Medicine in classical Islamic culture and its transfer to Europe
Medicine in classical Islamic culture and
its transfer to Europe
Abstract
When the Arabian tribes in
the seventh century comquered the Arabo-Islamic empire after the advent of
Islam, they encountered the established medical science in the conquered lands.
From this adjunction of different traditions the Classical Islamic Medical
Science grew. It was however Greek Science which furnished the great majority
of contributions. This the Classical Islamic Civilisation largely owe to the
energetic policy of acquiring and translating greek scientific literature from
the beginning of the 9th century and onward conducted both by Caliphs and by
private persons. The synthesis of this scientific work resulted in the
emergence of many medical works with Rhazes (al-Râzî), al Majûsî and Avicenna
(Ibn Sinâ) as the most prominent physicians, scientistc and authors. About 300
years later, translations of scientific literature from Arabic to Latin took
place with similar force in Italy, and a little later in Spain. The
translations to Latin had a decisive impact on the etablishment of medical
studies i European universities, where the Canon of Avicenna was extensively
studied up to recent time. Avicenna and Rhazes were used in the teaching of medicine at the University og Copenhagen in
the 16th century, and a Danish physician and scientist from the Renaissance Ole
Worm used Avicenna and Rhazes in his scientific work.
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