By: Dr. Meraj Ahmad Meraj

Medicine
Medicine did not develop overnight. During the Dark Ages the medical flame was taken up by the Arabic-Islamic world. The period between the 7th and 13th centuries has been commonly neglected, despite the remarkable developments of biomedical science of the Arabic-Islamic world. At every stage in Arabic medical history we can find outstanding people whose greatest contributions and efforts cannot be underestimated. The increased use of dissection in Islamic medicine during the 12th and 13th centuries was influenced by the writings of the Islamic theologian, Al-Ghazali, who encouraged the study of anatomy and use of dissections as a method of gaining knowledge of God’s creation.

The Arabic-Islamic world added much to earlier achievements in medicine. They fostered the flame of civilization, made it brighter and handed it over to Europe, This was solid inspiration to boost Muslim scientists to discover, progress, and spread over empirical laws. Ample considerations were specified to medicine and public health precaution. The very first hospital was constructed in Baghdad in 706 AC. The Muslims also used camel convoys as transportable hospitals, which stimulated from place to place. Ever since the religion did not prohibit it, Muslim scholars used human bodies to study anatomy and physiology and to support their students‟ realization on how the body works. This pragmatic study allowed surgery to mature very quickly. Medicine is regarded as one of the extensive fields of life sciences to which Muslims had noticeable influences through their prosperous cultivation.

1. Abu Ali Ibn Sina: Abu Ali Ibn Sina (980-1037), better recognized to the West as Avicenna, was conceivably the utmost physician until the contemporary epoch. His renowned book “Al-Qanun fi al-Tibb”[53] stayed a typical textbook even in Europe for over 700 years. Ibn Sina‟s effort is still considered and assembled upon in the East. Other substantial offerings were made in pharmacology, such as Ibn Sina’s “Kitab al-Shifa” (Book of Healing), and in public health. The Ottomans were particularly noted for their building of hospitals and for the high level of hygiene practiced in them. Every single city in the Islamic world had a number of outstanding hospitals and many of them were specialized for particular diseases, including mental and emotional. Abu Ali Ibn Sina, alone wrote 246 books, together with Kitab-al Shifa (The Book of Healing) containing 20 volumes and Al- Qanun fit Tibb (The Canons of Medicine). The Qanun was the principal guide for medical science in the West from the twelfth to the seventeenth century. Dr. William Osler, who wrote “The Evolution of Modern Science”, remarks “The Qanun has remained a medical Bible for a longer period than any other work” [54]. Ibn Sina’s creative influences involved such developments such as acknowledgment of the communicable nature of phthisis and tuberculosis; spreading of diseases by water and soil and the collaboration between psychology and health. Also, the book defined over 760 medicines and became the most authentic of its era. Ibn Sina was also the first to describe meningitis and prepared ironic contributions to anatomy, gynaecology and child health.
   
2. Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Zakariya al-Razi: Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Zakariya al-Razi (865-925 AD) identified as Rhazes, was one of the greatest inexhaustible Muslim doctors and perhaps second only to Ibn Sina in his endeavours. He was born at Ray, Iran and became a student of Hunayn ibn Ishaq and later a student of Ali Ibn Rabban. He penned over 200 books, including Kitab al-Mansuri, ten volumes on Greek medicine, and al-Hawi, an compendium of medicine in 20 volumes. In al-Hawi, he encompassed every single medical subject’s statistics offered from Greek and Arab sources and then added his clarifications based on his understanding and assessments [55]. He categorized substances as vegetable, animal or mineral while other alchemists divided them into “bodies”, “souls” and “spirits”. Al-Razi was first positioned in control of the first Royal Hospital at Ray from where he quickly moved to a similar position in Baghdad where he remained the head of its famous Hospital for a long time. He originated a treatment for kidney and bladder stones, and clarified the nature of various infectious diseases. He also accompanied research on smallpox and measles and was the first to announce the usage of alcohol for medical purposes.
   
