History of the Islamic Golden Age | Religion, Science, & Culture in the Abbasid Empire

Summary

This script delves into the life and contributions of 10th-century Persian scholar Muhammad ibn Zakariya al-Razi, known as the father of Islamic medicine. It explores his skepticism towards unproven medical claims, his advancements in medical ethics, and his comprehensive 'Comprehensive Book of Medicine.' The narrative also expands to the development of hospitals in the Islamic world, emphasizing the importance of healthcare as a religious duty. Furthermore, it touches on the polymath Ibn Sina, or Avicenna, whose 'Canon of Medicine' was a foundational text in medieval Europe, and his significant contributions to medical knowledge, including the recognition of airborne diseases and psychiatric conditions.

Takeaways

• 👨‍⚕️ Muhammad ibn Zakaria al-Razi, a 10th-century Persian scholar, was a pioneering medical scholar and practitioner, known for challenging the credentials of those claiming medical expertise without a solid foundation in anatomy.
• 📚 Al-Razi authored over 200 manuscripts, including 'Doubts about Galen', where he critiqued and expanded upon the theories of the ancient Greek physician Galen.
• 🏥 Al-Razi emphasized the importance of medical ethics, advocating for physicians to be role models for their patients and promoting the mind-body connection for overall health.
• 🌍 His 'Comprehensive Book of Medicine' became a foundational text in the medical field, influencing medical practice in the Middle East and Europe for centuries.
• 🏥 The development of hospitals in the Islamic world was significant, with facilities like the one in Baghdad serving as both treatment centers and medical schools.
• 🏢 Baghdad's hospital, commissioned by Al-Razi, was strategically built in an area with the healthiest air, reflecting an early understanding of environmental health.
• 📖 Ibn Sina, also known as Avicenna in the West, was another influential figure in medieval medicine, authoring the 'Canon of Medicine', which became a standard medical text in Europe.
• 🔬 Ibn Sina made significant contributions to medical knowledge, including the recognition of airborne disease transmission and advancements in psychiatric conditions.
• 🌐 The Islamic Golden Age saw remarkable advances in medicine, with scholars building upon Greek, Roman, and Persian medical knowledge to create original works.
• 🤔 The debate between religious authorities and medical practitioners over the use of non-Islamic medical techniques was common, but the pursuit of knowledge often prevailed.

Q & A

What are the symptoms described at the beginning of the script that might be associated with glaucoma?

The symptoms described include sudden and severe deterioration in eyesight, hazy vision, seeing rainbow-colored circles and bright lights, eye pain, and headaches.

Who was Muhammad ibn Zakaria Al-Razi and what is he known for?

Muhammad ibn Zakaria Al-Razi, known as Rhazes in the West, was a 10th-century Persian scholar and polymath who made significant contributions to various fields including medicine. He is known for challenging the credentials of a man selling eye drops, questioning his basic understanding of anatomy, and for his extensive medical writings that became influential classics.

What did Al-Razi challenge in the existing medical theories of his time?

Al-Razi challenged the theory of the four humors, which was thought to explain most human sickness if not in balance. He suggested there were other elements that Galen had failed to consider, such as oil, saltiness, inflammability, and sulfurous.

What was Al-Razi's view on the relationship between the mind and body in relation to health?

Al-Razi believed in the mind-body connection and emphasized the importance of exercise, a healthy diet, and a responsible lifestyle for good health. He stated that a patient who refuses to take responsibility for their lifestyle, including overeating or not exercising, cannot be helped by a doctor.

What was significant about Al-Razi's 'Comprehensive Book of Medicine'?

The 'Comprehensive Book of Medicine' was a compilation of Al-Razi's medical notes, surgical observations, diagnoses, and suggested treatments. It was one of the earliest medical encyclopedias and was used as a standard text in European universities for centuries.

How did the development of hospitals in the Islamic world differ from earlier models?

The hospitals in the Islamic world were known as 'maristan', which means 'place of the sick'. They were more than just treatment centers; they were also medical schools. They were required to treat patients regardless of religion, race, citizenship, or gender, and all treatment was free.

What was unique about the hospital that Al-Razi ordered to be built?

Al-Razi's hospital was unique in that it was built in the part of the city where animal carcasses rotted the slowest, indicating the healthiest air. It also included a lecture hall, kitchen, pharmacy, library, mosque, and a chapel for Christian patients, recognizing the importance of a healthy mind in a healthy body.

