Islamic Medicine

Medicine in the Qurʼan.

Originally published in 1986, this volume deals with the historical, philosophical and psychological concepts found in Islamic medical practices, and covers Islamic ideas on physiological, pathological, curative and preventative medicine. This was the first systematic study of Islamic medicine to be published in the English language and continues to have much relevance at a time when interest both in Islamic thought and in alternatives to conventional medicine is strong.

An up-to-date survey of medieval Islamic medicine offering new insights to the role of medicine and physicians in medieval Islamic culture.

It is the aim of this book while clarifying doubts and misconceptions, to provide a thorough reappraisal of the intellectual and rich cultural heritage of Islam with regards to the principles and practice of medicine and its representation to the world in the language of today. In nine chapters a range of topics are discussed including: The Promotion of Medical Education and Health Services; Personal and Environmental Hygiene; Circumcision; Manners of Eating; Social and Mental Heath; Curative Medicine; The Provision of Adequate and Potable Water; Magic, Witchcraft, Enchantments and Charms; Euthanasia; Suicide; The Rehabilitation of the Sick and the Needy; The Source of Human Creation; Sex Differentiation and Determination; Healing through Miracles; Magic and Soothsaying; HIV Infection and AIDS; Abortion; Females in Medical Practice; and The Challenges of Modem Medicine to Muslims.

This book describes medieval Islamic medicine and to explore a specific medical text, On the Prevention of Bodily Ills in Egypt by 'Ali ibn Ridwan (A.D. 998 - 1068). It seeks to answer the following questions: What did it mean to be a doctor in medieval Islamic society? What was the nature of the medicine that physicians practiced? And what was the relationship between physician and patient?

An authoritative reference work for anyone interested in herbal medicine, this book provides unprecedented insight into Prophetic phytotherapy, a branch of herbal medicine which relies exclusively on the herbal prescriptions of the prophet Muhammad and is little known outside of the Muslim world. Combining classical Arabic primary sources with an exhaustive survey of modern scientific studies, this encyclopedia features a multidisciplinary approach which should prove useful for both practitioners and followers of herbal medicine. Entries include each herb's botanical and alternate names, a summary of its "prophetic prescription," its properties and uses, and a guide to related contemporary scientific studies.

This highly readable survey describes the development of Islamic medicine and its influence on Western medical thought. It explains the main features of Islamic medicine: its system of human physiology; its ideas about the nature of disease; its rules for diet and the use of drugs; and its relationship with astrology and the occult.