Islamic Medicine

What was Islamic medicine like?

Islamic medicine was more advanced than European medicine in medieval times.

Where was Islamic medicine developed?

The Islamic Empire was a single state ruled by a caliph. It included countries like Egypt, Persia and Arabia.

Why was Islamic medicine advanced?

There were 2 main reasons why Islam supported medical progress:

• ❖ Medical learning was promoted in Islam as the Prophet Muhammad had said that 'For every disease, Allah has given a cure'.
• ❖ As a result, the caliphs supported the development of medical knowledge and understanding as well as science.

How did caliphs help with the progression of Islamic medicine?

The caliphs helped Islamic medicine progress in 3 main ways:

• ❖ Baghdad developed into a key location where medical manuscripts were translated from Greek into Arabic under the rule of Caliph Harun al-Rashid.
• ❖ Many ancient Greek medical books were preserved in the Caliph Harun al-Rashid's library. The Dark Ages meant that these books were not available in Western Europe.
• ❖ The library became a place of learning for scholars because Caliph al-Mamun established the library as 'The House of Wisdom'.

What were Islamic ideas on health and medicine?

Islamic beliefs surrounding medicine were very different to Christian beliefs in the following 3 main ways:

• ❖ They had hospitals set up for people with mental illnesses where patients were treated with kindness rather than someone who was being punished by God.
• ❖ Islamic hospitals focused on treating people, unlike Christian hospitals that focused on caring for patients. For example, a new hospital with a library and medical school was established in Baghdad in 805 so that patients could be treated and cured.
• ❖ Treatment was provided for all people by building 'bimaristans' - hospitals located in many Islamic towns. Patients were treated regardless of their religion, gender or wealth.

Name some people who were important in Islamic medicine.

There were two key Islamic doctors:

• ❖ Al-Razi.
• ❖ Ibn Sina.

What was surgery like in Islamic medicine?

Muslims made 3 key important advances in surgery:

• ❖ They used cannabis and opium as anaesthetics.
• ❖ They used vinegar, mercury and alcohol as antiseptics.
• ❖ Al-Zahrawi wrote a book on surgery which was the first medical book to include pictures of surgical equipment, many of which he invented, and how to use them. This book was widely translated throughout Europe.