Who was ibn Sina, also known as Avicenna in the West, and what was his contribution to medicine?

Ibn Sina, known as Avicenna in the West, was a polymath who wrote about 450 titles in his lifetime, with about 40 of these dealing with medicine. His most notable work was the 'Canon of Medicine', a five-volume text that became a standard medical reference in European universities until the 18th century.

What were some of the innovative practices introduced by ibn Sina in his medical teachings?

Ibn Sina introduced practices such as the use of word association to diagnose 'love sickness', and he conducted experiments that demonstrated the connection between word association and heart rate. His teachings also emphasized the importance of exercise and diet for good health.

How did the Islamic Golden Age contribute to the growth of medical knowledge?

The Islamic Golden Age contributed to the growth of medical knowledge by being receptive to new ideas and heritages, making major advances in health sciences, and advancing medical knowledge in areas such as surgery and understanding of the human body, independent of Greek, Roman, or Persian influence.

Outlines

00:00

👨‍⚕️ The Legacy of Al-Razi: Medicine in the Islamic Golden Age

This paragraph introduces the symptoms of glaucoma and its historical significance as a leading cause of blindness. It then delves into the story of 10th-century Persian scholar Al-Razi, who suffered from the disease. Despite his condition, Al-Razi became a prominent medical scholar, challenging quacks and contributing over 200 manuscripts to the field of medicine. His skepticism towards unqualified practitioners and his contributions to medical ethics, the mind-body connection, and patient care are highlighted. The paragraph also touches on his role in the development of hospitals and medicine in the Middle East, emphasizing his status as a foundational figure in Islamic medicine.

05:02

📚 Al-Razi's Medical Innovations and Critiques

Al-Razi is portrayed as a critical thinker who built upon the works of ancient Greek physicians like Hippocrates and Galen. He challenged established theories, such as the four humors, and proposed additional elements to consider in medical diagnoses. His humility is noted, despite his significant contributions to medical knowledge. Al-Razi also emphasized the importance of medical ethics, the role of the physician as a moral guide, and the significance of patient responsibility in health outcomes. His work on the classification of diseases, particularly smallpox and measles, and his comprehensive book of medicine are discussed, showcasing his lasting impact on the field.

10:04

🏥 The Evolution of Hospitals in the Islamic World

This section explores the development of hospitals in the Islamic world, starting with the pre-Islamic Gunda Shapur and the influence of the Byzantine Empire. The paragraph discusses the integration of various cultures in medical practice and the establishment of hospitals as both treatment centers and educational institutions. Al-Razi's role in hospital design and the importance of secular healthcare provision are highlighted. The growth of hospitals in response to urbanization and disease spread is also covered, emphasizing the role of government and private donors in healthcare.

15:04

🌟 Ibn Sina: The Polymath of the Islamic Golden Age

Ibn Sina, also known as Avicenna in the West, is introduced as a polymath with significant contributions to medicine and philosophy. His 'Canon of Medicine' is discussed as a monumental work that influenced medical education in Europe for centuries. The paragraph outlines the structure of the 'Canon,' covering topics from medical principles and materia medica to organ functions and compound medicines. Ibn Sina's original discoveries, such as the airborne transmission of disease, and his contributions to psychiatry are also highlighted, showcasing his broad and deep impact on medical knowledge.

20:06

🔬 The Islamic Golden Age's Medical Advancements

The paragraph summarizes the medical advancements during the Islamic Golden Age, emphasizing the integration of various cultural influences and the expansion of medical knowledge beyond Greek, Roman, or Persian traditions. It discusses the importance of rational thought and the critical approach to religious authority in the pursuit of medical and scientific knowledge. The paragraph also touches on the debates between religious and scientific communities and the accusations of atheism against prominent scholars like Al-Razi and Ibn Sina. The narrative concludes with a reflection on the universality of medicine and science, independent of religious affiliations.

Keywords

💡Glycoma

Glycoma refers to a group of eye diseases that can lead to severe vision loss. In the video, it is mentioned as the second most common cause of blindness according to the World Health Organization. The script discusses the historical context where glycoma was not as treatable as it is today, highlighting the plight of Muhammad ibn Zakaria al-Razi, a Persian scholar who suffered from it.

