What were the main contributions of the doctors of Al-Andalus?

In Islam, illness is regarded as a natural reality of life, a transitory condition that can lead to healing or death. Islamic medical texts deal with disease, its characteristics and various treatments, both curative and palliative.

With regard to the causes of disease, concepts inherited from Galenic medicine are prominent, which interprets human health as a delicate balance of the four organs of the body.

Beyond mere efficacy, the Quran also establishes specific rules and guidelines on issues related to health and hygiene., These rules have vital importance in the life of the Muslim community and cover diverse aspects:

a melting pot of knowledge

Andalusian medicine reached a high level of development due to several factors, including the expansion of Islamic rule., which facilitated contact with the medical knowledge of other cultures such as Greek, Persian and Hindu. In addition, important medical works of antiquity were translated into Arabic, allowing their study and dissemination.

The creation of teaching centers also played a fundamental role, thus important medical schools (madrasas) emerged in cities such as Córdoba and Granada, where highly prestigious doctors were trained.

In al-Andalus this development was already seen in the 9th century When Ibn Habib wrote the first collection of medicine in Hispanic lands, a work that synthesized the concepts of Greco-Hellenistic medicine and included some elements of popular medicine or “medicine of the Prophets”.

Study tours to complete training

The training of doctors attests to the excellence of medicine in the Hispano-Arab civilization as they had to develop other important knowledge before mastering their science.

Furthermore, they had to resort to whatever means were at their disposal to complete their studies, so those who could afford it moved to the East. On the other hand, starting from the 10th century, aspiring doctors had to go through several stages to acquire their title (ichaza): hospital practice, a round of questions and answers about diseases, a general examination and others on certain specialties. ,

Thus, the practice of medicine was given legal authority after taking the Hippocratic Oath. All this had to be done before a commission of Muhtasib, who was a kind of official who controlled the trade.

A modern hospital model

The first hospital in Muslim Spain was established in the state of Granada in the 14th century., a milestone that marked a before and after in medical care in the region. The hospital’s founding inscription, which dates back to between 1365 and 1367, proudly proclaims that a similar institution did not exist in al-Andalus until that time.

The introduction of the hospital model into Muslim Spain is attributed to the Almohads, who brought it from the Muslim West., On a visit to Fez the Nasrid Sultan Muhammad V learned about this innovative institution and decided to implement it in his kingdom.

Granada Hospital was originally conceived as a charitable institution to care for the most disadvantaged. Its architectural structure was inspired by Maghreb maristons, with rooms divided by gender, a large courtyard, running water, warehouses, offices and study spaces for doctors and trainees.

During the 15th century it expanded its scope to include the care of the mentally ill. This development reflects concern for the overall well-being of the population, and not just their physical health. It not only provided medical care to thousands of people for centuries, but also served as a model for the construction of other hospitals in the area.

surgery and therapy are integrated

Although medicine and surgery have ancient origins, the latter was born with a significant disadvantage. Initially the magical and sacred nature of medicine, by linking disease to supernatural causes, gave its practitioners a higher social status than surgeons, whose physical work was associated with the mundane. Rituals of invoking divine grace to heal illnesses had an aura of dignity that contrasted with the more prosaic and direct practice of surgery.

In Roman society, the division between two types of medical professionals was consolidated: the “Medici Clinic”, which was dedicated to medical diagnosis and treatment, and the “Medici Chirurgici”, which specialized in surgical interventions.

The Cordoban doctor Abulkassis (10th century), familiar with the healing power of surgery, advocated its full integration into medicine in his work “Tasrif”. He considered surgery as an integral part of it which should be learned and practiced with the same rigor as the rest of medicine.

But Abulkasis not only defended the unification of surgery, but also made a significant contribution to its development: he introduced new surgical techniques and created new surgical instruments.

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