[The Hebrew manuscript of Avicenna's Canon]

The Hebrew manuscript of Avicenna's Canon, today in the University Library of Bologna (Ms 2197) dates from about the middle of the XVth century; it contains six full-page illuminations which have probably been performed by Northern-Italian artists. The study of the pictures may help modern comprehension of the relationships between medieval men, illnesses and ages of life, and it clarifies the profound ethical links correlating physicians with patients and their entourage. The text, written in Hebrew square capitals and Rashi italics, clearly shows how, on the threshold of Italian Renaissance, Hebrew was still considered, as Greek and Latin, one of the classical languages.