(4 reviews) Author: Peter E. Pormann ISBN : 9781589011601 New from $53.48 Format: PDFThe 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 a story of contact and cultural exchange across countries and creeds, affecting many people from kings to the common crowd. This tradition 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 a venue for innovation and change.
Medieval Islamic Medicine is organized around five topics: the emergence of medieval Islamic medicine and its intense crosspollination with other cultures; the theoretical medical framework; the function of physicians within the larger society; medical care as seen through preserved case histories; and the role of magic and devout religious invocations in scholarly as well as everyday medicine. A concluding chapter on the "afterlife" concerns the impact of this tradition on modern European medical practices, and its continued practice today. The book includes an index of persons and their books; a timeline of developments in East and West; and a section on further reading.
- Hardcover: 240 pages
- Publisher: Georgetown University Press; 1 edition (March 6, 2007)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1589011600
- ISBN-13: 978-1589011601
- Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
- Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Medieval Islamic Medicine PDF
I came across Pormann's Islamic Medicine while conducting a literature review for a thesis paper. I have a great deal of interest in the ancient and medieval medicine and the factors which contributed to the rise of early modern medicine.By Lucy Cat VINE VOICE
Medieval Islamic Medicine is a concise yet thorough account of the medical tradition which hailed from the Islamic empire between 600-1200 CE. The vast number of references following each chapter are particularly useful for those looking to read further beyond this treatise.
The text itself is divided into the following major chapters:
1. Introduction
2. The Emergence of Islamic Medicine
3. Islamic Medical Theory
4. Islamic Physicians in Society
5. Surgical Advances, Hospitals and other technologies
6. The Afterlife
There are a number of beautiful and interesting illustrations though regrettably they are printed in black and white. The author's prose is straightforward and quite easily digested by non-historians and the average layperson (such as myself). Though it provides just a glimpse into the medieval era of medicine as a whole, it does contain a number of fascinating tidbits and was a enjoyable read overall.
The authors weave a story about the medieval world (600-1500CE) and medieval medicine and bring their own research with the publications of other scholars. The story takes the reader on a journey to the medieval centers of Islamic knowledge: Cairo, Alexandria, Damascus and Baghdad. The major cultures and religions, Moslems, Christians and Jews, ebb and flow across time and political boundaries. The two principal themes are the transmission and elaboration of the ancient medical texts of Galen and Hippocrates and their translation from Greek into Arabic, Hebrew and Latin. As Europe emerged from the Dark Ages, its physicians drew upon this reservoir of medical observations as they developed their own empiricism.By ImageMD VINE VOICE
This comprehensive book will be of great interest to readers who are new to the subject as well as those who wish to enhance their knowledge. The few illustrations are well chosen.
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