(Mishnah) (R. Meir): One may hire an idolatrous doctor to heal his money but not his soul. (This will be explained below.) One should never take a haircut from idolaters, wherever it is done.

(Chachamim): It is permitted in public, but not in private.

(Gemara) (R. Yaakov bar Zavdi citing R. Abahu): Healing his money means his animal; healing his soul means his body.

(R. Ba citing R. Yehuda): (Even though we will soon see that healing his body is permitted) if he sees that since he started to take the medicine the wound has become inflamed, he should stop.

It is like the story of R. Ami who went with R. Yehuda Nesiyah to Chamas Gerar. R. Ami wounded his finger and he put on it a bandage that was lined with a medicine given to him by an idolater doctor. When he saw that the wound had become more inflamed, he removed the bandage.

Question: (Why didn't R. Ami continue with the medicine?) Didn't he hear that R. Yaakov bar Acha said in the name of R. Yochanan that if the idolater is an expert doctor, one may even allow the idolater to heal his body?

Answer: That is different - there, when the area didn't start to become inflamed, it is permitted, but if it did, it would be prohibited!

Question: Is it permitted to allow an idolater doctor to apply ointment to one's eye?

Answer: Rav said that a person who wishes to be blinded will do such a thing. Levi said that a person who wishes to die will do such a thing (as it could even kill him).

Since Rav was not accustomed to putting ointment in his eyes, he wasn't aware of the mortal danger involved; however, Levi was accustomed to it.

Question (R. Ba): We see that the doctor tastes the ointment before he put it in the eye. Does this prove that there is no danger?

Answer: Nevertheless, one should not trust him, as perhaps he is actually only tasting it when the ointment is not dangerous, in order that people should trust him, and he will later put on the dangerous ointment.

The Ofion herb (although it is used for healing, it) is dangerous and one should not allow such a doctor to apply it.

Concerning the medicine called Turaiki, R. Simon said that one may not accept it from such a doctor (as it is dangerous) and R. Yochanan permitted it (as it is not dangerous).