💡Muhammad ibn Zakaria al-Razi

Known as 'Razi' in the script, he was a 10th-century Persian scholar and polymath who made significant contributions to various fields, including medicine. Despite his own struggle with glycoma, he is recognized as a pioneer in medical ethics and practice. His skepticism towards unqualified practitioners is exemplified in the script through his encounter with a man selling dubious eye drops.

💡Medical Ethics

Medical ethics is the branch of ethics that applies moral principles to the practice of medicine. Al-Razi emphasized the importance of morality in medicine, suggesting that a physician should be a role model for patients. His views are discussed in the context of his book 'Medical Ethics,' where he advocates for the importance of a doctor's moral conduct in addition to their medical expertise.

💡Mind-Body Connection

The mind-body connection refers to the idea that mental and physical health are interconnected. Al-Razi believed in this concept, promoting the importance of exercise, a healthy diet, and a balanced lifestyle for overall well-being. His views on this are highlighted in the script, where he argues that a patient's responsibility towards their lifestyle is crucial for effective medical treatment.

💡Hospitals in Islamic Golden Age

The script discusses the development of hospitals during the Islamic Golden Age, a period of cultural, economic, and scientific flourishing in the medieval Islamic world. These hospitals, or 'maristan' in Persian, served as both treatment centers and educational institutions, reflecting a significant advancement in healthcare and medical education.

💡Ibn Sina

Ibn Sina, known as Avicenna in the Western world, was a Persian polymath whose contributions to medicine were immense. His 'Canon of Medicine' was a comprehensive medical encyclopedia that became a standard text in medieval Europe. The script mentions his work as a pinnacle of medical knowledge during the Islamic Golden Age, emphasizing his influence on subsequent generations of medical practitioners.

💡Prophetic Medicine

Prophetic medicine refers to traditional medical practices from the lifetime of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, including his recommendations and advice on health and treatment. The script briefly touches on this concept, noting that it is a specific and narrow field of study, distinct from the broader medical practices and advancements discussed in the video.

💡Medical Encyclopedia

A medical encyclopedia is a comprehensive reference work that compiles knowledge on medicine. Al-Razi's 'Comprehensive Book of Medicine' is highlighted in the script as one of the earliest and most extensive medical encyclopedias, summarizing the medical knowledge of his time and influencing future medical scholarship.

💡Medical Practitioner Licensing

The script mentions that by the time of Al-Razi, doctors had to be registered and licensed to practice medicine. This reflects the formalization and regulation of medical practice during the Islamic Golden Age, aiming to ensure quality and competence in healthcare provision.

💡Psychiatric Conditions

Psychiatric conditions refer to mental health disorders. Ibn Sina's research into these conditions is noted in the script, where he challenged prevailing superstitions and approached mental health from a scientific perspective. His methods, such as using word association to diagnose 'love sickness,' were innovative for his time and prefigured later psychological techniques.

Highlights

Glycom is identified as the second most common cause of blindness by the World Health Organization.

In the 10th Century, Muhammad ibn Zakaria Al-Razi was an elderly scholar suffering from deteriorating eyesight.

Al-Razi challenged the credentials of a man selling eye drops, highlighting the importance of medical knowledge.

Al-Razi is known as the greatest medical scholar and practitioner of his time, writing over 200 manuscripts.

He challenged the theory of the four humors and contributed to the understanding of medical ethics.

Al-Razi emphasized the importance of a healthy lifestyle, including exercise and diet, for overall health.

He accurately described smallpox and measles, differentiating them and suggesting possible remedies.

Al-Razi's 'Comprehensive Book of Medicine' became a significant medical encyclopedia, used for centuries.

Al-Razi's hospital in Baghdad was a pioneering institution, combining treatment and medical education.

Islamic hospitals were secular, providing free healthcare regardless of religion, race, or gender.

Ibn Sina, known as Avicenna in the West, was a polymath with significant contributions to medicine.

Ibn Sina's 'Canon of Medicine' was a foundational text used in European universities until the 18th century.

Ibn Sina recognized the potential for airborne transmission of diseases, a significant advancement in medical understanding.

He conducted experiments demonstrating the connection between word association and heart rate.

Ibn Sina's work was not just medical; he was also a philosopher, contributing to various areas of study.

During the Islamic Golden Age, there was significant growth in medical knowledge and advancements in healthcare institutions.

Al-Razi and Ibn Sina were critical of certain aspects of organized religion, advocating for rational thought over blind faith.

