The present volume would never have arisen without Rotraud Hansberger and Simon Swain, who submitted a project proposal to the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) to edit, translate and study the Bodleian manuscript Marsh 539 at the Department of Classics & Ancient History, University of Warwick. To them and to the AHRC for funding the project are owed my first and foremost thanks.

By the time the funding was granted, Rotraud Hansberger had already been whisked off to a Junior Research Fellowship at King's College Cambridge, and I found myself in the lucky position of being asked to undertake the project in her place.

In what followed I was given the opportunity to spend three amazing years in Oxford and Warwick working on a most interesting manuscript and enjoying the company of many colleagues and friends, some of them in London as well. To all the people who made these three years such an outstanding experience I want to express my sincerest thanks.

There are a number of people whom I would like to thank in person. First of all, Simon Swain, who, apart from playing a major role in putting this project together, took a vivid interest in its progress throughout, gave invaluable advice and read the entire draft - and certain bits and pieces more than once - in order to discuss the Arabic and especially to help with the establishment of the English translation.

Rüdiger Arnzen also went through the text, translation, commentary and introduction and made very helpful comments and suggestions for different readings of the Arabic and the improvement of the translation, and saved me from many a mistake.

Harry Munt is the third person who read my entire manuscript and made countless invaluable suggestions for the improvement of the English text.

Emilie Savage-Smith encouraged me with her constant interest in the project and provided a lot of advice, especially - but not only - for the physiological passages. She also kindly let me use her microfilms of the Arabic version of Galen's De usu partium.