Muslim Physicians Research Articles

Oath of Hippocrates updated by Muslim physicians.

Oath of Hippocrates updated by Muslim physicians.

Important Contributions of Early Muslim Period to Medical Science. I. Basic Sciences

Medical scientists of the early Muslim period made spectacular contributions to the development of modem medical science. A few remarkable contributions are presented in this paper. The Middle Ages might be a Dark Age for the West but it was a golden age for the development of science. There were no equivalents of al-Kindī, al-Rāzī, Thābit, Sinān, 'Ali ibn 'Abbās, Abū al-Qāsim al-Zahrāwī, Ibn Sīnā, Ibn Haytham, al-Bīrūnī, Ibn Rushd (to name a few) and many others, in the West. The books of some of them viz. Firdaws al-ḥikma of 'Ali ibn Sahl al-Ṭabarī, al-Hāwī and al-Mansūrī of al-Rāzī, Kitāb al-Mālikī of 'Ali ibn 'Abbās, al-Taṣrīf of al-Zahrāwī, al-Qānūn of Ibn Sīnā, al- Dh ā kh ī ra of Ismā'īl ibn al-Ḥusayn al-Jurjānī, Kitāb al-Manaẓir of Ibn al-Haytham and Kitāb al-kulliyyāt of Ibn Rushd, were textbooks in medical schools, including those of western universities, up to the 17th century. In addition, the following observations are noteworthy. Al-Rāzī was the first to differentiate smallpox from measles and his description of the former is still accepted as unique. He was the father of dermatology, pediatrics and psychiatry. Ibn Sīnā is regarded as the Prince of Medicine and is regarded as equal to Hippocrates and Galen. He was the greatest medical authority of the period and his book al-Qānūn is still a textbook in the Yunani system. Abū al-Qāsim al-Zahrāwī was the founder of modern surgery and invented many surgical instruments that are still in use. Ibn al-Khātima and Ibn al-Khaṭīb were the first to describe plague accurately and declare its contagiousness. Contributions of 'Ammar ibn 'Ali, 'Ali ibn 'Ῑsa and Ibn aI-Haytham in ophthalmology were spectacular. Muslim physicians were also pioneers in establishing hospitals for both human beings and domestic animals. Sinān ibn Thābit introduced licensing examinations for practicing physicians. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5915/21-2-5514 Part 1 available at http://dx.doi.org/10.5915/21-1-5513

Therapy With The Knife: Is It Still Needed for Renal Stones?

Therapy With The Knife: Is It Still Needed for Renal Stones?

Psychiatry in Contemporary Iran: a Survey of Views and Practices of a Group of Iranian Psychiatrists

Psychiatry has a long past but a short history in Iran. References to causes and treatment of mental disorders can be found in parts of the Avesta, the holy book of pre-Islamic Iranians. Early muslim physicians like Tabari, Majusi, Razi and Ibn Sina, who were mostly born and brought up in Iran, have devoted long sections of their books to a discussion of mental disorders under the general title of ‘the diseases of the head and the brain’. In fact, the oldest medical textbook in modern Persian—which was completed around 970 A.D.—was written by a practising physician who claims to have been known as a ‘doctor of the insane’ by his contemporaries.

Islamic Code of Medical Professional Ethics

Medicine was defined by Muslim physicians such as Al-Razi (841-826 A.D.) and lbn Silla (Avicenna, 980-1036 A.D.) as the art concerned with the preservation of good health, combating of diseases and restoration of health to the sick. For many centuries, the world has witnessed and benefited from the great advances made by Muslim physicians in the area of health sciences. These advances were not just based on technical skill or intellectual superiority. They were equally well founded on a clear understanding of the role of the Muslim physician as derived from Islamic teachings and philosophy. For thousands of years, ethics has been recognized as an essential requirement in the making of a physician. Although the ancienl codes of ethics have to some extent stressed this requirement, 1 • 2 they are still deficient and contain grave errors. 3 Contemporary codes of ethics tend to be more liberal and less resctrictive. The Qur'anic ethics, on the other hand, stand out as a perfect model for all mankind, all professions and all time. The medical eLhical requirements proposed in this paper are primarily based on Qur'anic ethics. They include guidelines for the physician's behaviour and attitude, both at the personal and professional levels. The same standard of moral and ethical values should guide the physician in his/her private life and whiJe conducting his/her professional business. A person who lacks moral values in private li fe cannot be trusted in professional activities, even with the highest professional and technical qualifications. lt is impossible for a person to have two different ethical standards. Allah bas not made for any man two hearts in his body ... ,,. The following verses from the Qur'an are most suited as a guide for the personal characteristics of the phyhsician: