Medicine in the medieval Islamic world
The Persian- Arab- Islamic medicine deals with the medicine of the Persian and Arab-Islamic cultural area, from the seventh to the thirteenth century. They evolved from the ancient and Byzantine medicine and due in particular to Galen's theory of the four temperaments. Over time, however, also developed independent additions and extensions.
The Arab medicine exerted a strong influence on the scholastic medicine of the Western Middle Ages.
Term
The term is incorrectly according to modern research, there was no Arab medicine, but only medicine from the Arabic-speaking or oriental room. This definition also includes Christians, Jews and other groups who spoke Arabic.
History
Formation
After intra- political tensions in the Byzantine Empire immigrated middle of the fifth century the Nestorians to Syria and Persia and founded by the Byzantine model xenodochia and medical training centers in Gundischapur and Nisibis. First, they translated the medical texts from their homeland from Greek into Syriac. More translation centers originated in Damascus, Cairo, Antioch and Basra. In Baghdad, the House of Wisdom was founded by the Caliph al-Ma'mun, where the physician Hunayn ibn Ishaq translated Galen's teachings into Arabic. Johannitius mentions a work called Summaria Alexandrinorum containing the works of Galen and Hippocrates, and was used in the medical centers of the time.
First phase ( 10th century )
Your first flower reached the Arabic medicine in the 10th century, in which the ancient writings translated, summarized systematically, but were also supplemented. Among the most famous receptors in this period included:
- Rhazes ( 864-925 ); Continens Liber, Liber medicinalis
- Haly Abbas; Liber regalis
- Isaac Judaeus ( 840/850-932 ); Books on medicine theory, diet, uroscopy and fever
- Avicenna (980-1037); Canon medicinae
The Canon of Avicenna medicinae was because of its closed and uniform representation of the basic medical work of the Middle Ages. It consisted of five books of theoretical medicine, pharmacology, special pathology and therapy, surgery and pharmacology devoted themselves.
Second phase (11th - 12th century)
About North Africa Islam reached the present-day Spain. In Cordoba there was a cultural center where there were the most prestigious universities in the tenth century, also 70 public libraries and 50 hospitals. Here the first peaceful merger of Islamic, Jewish and Christian tradition was held for the benefit of medicine. In the eleventh and twelfth centuries unfolded in Spain, the second phase of Arabic medicine, which was characterized by more autonomy in theory and practice, particularly in the fields of medicine theory, botany, dietetics, Pharmacognosy, Materia medica and surgery. Among the most important representatives include:
- Abu 'l- Qasim (936-1013); in the field of surgery
- Averroes (1126-1198); Philosophy of Medicine
- Maimonides (1135/1138-1204);
In the field of anatomy was also the Syrian polymath Ibn al - Nafis of importance of Galen transfers corrected by the animal anatomy to humans and developed a theory of the pulmonary circulation.
Doctors
Arab doctors were allowed to practice their profession only after depositing the Hippocratic Oath.
But the doctors Arabia copied not only the knowledge of the Greeks, but also enriched the medicine, for example in the field of ophthalmology. The Persian Rhazes and Avicenna described a number of diseases such as measles and smallpox, their works were also in the whole of the Western Middle Ages, alongside those of Galen, Celsus and Hippocrates as standard works of medicine.
Drugs
The Arabic medicine had a large pharmaceutical knowledge. It turned medicines from herbs, minerals and animals here. The Dispensorium contained recipes for the production of drugs and has been used throughout the Arab world.
Training centers
In Gundischapur in Iran today, there was the first, nor derived from Sassanian time Academy were taught at the same time in theory and practice. This can be considered the first university. From 825 gradually the House of Wisdom took over this role in Baghdad. Unlike Christians, it was not forbidden Jews and Muslims to carry out sections.