The compilation of pharmacological ideas during the Abbāsid Caliphate : with special reference to a section of 'Al-Hāwī' of Al-Rāzī

Abstract

This is a study of the transmission of medical ideas of the ancient world into Arabian medicine. It is concerned with pharmacological ideas in particular, with special reference to al-Ḥāwī (Liber Continens) of al-Rāzī (Rhazes). The First Part of this thesis outlines the medical knowledge of the ancient Mesopotamian (Sumerians, Babylonians and Assyrians), Egyptians, Indians, Persians and Greeks, and the exchanges in the knowledge between them. The Second Part is a view of the translation efforts during the period of the early Abbasid Caliphate, as most foreign medical works were translated during this period by the most celebrated and competent translators in the Arabian world. This part also includes a list of some of the medical works which were translated into Arabic, giving some view of how they were transmitted and came down to the Muslims. The Third Part gives a view of the life of al-Rāzī and the significance of his work in brief. Then it deals with his al-Ḥāwī, an original work written at the end of the ninth century or early tenth century A.D., that is after the translation effort had culminated, showing the kind of impact this movement had on the medical works of Muslims. Then this part examines a section consisting of two chapters of volume I of al-Ḥāwī it examines some foreign influences, especially on drugs. This is followed by the translation of this reference text and the conclusion.