Abstract
THIS scholarly dissertation upon Khalid ibn Yazid will receive a hearty welcome from all those who are interested in the history of chemistry. It must serve as a foundation for all future work upon Khalid, who is one of the most attractive of early Muslim chemists. Much that is legendary has been associated with him from a very remote period, and this apocryphal matter has naturally increased with the passage of time. Prof. Ruska carefully examines the principal sources for the life of Khalid and is able to show that they contain numerous inconsistencies and anachronisms. It is clear that none of them is entirely trustworthy, and the same may be said of the various books and poems in Arabic ascribed to Khalid, which are probably all spurious, even though they may contain authentic passages.
Arabische Alchemisten. I: Chlid ibn Jazd ibn Muwija.
Von Julius Ruska. (Heidelberger Akten der von-Portheim-Stiftung, Heft 6.) Pp. 56. (Heidelberg: Carl Winter's Universitätsbuchhandlung, 1924.) 3 marks.
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H., E. Arabische Alchemisten I: Chlid ibn Jazd ibn Muwija. Nature 114, 427 (1924). https://doi.org/10.1038/114427a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/114427a0