Medieval Islamic Medicine: A Literature Review

The first chapter of Medieval Islamic Medicine discusses the emergence of medieval Islamic medicine through the blending of other cultures as a result of trade and travel. Many surrounding civilizations, like the Greeks, Indians, and Persians, contributed to the medical knowledge and practices that were adopted into medieval Islamic medicine. The overall thesis is broken down into elements that are portrayed throughout the chapters in Medieval Islamic Medicine. The main thesis focuses on the medical practices that have positively influenced a number of people during the medieval Islamic period. Also, the history behind the medical practices that were created, have impacted the people and the medieval Islamic culture. The overall thesis ties

The government documents offer translations and provide evidence for concepts of health and disease of medieval Islamic medicine. Often times, physicians discussed in this book provide a brief analogue of the work they published in order to support their argument and validate their points. Each chapter is divided into subtopics; the endnotes and footnotes give the correct evidence to support the arguments within each subtopic. Also, at the end of the chapter, the book provides additional information on the subtopics discussed in order to give the reader a better grasp. As one can see, the works of medical professionals and government documents are found within the chapter in order to provide evidence to support the

The book’s chapters are set up in chronological order, thus the reasoning behind chapter one discussing the emergence and what influenced medieval Islamic medicine. The mini argument is convincing because the chapter discusses the cultural influences that helped conserve and improve health, especially in the emergence of medieval Islamic medicine. Also, in this chapter the evidence was divided in subtopics clearly portrayed within the chapter in order to present all the aspects that would validate the mini argument. The chapter is biased due to mostly talking about Greek evidence that supported the mini argument. Evidence of Persian and Arabic influence could have made the argument stronger. Also, there was little evidence that was provided showing how the influences directly impacted medieval Islamic medicine. For instance, the chapter discusses medical encyclopedias and translations of those, yet failed to mention if the medieval Islamic culture adopted the means of producing their own medical encyclopedias. Overall, the mini argument was clearly stated and supported by evidence