The whole story of Geber is discussed by Berthelot in his "La chimie
au moyen age" (Paris, 1896). The transmission of Arabian science to
the Occident began with the Crusades, though earlier a filtering of
important knowledge in mathematics and astronomy had reached Southern
and Middle Europe through Spain. Among the translators several names
stand out prominently. Gerbert, who became later Pope Sylvester II, is
said to have given us our present Arabic figures. You may read the story
of his remarkable life in Taylor,(17) who says he was "the first mind
of his time, its greatest teacher, its most eager learner, and most
universal scholar." But he does not seem to have done much directly for
medicine.
(17) The Mediaeval Mind, Vol. I, p. 280.
The Graeco-Arabic learning passed into Europe through two sources. As
I have already mentioned, Constantinus Africanus, a North African
Christian monk, widely travelled and learned in languages, came to
Salernum and translated many works from Arabic into Latin, particularly
those of Hippocrates and Galen. The "Pantegni" of the latter became one
of the most popular text-books of the Middle Ages. A long list of other
works which he translated is given by Steinschneider.
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