WEEK 8 (Arabic Medicine)

Question 1

What was the “Age of Translations”

Answer 1

A period of 3 years where the Ancient Arabs focused on assembling, collecting and translating the texts of Ancient Greek and Ancient Roman doctors

Question 2

Which city was called ‘City of translations’?

Answer 2

Kundeshapour

Question 3

What were the cities of scholarship?

Answer 3

Baghdad and Cairo

Question 4

Knowledge of the Greek legacy came to the Arabs through which source?

Answer 4

Through christian sectarians who were driven out of BYZANTINE EMPIRE and translated Greek authors into other languages

Question 5

Describe Prophet Muhammad’s profound influence on most aspects of Islamic life

Answer 5

• Believed in education and taught that physical and spiritual well-being went hand in hand
• Two areas of knowledge that had true value: Knowledge of FAITH and the BODY

Question 6

Who quoted “God sends down no malady without also sending down a cure”

Answer 6

Prophet Muhammad

Question 7

What influence did Prophet Muhammad have on medicine?

Answer 7

• Sensible eating and drinking to maintain good health
• He paid attention to his visions and told what he learned to healers
• Supported the use of honey & cupping
• Did not support wearing of amulets for supernatural powers but believed they could be used to ward off illnesses

Question 8

Who is known as the greatest physician of the Islamic world?

Answer 8

Al-Ra zi

Question 9

Al-Ra zi was considered to be the Father of ________________ and a pioneer of obstetrics and ophthalmology

Answer 9

Paediatrics

Question 10

What did Al-Ra zi promote?

Answer 10

Experimental medicine

Question 11

In which city was Al-Razi the director of the first hospital in?

Answer 11

Baghdad

Question 12

According to Al-razi what were the responsibilities of the physician and the patient?

Answer 12

PHYSICIAN = to treat patient ethically
PATIENT = cooperation and obedience to physician

Question 13

Who offered one of the earliest written reports on an allergy and what he recommended for a cure?

Answer 13

Al-Razi

Question 14

Al-Razi’s book al-Judari wa al-Hasbah was the first book describing ____________ and _____________ as distinct diseases

Answer 14

Smallpox & Measles

Question 15

What were Al-Razi’s achievements in neurology and neuroanatomy?

Answer 15

• Stated that nerves had motor or sensory functions
• Assigned numerical order to cranial nerves (from optic to hypoglossal nerves)
• Link between anatomic location of lesion and clinical signs
• First physician to separate and recognise concussion from other similar neurological conditions

Question 16

Who discovered the pupil’s reaction to light?

Answer 16

Al-Razi

Question 17

What were Al-Razi’s achievements in mental illness?

Answer 17

• Established a section for the treatment of the mentally ill when he was director of the main hospital in Baghdad
• As part of discharge planning, each patient was given a sum of money to help with immediate needs

Question 18

What were Al-Razi’s achievements in Pharmacy?

Answer 18

• Introduced mercurial ointments
• Developed pharmacy instruments (e.g mortars, pestles, flasks, beakers and glass vessels)
• Recognised toxicity of arsenic

Question 19

Who is referred to as “Prince of Physicians”

Answer 19

Ibn Sina (Avicenna)

Question 20

What discoveries did Ibn Sina come up with?

Answer 20

• Description of Newton’s first law of Motion
• Description of time and motion (same conclusion as Einstein)
• Wrote the theory of the elements

Question 21

Who wrote the Canon of Medicine?

Answer 21

Ibn Sina

Question 22

What is included in the Canon of Medicine?

Answer 22

• What to look for when inspecting urine and how to evaluate strength, elasticity, rhythm and speed of pulse
• 760 drugs
• A good physician needs access to be able to assess water quality -> bad water causes disease but iron helps with diarrhoea
• Relationship between mind and body

Question 23

Describe a remedy described in the Canon of Medicine

Answer 23

Soothing olive oil baths to help with JOINT PAIN -> if pain was bad due to damp weather, boiling a lizard in oil would make it more effective

Question 24

What was Ibn an-Nafis’ theory of the heart?

Answer 24

He described that blood needed to travel from the right ventricle to the lungs to acquire air and then return to the left ventricle

Question 25

Were there hospitals in Ancient Arabia?

Answer 25

YES

[Hospitals became one of the great achievements of medieval Islamic society]

Question 26

Hospitals were open for everyone (TRUE/FALSE)

Answer 26

TRUE

[Hospitals were open to male and female, civilian and military, adult and child, rich and poor, Muslim and non-Muslim]

Question 27

How did Islamic physicians obtain their training?

Answer 27

By studying under a specific doctor

Question 28

How did women physicians receive their training?

Answer 28

In a private one-on-one setting with a tutor

Question 29

Women were not allowed to be treated by male doctors (TRUE/FALSE)

Answer 29

TRUE