Early Arabic Pharmacology

The Medical Formulary of Al-­Samarqandi demonstrates the high development of pharmacology by the Arabs in the Middle Ages. It was far from a dark period in science for it was in this area, as well as in Arabic optics and chemistry, that experimental science first began to develop. This is shown by al-Samarqandi's work which describes many new drugs, chemical processes, and a more advanced pharmacological theory. No part of this work has ever before been brought to the notice of historians of medicine. For the first time, the authors give a complete translation of this Aqrâbōdhīn in order to present a complete picture of the pharmacological knowledge of the day. There is a comprehensive section of Notes and Comments with particular attention being drawn to the present-day usage of old Arabic drugs, the employment of the drugs in the much earlier al-Kindi Medical Formulary, and to the etymological discussion of Arabic plant names not studied in previous works on the subject. Finally there is a Glossary of Arabic-English terms and a selected Bibliography.

Explores the impact of drugs introduced by the Arabs on medieval Mediterranean medicineFor more than one thousand years Arab medicine held sway in the ancient world, from the shores of Spain in the West to China, India and Sri Lanka (Ceylon) in the East. This book explores the impact of Greek (as well as Indian and Persian) medical heritage on the evolution of Arab medicine and pharmacology, investigating it from the perspective of materia medica a reliable indication of the contribution of this medical legacy.Focusing on the main substances introduced and traded by the Arabs in the medieval Mediterranean including Ambergris, camphor, musk, myrobalan, nutmeg, sandalwood and turmeric the authors show how they enriched the existing inventory of drugs influenced by Galenic-Arab pharmacology. Further, they look at how these substances merged with the development and distribution of new technologies and industries that evolved in the Middle Ages such as textiles, paper, dyeing and tanning, and with the new trends, demands and fashions regarding spices, perfumes, ornaments (gemstones) and foodstuffs some of which can be found in our modern-day food basket.Key FeaturesAssesses the assimilation of theoretical and practical Greek, Indian and Persian medicine into Arabic medical cultureReconstructs and presents a list of medicinal substances distributed by the Arabs as a result of their conquestsTells the stories of 33 new Arabic drugs within the context of their natural historyDescribes the contribution of the Arabs to the daily medieval cultural material (medicine, cosmetics, perfumery, dyeing of materials, industrial products and precious stones)Includes 35 colour illustrations

This work explores the impact of Greek (as well as Indian and Persian) medical heritage on the evolution of Arab medicine and pharmacology, investigating it from the perspective of materia medica - a reliable indication of the contribution of this medical legacy.

The Reader's Guide to the History of Science looks at the literature of science in some 550 entries on individuals (Einstein), institutions and disciplines (Mathematics), general themes (Romantic Science) and central concepts (Paradigm and Fact). The history of science is construed widely to include the history of medicine and technology as is reflected in the range of disciplines from which the international team of 200 contributors are drawn.