Tenth-century Baghdad Scientists Had Imagined.
If Al-Razi were alive,
Today, whether it is Pakistan or many Arab countries, many medical institutions are named after Razi. In Iran, today, August 27, is celebrated every year as Razi Day in his name. Like Hippocrates and Galen, Al-Razi is a great figure in the history of medicine. Who were they And if they were alive today?
The idea of a tenth-century Baghdad scientist comes from a man with a short beard, a turban and an Arab robe, sitting on a carpet, leaning against a village pillow and turning the pages of a book. This impression is due to Western artists and does not accurately reflect. ۔
Al-Razi was a very dynamic figure. At the age of 30, he studied medicine in Baghdad as a student of Ali Ibn Sahil. He combined Galen's knowledge, Hippocrates' wisdom and ethics with his intelligence and compassionate nature to become an expert physician and teacher. In the Abbasi era, hospitals were called bimaristan from the Persian word. Charities created institutions called "waqfs". Philanthropists donate their wealth to charity. The trust's funds began to be spent on building hospitals. Hospitals began to open in Cordoba, Cairo and other major cities. They began to be organized in the style of Nestorian Christian institutions.
Caliph al-Kutfi al-Ballah planned to build the largest hospital in Baghdad and entrust this task to al-Razi. To choose a place, Al-Razi hung pieces of meat in different parts of the city to see where the least spoiled meat was. The "air" there will be much better and it will be a good place for a hospital. He took charge of the hospital in his hometown and then as the director of Al-Muqtada Hospital. In al-Jubeir's words, "these hospitals were no less than palaces. Wards and rooms in which doctors would conduct rounds on Mondays and Thursdays. There would be staff for food and medicine for the sick. ”
The highlight was the high standard of medical ethics. This standard was written by Ali al-Rahawi in his book "Etiquette of Medicine" and was strictly followed. The patient's religion, race, background, emirate, etc. were not observed.
Al-Razi added many new ideas. Create a psychiatric ward. This was the time when psychiatric illnesses in the rest of the world were attributed to Satan or ascension. Al-Razi said that the disease is of the patient's physical system, its treatment is only the work of a doctor. Al-Razi formally introduced psychology and psychotherapy. He worked regularly against donations. The donors who roamed the city, carrying their own kind of "medicine." He wrote a book on it entitled "Why do people prefer donors and fraudsters to expert physicians". He strongly criticized the methods of donations and asked the doctors to check their conduct.
He differentiated between the fact that there are some diseases that can be cured and some that are incurable. One book wrote that "the doctor does not have the answer to everything." This idea was a big untouchable idea of its time (even today many people do not accept it). He wrote about cancer and many other cases that should not be treated in this situation, the focus should be on improving the quality of life of the patient.
The Code of Conduct for Physicians emphasizes that all physicians will make every effort to be aware of new medical information at all times. Medical ethics from Galen and Hippocrates are also highlighted in his training manual, as well as enhanced.
From eye disease to stomach ache, from dietary suggestions to case studies, he devised a way to keep each subject separate. The book Al-Hawi Fi Al-Tib, written from a collection of his works, consists of 23 volumes and is the largest medical book ever written in Arabic. Case studies on smallpox and measles are the oldest written on these two diseases.
Another very important experiment that happened to them can be called the world's first controlled clinical trial. Make two groups of patients with meningitis. One's bloodshed (irregular bleeding). Not the other They did this experiment to test the effectiveness of this method. If you laugh at what irregular blood is and if such a doctor will treat it, then remember that this method has been in use for many centuries and has been a popular method for centuries. In the 19th century, US President George Washington died of pneumonia.
It was an example of relying on Razi's experience. They did not stop there. Galenus, whose work was considered authority, questioned many of his views. Challenged ideas like the four body fluids of the body. Wrote a book called "Al-Shukuk Ala Galenus". They had the courage to challenge centuries-old methods and say what didn't look right. On the one hand, he criticized the donations, on the other hand, he did not leave out things like the theory of Galen's fever. Although he was careful in his criticism.
Another characteristic of him is to record every step of the experiment in great detail which is also seen in his book Al-Asrar. This book was on alchemy, but not on the mysterious and magical ideas of traditional alchemy books, but on open experiments.
What if Razi were alive today? If estimated, they would be happy to see how far their field has progressed. Surprisingly, many of the ideas that he rejected a thousand years ago are not dead today. There are people in the West who use them, but much more than where Al-Razi came from. Founded experiments. The ideas that should have been in the dustbin of history are not dead. It would be a pity that the donations against which they have been working are still there.
Al-Razi Medical Center, Al-Razi Hospital, Al-Razi Laboratory would have made some people feel proud that they were valued but then Al-Razi Barber Center and Al-Razi Homoeo Clinic? Seeing this, they would probably shake their heads.
Vehara Ambakar.
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