Translating Knowledge & Key Scholars
History: KS3, topic 3.3.5
Developments in Science and Medicine
Baghdad was the centre of science and medicine in the Muslim world. Its knowledge would help shape the study of medicine and health worldwide.
Translating knowledge
- Al-Ma'mun, Caliph from AD 813-833, set up a translating house in Baghdad. Scholarly books and writings from around the world could be translated into Arabic.
- These books would be translated into Latin in the 11th century and would circulate around Christian Europe.
- Some of the knowledge used in Europe originated from the Muslim world.
- This shows how important Arabic and Islamic knowledge was for the rest of the world.
Saving knowledge
- Arab Muslims learned how to examine a patient using alcohol as an antiseptic and preparing medicine. They also made advances with anaesthetics, which were used to put people to sleep before surgery.
- Muslim scholars in Baghdad found and translated Galen's work.
- Galen, an Ancient Greek doctor, proved that arteries carry blood, discovered nerves, and developed new methods for performing surgeries.
Rhazes
- Muslim scholars also made their own medical discoveries.
- Al-Razi (Rhazes) wrote nearly 200 books on medicine in the 10th century. This included a huge medical encyclopedia that listed many diseases.
- He was the first author to have written a book that focused on children's diseases.
Rhazes cont.
- Rhazes was able to explain the difference between smallpox and measles. He helped doctors find differences between the two in their patients.
- Rhazes was not afraid to disagree with earlier doctors. He even challenged some of Galen's writings.
- A painting of Rhazes was made in Europe 300 years after his death.
Test yourself on Translating Knowledge & Key Scholars
Which Greek scholar's work could have been lost if it wasn't for the efforts of Muslim scholars?
Which of the following is NOT one of Al-Razi's accomplishments?