Transcripts

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what would you do if you noticed a

sudden and severe deterioration in your

eyesight almost without warning your

vision has become hazy you see rainbow

colored circles and bright lights your

eyes hurt and you're suffering from

headaches you'd probably consult your

doctor who'd hopefully arrange for you

to see an eye specialist as soon as

possible the symptom I've described are

sometimes associated with glycom a

collection of eye diseases that the

World Health Organization identifies as

the second most common cause of

blindness while many forms of glycom are

treatable with medicine or an operation

this wasn't the case in the 10th

Century one 10th Century Persian

sufferer was an elderly scholar named

Muhammad IB Zakaria Al razi he relates

to us how he was approached by a man who

had some eye drops for sale that

supposedly would cure him rather than

dig into his purse Ali's response was to

quiz the man who claimed to be a doctor

how many layers are there in a human eye

al-razi asked the Healer didn't know so

the sufferer sent him away saying why

should I trust a medicine pedal by a man

without even a basic grasp of anatomy

at that time there was perhaps No One

Alive better qualified than alrai known

to us in English as raziz to challenge

the credentials of such a snake oil

salesman why because alrai was the

greatest medical scholar and

practitioner of his day he wrote more

than 200 manuscripts over the course of

his lifetime and many of his medical

texts became Classics that were still

still consulted in the Middle East and

Europe hundreds of years later it's no

wonder that he would become known as the

father of Islamic

medicine al-razi never regained his

eyesight but while he had it his

achievements were

legendary in this lecture we'll look at

Ali's life and work and explore progress

in medicine and the development of

hospitals all across the greater Middle

East from the middle of the 9th century

forward will also devote some time to

one of the greatest medical minds of all

time ibben Cena better known in the west

as

avisena so let's start our journey by

going back to Ali's early life before he

was losing his

eyesight grazis was born in 854 in the

Persian city of Ray hence his family

name of

alzi Reay is one of mod Iran's oldest

cities with a history of settlement

dating back to about 6,000

BC situated on the ancient Silk Road it

was an important center of trade and

Scholarship today it's part of Greater

tan the capital of

Iran verifiable facts about Ali's life

are scant as is the case with most

people from this period that said all

forces agree he developed a talent for

music early in life becoming an

accomplished OD player an OD is a

stringed instrument not unlike a

loot when he reached adulthood he put

music aside and took up alemy

mathematics philosophy and

literature by turns he excelled at and

then tired of all these subjects

eventually taking up medicine at around

the age of 30 and it's this subject to

which he dedicated the rest of his

life al-razi left Persia in order to

study medicine in the greatest City in

the Islamic world at that time

Baghdad in Baghdad he had access to

Arabic translations of the most

important medical men from the ancient

world of these the earliest was

Hippocrates the 4th Century BC Greek

physician who is considered the father

of Western medicine and from whom we get

the Hippocratic

Oath the second name was Galen a Greek

Doctor Who worked in the Roman Empire

during the 2 Century

ad like any good scholar alrai

acknowledged the Brilliance of these

ancient Greeks and the enormous debt

that scholarship owed them and others

from their day however like any great

scholar he built on their foundational

texts and when he surpassed them he said

so in his book doubts about Galen

al-razi challenged the theory of the

four humors which if they're not in

Balance was thought to explain most

human

sickness alrai suggested there were a

number of other elements that galin had

failed to consider such as oil saltiness

inflammability and

sulfurous even so alrai was humble

enough to add the

following it Grieves me to criticize the

man Galen from whose sea of knowledge I

have drawn so much indeed he is the

master and I am the disciple but this

reverence and appreciation should not

prevent me from doubting as I did what

is erroneous in his

theories he also attacked the writings

of hypocrates for being disorganized and

too brief before he would go on to write

a lengthier corrective text of his

own alrai also wrote extensively about

medical ethics and in a book called

medical ethics he talks about the

importance of Morality In medicine for

al-razi it wasn't enough for the

physician to be good at his job he

should also be a role model for his

patients he was also convinced of the

Mind Body Connection in pursuit of good

health

as well as the importance of exercise

and a healthy diet as he wrote If a

patient refuses to take responsibility

for their lifestyle including overeating

or not exercising then there is nothing

a doctor can do to help

them another important factor in general

good health was good doctor patient

relations as well as having a family

doctor who would understand the

patient's body over

time changing doctors on a regular basis

he said was a bad idea that could do

little more than waste a patient's

health wealth and time not to mention

wasting the doctor's time as