3. Abul Qasim al-Zahrawi: A new physician who soon tracked al-Razi was Abul Qasim al-Zahrawi (963-1013 AD) who is recognized as Albucasis to the West. A renowned surgeon in his time, at the court of Caliph al- Hakam II, students and patients flocked to him from the Muslim world and Europe. He wrote the medical encyclopedia “Al-Tasrif li man ajaz an-il-talif” which enclosed 30 segments of surgical facts and drawings of 200 surgical tools, maximum of which he designed by himself[56]. The Encyclopedia was not only a typical one for physicians, but even five eras later it was being used as the standard textbook on surgery in universities in Europe. He also accomplished many elusive operations such as Caesareans and was also the first to use silk thread for sewing wounds. pointed out that good practice in surgery requires a sound knowledge of anatomy [57].
   
4. Al -Idrisi: Al-Idrisi was born in Cordova, Spain in 1099. His major involvement was in medicinal plants which he labelled in many books, such as “Kitab al-Jami-li-Sifat Ashtat al-Nabatat”[58]. He composed plants and data not described previously and compiled this to the subject of botany. From him a large number of new medicines from plants with their assessments suited to medical doctors. Al-Idrisi also prepared unique assistance to topography, as connected to economics, physical factors and cultural aspects. He penned geographical encyclopedias, the largest called “Rawd-Unnas wa Nuzhalat Nafs” „Pleasure of Men and Delight of Souls’[59]. Al-Idrisi also inscribed on the themes of fauna, zoology and therapeutically features. His work was soon translated into Latin and his books on geography especially stayed famous in the East and West for more than a few spans.
   
5. Abu Muhammad Ibn al-Baitar: Abu Muhammad Ibn al-Baitar was working in the field of botany also from Spain. He was one of the paramount scientists of Muslim from Spain and one of the chief botanists and pharmacists of the middle Ages. He travelled on many wandering voyages to gather plants as far as Africa and Asia. He composed “Kitab al-Jami al-Adiwaya al-Mufrada” one of the supreme botanical accumulations allocating with medicinal plants in Arabic [60]. The encyclopaedia was completed of over 1,400 items, many of which were not known before. The book discussed to the works of 150 authors, mostly Arabic and cited about 20 early Greek scientists. It was translated into Latin and printed as late as 1758. Ibn al-Baitar‟s works were categorized by thoughts, investigation and classification and exercised a profound influence on Eastern as well as Western botany and medicine [61]. Even though many of his works were translated and published late in the western languages. Many earlier scientists had deliberated numerous portions of his books and quoted a number of references to it.
   
   Medicine is regarded as one of the extensive fields of life sciences to which Muslims had noticeable influences through their prosperous cultivation. These assistances were unprecedentedly comprehensive, divergent, and educative to the amount that the spectator of these everlasting influences may have faith in that medicine had not be present earlier to the advancement of Muslims.
   
   CONCLUSION
   Nature is not seen as a separate entity in Islam, rather it is an integral part of Islam‟s holistic outlook on God. This link implies a sacred aspect to the pursuit of scientific knowledge by Muslims. The Contribution of Islamic civilization to science and technology from the 8th to 16th century is a noteworthy expansion in human antiquity. The Muslim scientists not only conserved the ancient knowledge, but also transformed it into major new contributions to the basic science and technology. The basic contributions were in fields as such; astronomy, chemistry, mathematics, philosophy, geography, and physics, which constitute the basis of modern science and technologies. Muslims scientists significantly contributed to human knowledge in various fields through their innovations. Muslim mathematicians had inborn both the Babylonian hexadecimal system and the Indian decimal system, and this provided the basis for numerical techniques in mathematic. Muslim scientists constructed mathematical models using the decimal system, conveying all numbers by means of ten symbols, and each symbol permitted the value of position as well as absolute value. Many inventive methods of doing multiplications were established by Muslims; methods of checking by casting out nines, and decimal fractions. Hence, Muslim Scientists added and positioned the foundations of modern mathematics and the use of mathematics in the fields of science and engineering. This contribution was so great that Islamic civilization has been the pioneer of the scientific, intellectual and cultural genius for a long period of time, with the West benefiting from its great achievements. Muslim intellectuals became references to the world. For more than five centuries, the Islamic civilization remained the basic source of science, technology and prosperity.
   
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