inateriae medicac. Prof. Sami K. Hamarneh's evaluation should serve as a
very valuable guide in appreciating the value of minerals and stones.
1 must, lastly, tender my thanks to Mr. Kamal Muhammad Habib,
Hakim Abdus Samad Sarim, Hakim Naimuddin Zubairy, and Mrs. L. A.
E>'Silva who have been actively associated with the translation of this
monumental work. They provided ungrudging and unstinting help and
co-operation to me at every step. At the final stage of editing, Dr. N. A.
Baloch, Director of the Project, helped to read through the whole text
and made important suggestions for further improvements. I am indebted to him for his scholarly contribution.
It is a matter of personal gratification for me that this work is being
published under the Great Books Project of the Pakistan Hijrah Council
Islamabad with which I am closely associated. It is my earnest hope that
the publication of this remarkable work by a major genius will stimulate
interest in studies of allied nature and pave the way for further research.
HAKIM MOHAMMAD SAID