well further alrai has been acknowledged

as the first person to fully and

accurately describe small poox and

measles noting the important differences

between the two as well as offering

possible

remedies his book The diseases of

children was also the first to deal with

Pediatrics as an independent field of

medicine Ali's medical notes surgical

observations along with numerous new

diagnoses and suggested treatments were

compiled after his death in what's now

known in English as the comprehensive

book of

medicine the comprehensive book of

Medicine

was not only a tribute to al-harazi's

Brilliance but because he was so

diligent about quoting his sources it

also presents a complete catalog of all

existing medical scholarship then

available from ancient Greece India and

elsewhere in this way it was one of the

earliest medical

encyclopedias so vast and detailed was

this text that European medical students

were still using Latin translations 700

years after Ali's death under Ali's

strictly rationalist scientific approach

every disease was thought to have a

cause or origin that could ultimately be

understood through

research sickness he held was not as

some men of religion claimed a

punishment from

God he encouraged doctors to read the

latest Medical treatises in order to

keep up with developments that they

might otherwise be ignorant of and for

those who might not want to consult a

doctor at the first sign of an illness

he wrote the first medical manual for

home

use entitled a medical adviser for the

general public this helpful compendium

would remain a popular reference for

many in the west until as late as the

early 20th

century Ali's manual included treatments

for everyday complaints such as

headaches coughs colds and indigestion

as well as for more serious ailments for

Melancholia he advised taking extract of

poppies I.E opium because of its

euphoric

qualities and fortunately for all of his

medical knowledge and insight he was

unable to do anything for his own

failing

eyesight towards the end of his life

when fully blind a trusted surgeon

offered to operate to try to restore his

eyesight alrai

replied I've seen enough of this old

world and I do not cherish the idea of

suffering the ordeal of an operation for

the hope of seeing more of

it I'm going to broaden our Horizon now

to look beyond the numerous innovations

that alrai introduced for the treatment

of individual patients to look at the

work he and others did to help improve

care for the sick as a whole I e in the

development of

hospitals one of the most famous

hospitals in the pre-islamic world or

before the 7th century was in Gunda

shapur

Persia founded in the late 3r Century

records show that Gunda shapur was not

unlike a modern teaching hospital that's

to say a place both for treating the

sick and for training the next

generation of medical

practitioners in the Eastern Roman or

Byzantine Empire a decree was issued in

325 ad at the Council of

NAA that a hospital should be

established in every cathedral town of

the

Empire so what changed after the dawn of

Islam and the conquests of this new

military and political

force for one thing the Conquering Arabs

found themselves ruling over large

non-muslim majority

territories also the Arabs found

themselves exposed to far more

sophisticated cultures not least in the

major cities of the Byzantine Empire to

the west and Persia to the east of the

Arabian Desert

Heartland the first doctors under Muslim

rule were mostly Jews Christians and

zoroastrians only later would Muslims

produce their own medical practitioners

who worked alongside and learned from

their peers from other cultures after

all like science in general medicine is

a

religious I should mention in passing

that there is something called prophetic

medicine but this relates specifically

and very narrowly to the traditional

medical practices from Muhammad's

Lifetime and upon which Muhammad himself

offered an opinion it is said for

instance that Muhammad believed every

disease had both to cause and a

cure one of the more famous sayings on

this subject attributed to Muhammad says

make use of medical treatment for God

has not made a disease without

appointing a remedy for it with the

exception of one disease namely old

age many suggested cures involved

ingesting a particular food or drink

honey was thought to ate all kinds of

healing while olive oil was recommended

for numerous internal

complaints so too I should mention was a

mixture of camel urine and milk I think

I'll stick to the olive

oil the first notable medical facility

founded in the new Muslim Middle East

was in Damascus Syria in around

707 established with the help of Jewish

and Christian doctors this was less a

hospital per se than a leprosa a place

to isolate those suffering from

leprosy the first proper Hospital built

in the Islamic world was in Baghdad

during the reign of the caleff harun AL

Rashid of Arabian kns Fame that's to say

between 786 and

809 these hospitals were known by the

Persian word by

maristan Stan means place as in

usbekistan place of the USCS while B

means sick thus the place of the sick

just as the German word crankin house

means the house for the

sick the growth of ever larger cities is

precisely what necessitated the

development of

hospitals more people living in closer

proximity meant that diseases could and

did spread more rapidly through urban

populations in order to maintain healthy

