Page 268 - ירושלים: גיליון רפואי

Testimony to the organizational skills of the hospital staff can be seen in the story of the
treatment of the casualties from the Battle of Tel-Gezer on 25 November 1177, between the
Crusader armies and Saladin’s Muslim forces. The Muslims were defeated, but the Crusader army
suffered many losses. According to one description, 750 battle casualties were evacuated from
the battlefield to Jerusalem, a considerable distance from the battleground. Within twenty-four
hours, all casualties were admitted to the hospital in Jerusalem and treated there according to
accepted methods of medical practice at the time.
During the Battle of the Horns of Hattin, waged on 3 July 1187, the army of the Crusader
kingdom was defeated by the forces of Saladin, determining the fate of the Kingdom of
Jerusalem. During this time, members of the Order operated the hospital and continued to
care for their patients. When the conquering Muslims entered the Holy City at the beginning
of October of that year, they allowed the members of the Order to peacefully leave the city.
However, the hospital did not continue to function under Muslim rule. The magnificent
structures were abandoned and gradually fell into ruin; they are still remembered today, but
only by the name of the area where the hospital called “Muristan” stood, a name originating
in the Persian word for “hospital.”
Nevertheless, the influence of the institution owned by the Knights of the Order of St John
in Jerusalem did not end with the Muslim conquest. Hospitals modeled after it sprang up all
over Europe beginning in the thirteenth century; they were excellent examples of hospitals
dedicated to serving communities across the continent. Even the name of these medical
institutions hints at their origin, as they are still called “hospitals” to this very day.

Medicine in the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem ■ 35e