manuscripts first commissioned as gifts by Northern Italian nobility during the last decades of the 14^th century and continuing during the course of the 15^th century. They were derived from an 11^th century Arabic document known as Taqwim al-sihha bi al-ashab al-sitta (Tables of Health, or Balancing Health by Six Methods) written in Baghdad by the Christian physician and philosopher Ibn Butlan (d. 1068) as a guide for healthy living.  These expensive volumes, portraying an utopian feudal society in which nobles were engaged at play and romance while feudal laborers worked on the estate, are rich in horticultural imagery and include vivid scenes of the harvest of vegetables fruits, flowers, and culinary and medicinal herbs. The brief texts that accompany the scenes summarize the health aspects of each species. Although the basis of  medieval medicine was based on the ancient  philosophical concepts of Greek science, particularly Hippocrates and Galen, the conclusions of these documents are similar to  present day conclusions that  fruits and vegetables contribute to human health and well being. Thus, the present day emphasis of horticulture and health can be seen as an extension of ancient and medieval concerns.