Islamic medicine

Foundation of Medicine

L2-History of Medicine / online
May 11th , 2020
Family & Community medicine dept.
Dr. Muslim N. Saeed

The era of Islamic medicine produced some famous physicians.

Many of them were skilled in medical writing and produced encyclopedic works, which became standard texts and reference works for centuries.

The Famous Physicians in the Islamic Era

Jurjis Bukhtishu:
was invited by Caliph Harun-Al-Rashid to come to Baghdad from Jundishapur .He became head a hospital in Baghdad till his death.

Masawaih:

He migrated from Jundishapur to Baghdad and became a celebrated ophthalmologist.
He wrote the first Arabic treatise on Ophthalmology.


Hunayn Bin Is-Haq:
He was the greatest physician and translator of Greek texts He translated texts of Galen, Hippocrates, and Aristotle into Arabic.

Abu Ali Al-Hussein Bin Abdallah Bin Sina: (Avicinna 980-1037A.D.),

Wrote 246 books, including Kitab-Al Shifa (The Book of Healing) and Al-Qanun fi Altib (The Canons of Medicine).
The Qanun was the chief guide for medical science in the West from the 12th to 17th century.
Ibn Sina’s original contributions included:
1- Recognition of the contagious nature of tuberculosis.
2- distribution of diseases by water and soil.
3-nteraction between psychology and health.
4-Ibn Sina was also the first to describe meningitis and made rich contributions to anatomy, gynaecology and child health.

Abu Bakr Muhammad Bin Zakariya Al-Razi:

He wrote Kitab Al-Mansuri, and Al-Hawi, an encyclopedia of medicine in 20 volumes.
Achievements of Ai-Razi:
1-He found a treatment for kidney and bladder stones
2-Explained the nature of various infectious diseases.
3-He also conducted research on smallpox and measles.
4-Was the first to introduce the use of alcohol for medical purposes.
5-Discribe the effect of psychological factors on health.
6-He was also an expert surgeon and the first to use opium for anesthesia.

Abul Qasim Al-Zahrawi: (963-1013 A.D.) was a famous surgeon in his time.

-He wrote the medical encyclopedia Al-Tasrif Leman Ajaza Alta’lif.
-The Encyclopedia was being used as the standard textbook on surgery in universities in Europe.
-He also performed many delicate operations such as Cesarean section and was also the first to use silk thread for stitching wounds.

Ibn Al-Nafis: (born 1213)

-was the first physician to discover the respiratory cardiovascular system, as proposed by Galen.
-Ibn Al-Nafis stated that the blood could only travel from one side of the heart to the other by passing through the lungs.
-Although he was unsure of the mechanism, Ibn Al Nafis correctly observed that the blood in the lungs mixing with air.
-Ibn Al-Nafis was the first to understand the mechanisms behind the pulse. -

-Some of his other observations were based upon his observations in dissection.

-He corrected many misconceptions in physiology concerning the brain, gall bladder, bone structure and the nervous system.
-His other great contribution to Islamic medicine was his pharmacological works, and the idea of dosages to administration of treatments.

Medical Ethics

Very early in the history of Islamic civilization (second century after Hijra), Islamic medical ethical standards of practice were set, and the relationship between a physician and patient was defined.
The physician was always held to the highest professional standards and ethics in treating his patient.
One of the earliest treatises written on medical ethics was Adab Al-Tabib (Practical Ethics of the Physician) by Ishaq Bin Ali Al-Ruhawi, a 9th physician practicing under the Islamic Caliphate.
In this philosophical treatise, Ruhawi examined not only the relationships between a patient and a physician, but also a physician’s personal standards of behavior, conduct of daily activities, morality and even his relationship with God.


From the end of the period of Abbasid to the Ottoman era, the Arabic area experienced a period of deterioration of sciences and services.

In the second half of the fourteenth century A.D., Marjan established a hospital in Baghdad called Dar Al-Shafa Hospital.

After 500 years, Mohammad Pasha (died in 1844) built a hospital in Mosul during his tenure there.

Madhat Pasha built a hospital in Baghdad/ Al- Karkh in the coast of Tigris in 1872 which contained 50 beds and was called Al-Ghuraba Hospital.

DEVELOPMENT OF HEALTH SERVICES IN MODERN IRAQ

Namiq Pasha built (Namiq Pasha Hospital) in Bab Al-Mu’adham, and the hospital was supplied by instruments and surgical equipment from Europe.

In 1897, Rejab Pasha issued an order to use the existing building in Namiq Pasha Orchard as a military hospital and called it Majida Khatoon hospital. This hospital was used as military hospital in 1917.

Ottomans built Dar Al-Mualimin and Sabi Abkar hospitals in 1912, which were used for the treatment of wounded soldiers in the first world war.


The British established the department of health and the military doctor Colonel W R Batty was appointed as its chairman in 1918.
However, the British then changed the department of health to the secretariat of health in 1919, which was managed by the military doctor Colonel D C Graham. Then the secretariat of health was changed in 1921 to the directorate of public health, which then turned to the ministry of health which managed by Iraqi doctor Hanna Khaiat.

The ministry was abolished in 1922 and transformed to the directorate of public health, which was joined to the Ministry of Interior. In 1939, the ministry of social affairs was established, and the directorate of public health was joined with this ministry and its name was changed to (general inspectorate of social affairs and health).


On 1952, the ministry of health was established. During this period, many health establishments were founded. These include two hospitals in Rasafa and Karkh districts, establishment of health institutes. The military hospital was joined to the department of public health and its name was changed to Royal Hospital, college of medicine in Baghdad was founded in 1927.

Health administration department was divided into 14 regions to administer health services in the Iraqi governorate, and the establishment of drugs and chemicals was founded to import the drugs, chemicals and equipments. In 1967, the higher health institutes were replaced by the institutes of health professions.

On 1970, public clinics were founded, and all health centers in all ministries were joined to the ministry of health. In 1975, the general directorate of health insurance and rural health services, and the general directorate of health education and training were joined to the ministry of health.