Les médecins juifs en la Sardaigne médiévale

Abstract

Jewish Physicians in Medieval Sardinia

This essay is part of a broader research project concerning the Jewish presence in Sardinia during the Middle Ages. What emerged from the research process, is that thanks to the presence of the Jewish community in the island’s cities, Sardinia played a central role in the economic and cultural exchanges within the Mediterranean Sea. In particular, the many doctors and surgeons of Jewish origins operating on this island became fundamental protagonists of the economic, social and cultural life of the different communities in which they worked, their services being warmly requested and welcomed by illustrious personalities. This contribution, while outlining the specific historical context of Medieval Sardinia in which the Jewish doctors lived and worked, sets out to provide a picture of the everyday life in these communities, through the sources relating to these Jews in the medical profession.