Medicine in the Abbasid Days

 Civilization is a continuity and a following-up. The beginning of translation in the Abbasid days
started with translation (recall the medical centers in Syria, Egypt, & Persia...)

 Isa Bin Hakim (Damascus):

- translated some medical books from Greek to Arabic.
- wrote a book called Al-Harouniya (in the days of Haroun Al-Rashid).

 Ali Al-Tabari (another medical thinker):

- translated medical books from Greeks, Romans, & Persians.
- wrote a book called Firdous Al-Hikmat (Paradise of Wisdom) which is an encyclopedia that
contains all branches of medical science.
- created medical descriptions for human organs.
- created important rules for maintaining a healthy body.
- was the first to deal with drugs that contain poison.
- was a master of philosophy, mathematics, and astronomy.
- was the teacher of Al-Razi (who later established a new wild medical science and became more
famous than Al-Tabari).

 In the Abbasid Days the Arab community was a mélange (mixture) of many different cultures
(Greeks, Romans, Persians, Indians, Chinese, and most importantly, the Arabic-Islamic culture).
This complicated inter-mixture influenced the rebirth of sciences in the Abbasid days.

 The Arabs had a great respect for knowledge and learning, especially after the rise of Islam.
(“Ask for learning even in China” – Prophet Mohammad).

 In the 8th Century the Abbasid Caliphs encouraged the Persian physicians to translate the
medical knowledge into Arabic. Soon, the first medical center of the empire was built in
Baghdad (the capital city of the Abbasid government).

The Establishment of Real Medical Life in the Abbasid Days

1) Translating all medical books & knowledge from all civilizations into Arabic.
2) Step 2: The building of the first medical center (hospital) in Baghdad (which was equivalent to a
university. It graduated physicians, doctors, and nurses).
3) The Abbasid Caliphs encouraged medical science, especially the Caliph Al-Mansour, who did his
best to attract physicians, doctors, and scientists from Persia to Baghdad. He was the patron
who brought famous names in medical science to the Arab empire.
4) The Abbasid Caliphs built up many hospitals and medical centers in Basra, Al-Mousil, Baghdad,
Al-Andalus, Spain, and in many other main Arab cities...
5) Hundreds of medical books were written in the Abbasid day.
 Medical Efforts & Famous Arab-Islamic Civilization

 Muslim surgeons were among the first to use narcotic and sedative drugs in operations. They
used opium and Hashish even though it is forbidden by Qur’an (man’s life is more important).

 Muslim surgeons invented their own instruments to carry out operations, and drew in special
books a set of 200 surgical instrument.

 Muslim medical scientists:

- established theories and methods related to surgery, anatomy, and philosophy.
- wrote many books describing the main steps in operations.
- wrote precise descriptions of the entire body system.

 Medical scientists established many medical schools, and used two methods of teaching:
theoretical & practical. After 5-6 years, and after passing a high level exam, the students of the
medical school would graduate.

 The Abbasid government supported and spent a lot of money on medical efforts.

 Medicines flowered all around the Arab-Islamic empire in special stores (Al-Attarine).

Arab-Islamic Doctors (Doctors were Arabs, Jews, Magi, & Christians)

 Abou Baker Al-Razi:

- the most famous doctor in the Abbasid time.
- wrote a book called Al-Hawi.
- was the first to use animal purtenance to suture injuries.
- changed the theory “pain is sickness”

 Ali Bin Abbas (Magi):

- wrote a book called Al-Kamel.
- was a doctor of arteries.
- the 1st to notice that a fetus is pushed out by the uterus and not by itself.
- measured heart beating.

 Abou Al-Qausim Al-Zahrawi:

- was a smart & genius surgeon.
- sterilized injuries by flame.
- did many successful operations for the eye, ear, teeth, and caesarean.
 Ibn Tofail (philosopher)
- was a famous surgeon and a smart Anatomy scientist.
- vivisected many living animals and dead bodies.

 Ibn Al-Nafis:
- was a smart surgeon in heart and arteries.
- wrote Al-Mougaz based on Al-Qanoun for Ibn Sina.

 Ibn Al-Tilmidi: wrote a pharmaceutical text explaining how to prepare and prescribe a wide
variety of medicine.

 Ammar Bin Ali Al-Mawsili: introduced the suction removal technique for cataract. He designed
and used a hollow needle for that purpose in the year 1000.

 Ibn Sina:
- he is the relative name for medicine. When we talk about Arab-Islamic medicine, then we are
talking about Ibn Sina.
- was a genius doctor and is still considered the greatest till our present time.
- he wrote the book Al-Qanoun.
It was enough to do without any other book, even the book of Galinoos.
- he studied and treated heart and mind carefully (heart failure...)
- he studied the digestive system carefully.
- he studied and treated the urinary system.
- he fractured stones in kidneys.
- he studied sterility and noticed psychological reasons for sterility.
- he treated many psychological illnesses (the story of a young man falling in love)
- was the first physician to treat cancer. He noticed that it can be cured only by early surgery.
- he wrote a famous report about an operation he did in the head to remedy some malignance.

 Other famous names in medical science: Al-Birouni, Ibn Al-Wafid, Ibn Al-Baytar, Al-Idisi, Abou Al-
Mahsin, Saber Bin Sahl (Al-Razi).