By: Marissa Moran Islamic Medicine
Dec 28, 2015
By: Marissa Moran
Islamic Medicine
Discoveries
• Pulmonary circulation• New surgeries on varicose veins, skull
fractures, and tooth extractions• Capillaries and alveoli• Pulmonary capillary bed purifies the
blood before traveling to the heart• Discovered in detail the human
anatomy• Used acupuncture to cure illnesses• Refined drugs through distillation,
crystallization, and sublimation
Medicine and Philosophies Studying the human anatomy was
a high priority
Prayed and sacrificed to the gods of healing
Any cures that happened were believed to be miracles from divine interventions
The body can be free of diseases when in harmony
Watched the putrefaction of meat in order to see if the air was contaminated
Keep the welfare of the poor and needy-do not turn anyone away who needs medical assistance
Doctors were allowed to experiment and use whatever knowledge they had to help a patient
Experimentation led to many developments in surgery
• Experimented on apes as well in order to gain information on the human anatomy
Hospitals
Created places devoted to only caring for the sick
First hospital was created in Baghdad after 786 A.D.
Hospitals were located in all major cities in the empire
Run by a medical staff complete with a director, pharmacist, and servants
Provided care for the poor and taught people in apprenticeships
Some palaces were converted into hospitals
Hospitals during this time period were very luxurious
Important Peopleal-Biruni-wrote a book on pharmacy listing over 720 drugs
Ibn Sina(Avicenna)-wrote the Canon of Medicine
Rhazes-described diseases like smallpox and measles
Moses Maimonides-famous for his aphorisms and medical ethics
*aphorism-a short saying expressing the truth
Rhazes
The Greatest Medical Mind in the House of Wisdom
Son of a pharmacist
Translated the entire of assortment Greek medical works
Extremely talented translator
Cross referenced everything he translated
Wrote 10 works on opthalmology
-medical science dealing with anatomy
appointed Director of the House of Wisdom by Caliph al Mutawakkil
Hunayn ibn Ishaq
Health ProblemsDiseases such as:
-smallpox-leprosy-measles-bubonic plague
• Overpopulated areas like Baghdad, Damascus, and Cairo spread created epidemic disease problems
• Diseases often spread by religious pilgrimages, traveling caravans, and war therefore spreading the infectious illness over vast expanses of land
Smallpox
Leprosy
MeaslesBubonic Plague
The Techniques The government and commerce create great availability for drugs
Used medicinal plants from Persian, Hindu, and Greek origin for treating illnesses
Created metal compounds as cures for disease
Medical training becomes more formalized
Doctoral licenses were given after a course was taken including theoretical studies and clinical training
Culturally-Influenced Medical Beliefs
• Medical practices come from the The Holy Qur’an and the Hadith or Sunnah
• Soon excepted a Greco-Roman style of medicine in combination with Hindu and Persian practices
• Health involves both the body and soul as a whole
• True health can only come from harmony with the entire universe
• Preserved the classical medical knowledge from the prominent medical school in Persia
• Worked hard to find more Greek medical works for direction
• Created a translation program to convert Syriac scientific works into Arabic
• Surgeons, bonesetters, physicians, and pharmacists were examined by the caliph’s head physician
Strict Traditions
Holy Qur’an-Not much is mentioned for medical purposes in the Qur’an except:
Eat natural foods like viz and honey
Abstain from drinking alcohol
Abstain from other intoxicants denounced from every Muslim
-every Muslim must follow the Qur’an, including doctors when treating patients
Hadith/Sunnah
-many sayings and traditions of the Prophet
“Prophetic Medicine”
-dictated diets, natural cures, and how to treat common pains like headaches, fevers and sore throats
-spoke against contact with those carrying infectious diseases(leprosy)
“Spiritual Medicine”
-collection of verses from the Qur’an
-blessings that had to be spoken in order to get rid of the disease