subjects

the government paid for the building and

maintenance of these

hospitals at the same time government

services were unable to keep up with

demand so private donors also funded the

establishment of medical centers that

were open to the general

public in both cases the provision of

healthc care was in part seen as a

religious Duty and so all treatment was

free yet hospitals remained essentially

secular institutions in that they were

obliged to treat patients regardless of

religion race citizenship or

gender nor was there a limit to how long

a patient could stay

admitted hospitals were required to keep

patients until they were fully

recovered by the 9th century baghdad's

Hospital employed 25 staff

Physicians as Baghdad grew so did its

need for more hospitals

and here again we see alzi at

work commissioned to build a new

hospital alrai ordered that animal

carcasses be hung in various parts of

the city once in place he observed the

different rates at which each carcass

rotted and ordered the new hospital to

be built where putrification was slowest

noting that this was probably the part

of the city with the best healthiest

air Ali's hospital had a lecture hall

kitchen Pharmacy Library mosque and a

chapel for Christian

patients recognizing the importance of a

healthy mind in a healthy body

recreational materials were also made

available and musicians were employed to

entertain the

patients and as I've mentioned the

hospital wasn't just a treatment center

but it was also a medical school

basic science was taught through a

combination of private shors self-study

and public

lectures students were also responsible

for keeping patient records another

Innovation from this

period by this time doctors had to be

registered and licensed in order to

practice and hospitals were supervised

by a combination of doctors and lay

administrators by the year a th000 there

were at least 30 hospitals noted from

Islamic Spain to Tunisia and Egypt in

North Africa to Persia in the

East hospitals were also required to

have separate but equally equipped Wards

for men and women with patients attended

to by gender segregated nurses and

staff patients were kept in separate

Wards for either the contagious or

non-contagious and there were also

separate Wom for mental health eye

diseases and

surgery now let's turn our attention to

one of the greatest polymaths of all

time with expertise in numerous

different areas of study this was ibben

Cena or avisena as he's better known in

the West born around 980 in modern day

usbekistan he wrote about 450 titles in

his lifetime of which more than half

survive about 40 of these deal with

medicine including the five volume Canon

of medicine completed around the year

1025 ibin Cena was widely described in

medieval Europe as the father of early

modern medicine though his work as a

philosopher was even more important but

that's a story for another

day Ian Cena began studying medicine at

the tender age of 13 and was practicing

at

16 while still a teen teenager his

medical knowledge saved the life of the

local salmonid or Persian Sunni

ruler his Cannon of medicine was

arguably the greatest medical text ever

written up to that point in history it's

also one of the most influential over

time with this million-word manuscript

still being used as a standard text in

European universities during the 18th

century inspired by Galen and and

originally compiled to be used as a

textbook for students under his tutelage

ibben Cena's Cannon would go on to be

translated and studied by generations of

Scholars for centuries to

come divided into five volumes the first

part is a compendium of medical

principles including anatomy and regimen

which is to say prescribed courses of

treatment and changes in lifestyle or

Diet to promote the restoration of good

health

volume two is a Materia Medica or

alphabetical list of about 800 simple as

opposed to compound medical substances

with notes on their properties and

uses volume three outlines the function

of each organ and body part before

offering the diagnosis and treatments

for the diseases that can affect each

body part in turn organized literally as

a head totoe guide volume four four

deals with ailments that affect more

than one part of the body at a time or

indeed the entire body such as a fever

and volume Five is a formulary of some

650 compound medicines then in

use translated into Latin by Gerard of

Crona in the late 13th century ibben

Cena's Cannon quickly became the

standard text for medical students in

Europe and would remain so in

universities from Oxford to Paris and

Padua in Italy until the start of the

17th

century apart from its encyclopedic

nature its continuing popularity was

probably helped by the memorable

aphorisms that scatter the

text for instance noting the importance

of exercise and diet for good health

iben Cena wrote movement can replace

many drugs but no drug can ever replace

movement and another if you have eaten

too much stay hungry the next

day even more dramatically ibben Cena

opined that an ignorant doctor is the

aid to Camp of death you have been

warned Ean Cena is credited with

advancing medical knowledge through

original discoveries and with

improvements to the existing body of

knowledge one of his most important

discoveries was his recognition of the

potential for the Airborne transmission

of

disease he was also the first to

correctly identify the distinction

