Islamic Medicine

Islamic Medicine in the Medieval Period

Central Idea: Islamic medicine was advanced compared to European medicine in the medieval period.

Arab Doctors Kept Classical Knowledge Alive

• Islamic scholars preserved medical ideas like the Four Humours and treatment by opposites.

• Hunain ibn Ishaq translated Greek medical texts into Arabic.

• Avicenna's 'Canon of Medicine' reintroduced Galen and Hippocrates' ideas to Western Europe.

Islamic Doctors Made New Discoveries

• Albucasis described surgical procedures and wound treatment e.g. amputations, removal of bladder stones etc in his book

• Avenzoar identified the scabies parasite and questioned Galen's reliability.

• Ibn al-Nafis corrected Galen's heart circulation theory.

Alchemy Helped Develop New Drugs

• Alchemy in the Islamic world led to the discovery of distillation and sublimation and preparation of drugs like laudanum and benzoin.

Comment and Analysis

• Islamic medicine was more evidence-based than European medicine.

• The Crusades influenced the exchange of medical knowledge between Islamic and European cultures.

• Religion, like in Western Europe, influenced medical practices in the Islamic world.

Time Periods: Medieval Period (5th to 15th century) in Europe, Islamic Golden Age (8th to 14th century)