Pormann (oriental studies, Oxford U.) examines the handbook of seventh-century Alexandrian physician Paul, which is also called Compendium of the Pleiades because it consists of seven books. After exploring the Syriac and Arabic sources of the text, he analyzes such aspects as terminology, ophthalmology, simple drugs, lexicography, and the syntax of Greek into Arabic. Then he considers the influence of the work on later writers, focusing on three Arabic texts that were translated into Latin and eagerly read during the Middle Ages and the early modern period, including Canon of Medicine by Ibn Sina. Among his conclusions are the Pragmateia was written in Greek, translated into Syriac during eighth or nine century, and into Arabic in the ninth century; and that Paul was known as the obstetrician, so it is not surprising that it was in this Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)