between central and peripheral facial

paralysis and he accurately described

the curse of infection from the guinea

worm iben Cena also conducted

groundbreaking research in psychiatric

conditions never the most glamorous

branch of Medicine

in his time many less scientifically

minded people saw mental illness as a

punishment from God and so in some sense

something not to be meddled

with other writings cover the treatment

of kidney diseases the production and

use of heart medicines and a series of

experiments that demonstrated the

connection between word association and

heart rate and which led to a successful

diagnosis of Love sickness

as proof of this a king's nephew was

brought to Ian Cena and he was told to

diagnose the young man's ailment the

prince apparently a healthy young man

nevertheless was suffering from

sleeplessness loss of appetite dizziness

and a raft of other

symptoms iben Cena after considering his

options set about monitoring the young

man's heart rate while carefully

uttering the names of different

districts in the

city noting that the young man's heart

fluttered when a certain District was

mentioned he then mentioned the names of

streets within that District again

monitoring the young man's

pulse finally he went through a list of

women's names and again noted the

prince's

reaction at the end of his experiment

ibben Cena told the patient that he was

in love with a certain woman and that

the best cure was

marriage embarrassed the prince admitted

that iben Cena was

right the King was told a marriage was

arranged and the symptoms disappeared

literally

overnight while a Charming Story the

most important factor to note is that

ibben Cena's experiments with word

association prefigured by some 900 years

the very same experiments that Carl Yung

was famous for in the 20th

century as we approach the end of this

lecture let's consider in Broad terms

the growth in medical knowledge during

the Islamic Golden

Age medieval Islam's receptiveness to

new ideas and heritages helped it make

major advances during this time adding

to earlier medical ideas and

techniques this expanded the Health

Sciences and corresponding institutions

and Advanced Medical knowledge in areas

such as surgery and understanding of the

human body independent of Greek Roman or

Persian

influence these advances were indeed

remarkable yet when we talk about

medicine or for that matter mathematics

chemistry or any of the

Sciences we should also remember that

the subject is not Islamic per se

Lancing a boil or amputating a limb is

no more Islamic than it is Jewish

Christian or Buddhist medicine is

medicine and science is

science however the vast majority of

scholarship that took place in the

medical Sciences in the Muslim Middle

East at this time was initially written

down in

Arabic this was true for the

translations and compilations made of

earlier Greek texts and for the mass of

original scholarship that also took

place at this

time few if any credible Scholars of the

day claimed that Islam was the key to

all their knowledge or proof of the

rightness of their vision of the one

God now at various times during the

Islamic Golden Age there were

prohibitions on Muslims visiting Jewish

and Christian doctors in case they

described a course of treatment or

medicine that would harm or even kill

it's been noted however that such

injunctions were almost universally

ignored then as now anyone in need of

medical help couldn't care less about a

doctor's religious Faith but rather his

or her skill and track record as a

doctor there were also periodic debates

among Muslim theologians as to whether

Muslim Physicians should use Greek

Chinese and Indian medical techniques

seen by many as

Pagan typically those lacking

imagination or common sense lost out to

the more broad-minded men of both

religion and Science and Islamic

Physicians were given free reign to

study and adopt any techniques they

wished even so both alrai and avisena

were accused by critics of atheism

during their lifetimes a serious charge

indeed both men were certainly critical

of certain aspects of organized religion

and in particular of poorly educated

religious authorities who praised Blind

Faith over rational

thought alzi believed that the common

people had been duped into belief by

religious authority figures and by the

status quo as a result he criticized

religious adherence for not more

actively challenging their received

wisdom with rational

analysis instead he contended the

faithful sometimes acted violently when

asked to defend their

faith alzi said if the people of this

religion are asked about the proof for

the soundness of their religion

they flare up get angry and spill the

blood of whoever confronts them with

this question they forbid rational

speculation and strive to kill their

adversaries this is why truth became

thoroughly silenced and

concealed writing about the God of the

Old Testament demanding sacrifices alrai

wrote this sounds like the words of the

needy rather than of the loable

self-sufficient one

alrai believed that the existence of

many different religions was in itself

evidence that religion was the creation

of humans rather than the

Divine but alrai does not own the final

word in the ongoing debate between

agnostics atheists and the

faithful iban Rush argued to the

contrary that whoever becomes fully

aware of the wonders of human anatomy

and physiology will find his faith in

God

increases