During the Middle Ages of Islamic history, eighth century and running until the twelfth century, a change in the way of spiritual thinking and flexible control in government allowed for a responsive advancement in the arts and sciences. Muslim scholars continued the intellectual traditions of the Greeks within the framework of the Islamic religion.
“The positive influence of the Islamic faith which fosters learning and knowledge and this greatly contributed to the blossoming of a culture of free inquiry and rational scientific thinking. Judging by the events in our modern world, it may be difficult to comprehend that knowledge and reason are central to the Islamic way of life, but the Islamic faith considers both very important for understanding this world and the Divine” (Hajar 45).
By exploring various fields of science and knowledge Muslim scholars were able to make a larger contribution to medicine. The importance of translations, natural philosophy and theology, mathematics and astronomy all interrelated to the contributions in the science of medicine.
The journey taken to this evolution in the arts and sciences wouldn’t have started without the discovery, by Muslim scholars, of lost/forgotten Greek text. Translations emerged around the time of the Abbasid caliphate and soon prospered after al-Mamun; he who created the House of Wisdom, containing part research center, observatory, school, and a library for scholars all throughout Islam to take part in educating. “The first Arabic translations of the medical works of Galen and Hippocrates were made by the official translator of the second Abbasid Caliph, al-Mansur, builder of Baghdad” (Hajar 45). The most influential translator of this time was Hunayn b. Ishaq, head of al-Mam...
... middle of paper ...
...the foundation for their medical enterprise” (Hajar 43). Medicine was the pivotal point of Islamic scholars built on by the legacies left behind by strongly influential Greek scholars Galen and Hippocrates. As Islamic scholars translated their writing from Greek into Arabic, scholars became capable of producing new and reforming old medical knowledge based upon previous text. In making the Greek tradition more understandable and teachable, Islamic scholars made systematic summaries of medical knowledge.
Works Cited
Ede, Andrew, Cormack,Lesley B. A History of Science in Society: From Philosophy to Utility. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2012. Web. 26 Mar. 2014.
Hajar, Rachel. "The Air of History Part III." Heart Views. 14.1 (2013): 43-46. Print.
Sonn, Tamara. Islam : A Brief History. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., 2011. Ebook Library. Web. 26 Mar. 2014.
In modern medicine when an ailment arises it can be quickly diagnosed, attributed to a precise bacteria, virus, or body system, and treated with medication, surgery or therapy. During the time before rational medical thought, this streamlined system of treatment was unheard of, and all complaints were attributed to the will of the multitude of commonly worshiped Greek gods (Greek Medicine 1). It was during the period of Greek rationalism that a perceptible change in thought was manifested in the attitudes towards treating disease. Ancient Greece is often associated with its many brilliant philosophers, and these great thinkers were some of the first innovators to make major developments in astrology, physics, math and even medicine. Among these academics was Hippocrates, one of the first e...
Hippocratic medicine is one of Greece’s most ancient and lasting contributions to science and medicine, unlike today physicians depend more on equipment’s when diagnosing patients. Physicians in the Hippocratic era had nothing to depend on but where forced to create a journal system which explained the steps to curing based upon their common scientific theories of their time. Hippocrates is seen as the father of medicine even in our modern era, even though he lived before the birth of Christ. He worked on the assumption that all diseases and illnesses had a natural cause as well as a natural cure rather than supernatural one. It was Hippocrates who finally freed medicine from the shackles of magic, superstition, and the supernatural. (Greek Medicine: Hippocrates 2014)
Ibn Munqidh, Usama. "From Memoirs." McNeill, William and Marilyn Robinson Waldman. The Islamic World. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1973. 184-206.
The Islamic Empire took great lengths to expand their understanding of the natural world. The Caliph sent scholars to Persia, Rome, and Greece who brought back texts that were translated to Arabic. There were court appointed patronages which allowed for mastery of secular sciences. This effort allowed for advances in abstract studies of subjects such as optics and math. Medical schools are...
Azim A. Nanji, ed., The Muslim almanac : a reference work on the history, faith, culture, and peoples of Islam: Muslim Women Writers,(Detroit, MI : Gale Research, 1996), 315
...rstition, tradition, plant-lore, and knowledge passed down form the ancient Greeks and Romans.” (Rachel Bellerby) After the middle ages, science and medicine took large steps forward and began to bring us to our very advanced medicine we now use to our advantage.
rompt: List and explore in depth the factors that contributed to the rapid and widespread adoption of the Islamic Faith and the creation of an empire that extended from Spain to the farthest borders of the Persian Empire.
...person to discard the idea that angry gods got people sick and approached it more scientifically. He also helped people live healthy lifestyles because he told people to exercise, low fat diet, and stop smoking. He is considered the father of healthy lifestyle because he promoted all of this. He still had some bad ideas like fresh fruits and vegetables were bad for health. Another person who helped medicine was Asclepiades because he learned a way to help patients with mental problems because instead of putting them in dark rooms where they got more hallucinations he put them in well lit room so they did not see too much. Galen is another Greek physician remembered for his detailed study of human anatomy from dissecting dead bodies. He also experimented on live animals, particularly pigs, and showed that the brain controlled the body through a system of nerve fibers.
Esposito, John L. (2011). What Everyone Needs to Know About Islam, 2d. New York: Oxford University Press, ISBN-13: 978-1-60927-041-4
Somehow omitted and forgotten are the fruitful scientific collaboration and theological discussions which occurred in Baghdad in the 9th and 10th centuries, where Christians and Muslim scholars worked together to translate and comment upon Greek philosophy and science. Omitted is the fact that under the Nordic rule in Sicily, the first translation of Arab philosophy was accomplished which would have profound effect and influence on the works of Albert the Great and the famous Christian scholar Thomas Aquinas.
Early Greek medicine was more of a divine matter. It was believed that the God Asclepius was the god of medicine. Priests would live at his temples and claimed they knew the ways of healing people. It was not until around 500 B.C., a Greek physician named Alcmaeon began to dissect animals to observe their skeleton, muscles, and brain. This was most probably the first ever to describe a phenomenon through objective observations. Through his observations, he believed that illness was due to an imbalance in the body. This idea prevailed for many centuries in the history of medicine.
The most important and influential discovery was the practice of surgery. With this invention, human life became more sophisticated, humans lived longer, and we obtained a knowledge of ourselves sufficient enough to break the boundaries built by ignorance. Lacking prescription drugs, accurate tools, computer technology, and any background experience to build from, our ancestors struggled to learn how to repair the human body. They did an suprisingly competent job of treating the sick and injured. Some of the medical technology developed in ancient times surpassed anything available in the modern world until the 18th century or 19th century. In eras wherein religious views took precedence over medicine and logic, surgical advancement was difficult. The knowledge we have now was obtained from these people's exploits.
Bouhdiba, Abdelwahab. "The Message of Islam." Diogenes (International Council for Philosophy and Humanistic Studies). Humanities Full Text. 2005. Web.
Hippocrates, often called the “father of medicine” was one of the earliest contributors to modern science. He was called the father of medicine because through his medical school, he separated medical knowledge and practice from myth and superstition basing them instead of fact, observation, and clinical ...
Kenneth Jost. 2005. “Understanding Islam.” Annual Editions: Anthropology 11/12, 34th Edition. Elvio Angeloni. New York: McGraw-Hill Higher Education.