Medieval Islamic Medicine

Medieval Islamic Medicine,
(New Edinburgh Islamic Surveys),
Paperback  240 pages,
by Peter E. Portmann and Emilie Savage Smith.




Book Description :

The medical tradition that developed in the lands of Islam during the medieval period (c. 650--1500) has, like few others, influenced the fates and fortunes of countless human beings. It is the story of contact and cultural exchange across countries and creeds, affecting caliphs, kings, courtiers, courtesans, and the common crowd. In addition to being fascinating in its own right, it formed the roots from which modern Western medicine arose. Contrary to the stereotypical picture, medieval Islamic medicine was not simply a conduit for Greek ideas, but was a locus for innovation and change.


The book is organised around five topics:
 

• the emergence of medieval Islamic medicine and its intense cross-pollination with other cultures,
• the theoretical medical framework,
• the function of physicians within the larger society,
• the medical care as seen through preserved case histories,
• the role of magic & devout religious invocations in scholarly as well as everyday medicine.

A concluding chapter on the 'afterlife' concerns the impact of medieval Islamic medicine upon the European medical tradition and its continued practice today. The aim of this book is not to compress the entire history of medieval Islamic medicine into a single small volume. Rather, it presents an overview, highlighted with particular examples.

Review:
An outstanding contribution to a very important field. While there has been a great deal of new research on premodern medical texts from the Islamic world, there are few surveys written for a broader public. This text will make a lasting contribution to the history of science in general, and to the study of premodern Islamic medicine in particular._{---Jonathan Brockopp, Pennsylvania State University}.