1. www.educationforum.co.uk

2.  In the 7 th century AD the new religion of Islam spread rapidly through the Middle East, North Africa and even into Spain and Portugal. Islamic territories united under one ruler or caliph  Around 750 -1050AD was known as the ‘golden age’ of this new Islamic empire  At a time of regression for medicine in Christian Western Europe there was a period of considerable progress for medicine in the Islamic Empire

3. RELIGION – unlike Christianity the Islamic faith was less restrictive of medical practice – the Koran encouraged the study of medicine and not all dissection was forbidden. The Koran also made care for the sick a religious duty GOVERNMENT – the strength, wealth and power of the empire made progress likely. Islam was ruled by a single man, the caliph from the capital Baghdad EDUCATION – the study of the ancient writings of Hippocrates and Galen was encouraged but was also critical. For instance Rhazes wrote a book called ‘Doubts on Galen’. Great libraries emerged across the empire but especially in Baghdad INDIVIDUALS – there was a number of significant Islamic individuals contributing to medicine – RHAZES, AVICENNA and ALBUCASIS were the three main ones WAR – the Islamic empire captured the old eastern capital of the old Roman empire Byzantium 1453 and began to laboriously translate the works of Hippocrates and Galen into Arabic – at a time when many of the Ancient works had been destroyed or lost in the West.

4.  Compiled a full summary of all existing medical Knowledge “The Canon of Medicine” which included insights from the Ancients and from Islamic doctors  It included chapters on eating disorders, obesity and thousands of drugs and herbs and their use  He travelled around the Arab Empire and spent time teaching and practising medicine in Cordoba, Spain. He was the first surgeon to describe the different parts of the eye  Avicenna’s book was translated into Latin used as a standard textbook across Europe right up to the Renaissance

5.  Rhazes was a Persian doctor in a major hospital in Baghdad around 900AD  He built on the work of Hippocrates’ on clinical observation making extensive notes on skin colour, rash, cough, temperature etc  In his major work ‘Al-Hawi’ Rhazes was the first doctor to note the difference between measles and smallpox

6.  Worked in Islamic Spain in around 936AD as a surgeon  Had great skills in amputations, removing bladder stones, dentistry (wooden dentures), how to set fractures and treat dislocations – far in advance of western Christian surgery  The Islamic faith taught that surgery was allowed to relieve pain and suffering in contrast to Christianity where nearly all dissection and surgery was banned

7.  Anatomy – the doctor Ibn an-Nafis was able to study Galen critically and proved many of Galen’s conclusions were wrong long before Vesalius  Chemistry – the Arab doctors added many new drugs to general use such as laudanum (pain relief), senna (laxative), musk (anti inflammatory and anti histamine), benzoin (anti bacterial resin), and camphor (anti fungal agent)

8.  Describe the contributions of 3 Arab doctors in the Middle Ages  Explain why Islamic medicine was superior to Christian medicine in the Middle Ages (use Factors)