DOHA: Modern medicine has its roots in the Islamic system of medicine of the past, according to an expert. The negligence of resources available in the region has led to the demise of Islamic medicine, which was once a highly developed science.
"Years of experimentation and research have put modern science where it is now," said Dr Adel Q Al Dayel, (pictured) President Elect, Arab Association of Urology. "Islamic medicine, from which modern medicine developed, has not gone any further than where it was in the 16th century. It is the responsibility of experts here to study the resources here and research and develop them for use. Modern medicine grew because experts used the resources available to them in their region and developed them. It is not their fault that the materials here are under-studied," he told The Peninsula.
Dr Al Dayel and his wife, Dr Nahida Al Zuhair, have been doing research on Islamic medicine for the last 20 years.
"Islamic medicine is a complete complex system of management, which is based on scientific thinking and analysis. It is based on logic, like modern medicine. Actually, modern medicine is a continuation of Islamic medicine," Dr Al Dayel said.
Until 1700, modern medicine was very much influenced by Islamic medicine. Modern-day surgery has its roots in Islamic medicine. "Surgical practices until the discovery of the microscope, modern diagnostic methods and detailed knowledge of diseases, were based on Islamic medicine," he said.
Islamic physician Ibn Al Nafis was the first physician to describe pulmonary circulation, and the capillary and coronary circulations, which form the basis of the circulatory system. "He had described the minor circulation 400 years before William Harvey had discovered it. This is just one simple example out of many which proves that modern medicine has its roots in Islamic medicine," Dr Al Dayel said.
As early as the 9th century, Ibn Razi, referred to as the greatest and most original of all Muslim physicians, used to get his works validated by experts from different parts of the world. Works of Islamic scholars served as text books in Europe for many centuries. "Abu Al Qasmi Al Zahrawi's (936-1013) book Kitab Al Tasrif was translated into Latin in the 12th century. For perhaps five centuries during the European Middle Ages, it was the primary source for European medical knowledge, and served as a reference for doctors and surgeons," he said.
The growth f modern medicine overshadowed Islamic medicine. When the whole basis of scientific experimentation was changed from observational studies to molecular studies, Islamic medicine fell behind.
Islamic medicine is very rich, but there is no established study on it. There is lack of approved terminologies or standards of study. Most of the research on Islamic medicine has tended to look at one physician and describe his life and works.
"We took a different approach during our 20 years of study. We looked at one subject and then collected all the resources on the subject written by various Islamic physicians. Review of each health issue was done, which helped to find out how treatment was done. So far, subjects like kidney stones, incontinence, erectile dysfunction, history of Islamic medicine in Europe, and relations with other medicinal systems have been studied," he said.
Dr Al Dayel is compiling an atlas of Islamic medicine. "We are making a reference book for all to find out what Islamic medicine says, or treatment according to the ancient scholars. So people can know what Islamic medicine is all about. Analysis of items used as medicines is being done to validate the study."
"Islamic medicine should be rewritten and researched again with the available tools. Then the drugs used during those times can be utilised again. It is not the duty of a surgeon or physician alone to look into all that wealth of knowledge and research it again. There is no interest for this in major health facilities in the region and so far no efforts have been made at a major level," he said.
By Huda N V
© The Peninsula 2009
