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