Healthcare in the Islamic Golden Age

[WAB]

As a lifelong worker in healthcare facilities, including nursing homes (2), assisted living facilities (2), and a Hospital, I could not help but be impressed by how "modern" Islamic healthcare was in their "Golden Age", which according to Wikipedia lasted from around the 9th century to around the 13th century. Of course, their amazing accomplishments ranged throughout virtually every field of endeavor, particularly science, mathematics, and the arts. Their C13 great poet, Rumi—  "Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī (Persian: جلال*الدین محمد رومی‎), also known as Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Balkhī (جلال*الدین محمد بلخى), Mevlânâ/Mawlānā (مولانا, "our master"), Mevlevî/Mawlawī (مولوی, "my master")" is still one of the bestselling poets in the US! He currently sells far more than most American poets, past or present. That in itself is worthy of comment, and wonderment.

Ibn Sina (Avicenna) and Ibn Rushd (Averroes), are two giant names in philosophy, up there with Aristotle, whose works they helped bring into the modern world.

I had to quote the bits on healthcare extensively, because they are so impressive. Especially the last para, which ought to dissuade anyone from thinking that the Arabic world had as yet lost any of its amazing humanity since the advent of the Prophet.

From Wikipedia: bold mine

The earliest known Islamic hospital was built in 805 in Baghdad by order of Harun Al-Rashid, and the most important of Baghdad's hospitals was established in 982 by the Buyid ruler 'Adud al-Dawla.[94] The best documented early Islamic hospitals are the great Syro-Egyptian establishments of the 12th and 13th centuries.[94] By the tenth century, Baghdad had five more hospitals, while Damascus had six hospitals by the 15th century and Córdoba alone had 50 major hospitals, many exclusively for the military.[95]

The typical hospital was divided into departments such as systemic diseases, surgery, and orthopedics, with larger hospitals having more diverse specialties. "Systemic diseases" was the rough equivalent of today's internal medicine and was further divided into sections such as fever, infections and digestive issues. Every department had an officer-in-charge, a presiding officer and a supervising specialist. The hospitals also had lecture theaters and libraries. Hospitals staff included sanitary inspectors, who regulated cleanliness, and accountants and other administrative staff.[95] The hospitals were typically run by a three-man board comprising a non-medical administrator, the chief pharmacist, called the shaykh saydalani, who was equal in rank to the chief physician, who served as mutwalli (dean).[78] Medical facilities traditionally closed each night, but by the 10th century laws were passed to keep hospitals open 24 hours a day.[96]

For less serious cases, physicians staffed outpatient clinics. Cities also had first aid centers staffed by physicians for emergencies that were often located in busy public places, such as big gatherings for Friday prayers. The region also had mobile units staffed by doctors and pharmacists who were supposed to meet the need of remote communities. Baghdad was also known to have a separate hospital for convicts since the early 10th century after the vizier ‘Ali ibn Isa ibn Jarah ibn Thabit wrote to Baghdad’s chief medical officer that "prisons must have their own doctors who should examine them every day". The first hospital built in Egypt, in Cairo's Southwestern quarter, was the first documented facility to care for mental illnesses. In Aleppo's Arghun Hospital, care for mental illness included abundant light, fresh air, running water and music.[95]

Medical students would accompany physicians and participate in patient care. Hospitals in this era were the first to require medical diplomas to license doctors.[97] The licensing test was administered by the region's government appointed chief medical officer. The test had two steps; the first was to write a treatise, on the subject the candidate wished to obtain a certificate, of original research or commentary of existing texts, which they were encouraged to scrutinize for errors. The second step was to answer questions in an interview with the chief medical officer. Physicians worked fixed hours and medical staff salaries were fixed by law. For regulating the quality of care and arbitrating cases, it is related that if a patient dies, their family presents the doctor's prescriptions to the chief physician who would judge if the death was natural or if it was by negligence, in which case the family would be entitled to compensation from the doctor. The hospitals had male and female quarters while some hospitals only saw men and other hospitals, staffed by women physicians, only saw women.[95] While women physicians practiced medicine, many largely focused on obstetrics.[98]

Hospitals were forbidden by law to turn away patients who were unable to pay.[96] Eventually, charitable foundations called waqfs were formed to support hospitals, as well as schools.[96] Part of the state budget also went towards maintaining hospitals.[95] While the services of the hospital were free for all citizens[96] and patients were sometimes given a small stipend to support recovery upon discharge, individual physicians occasionally charged fees.[95] In a notable endowment, a 13th-century governor of Egypt Al-Mansur Qalawun ordained a foundation for the Qalawun hospital that would contain a mosque and a chapel, separate wards for different diseases, a library for doctors and a pharmacy[99] and the hospital is used today for ophthalmology.[95] The Qalawun hospital was based in a former Fatimid palace which had accommodation for 8,000 people - [100] "it served 4,000 patients daily."[101] The waqf stated,

"...The hospital shall keep all patients, men and women, until they are completely recovered. All costs are to be borne by the hospital whether the people come from afar or near, whether they are residents or foreigners, strong or weak, low or high, rich or poor, employed or unemployed, blind or sighted, physically or mentally ill, learned or illiterate. There are no conditions of consideration and payment, none is objected to or even indirectly hinted at for non-payment."[99]

My brother and I were recently trying to locate a particularly well known Islamic scientist, whose name he could not remember but recalled hearing mentioned in a documentary. When we typed in "Islamic scientist", the list went on for several pages, from ages past right up to the modern day.

Whatever the problems with hardcore fundamental religion, and even the shocking barbarity that has resulted from it, one would be extremely ill-advised to equate that kind of thing with the far greater majority of Islamic and Arabic people.

Just as we have total nutters batting for God in the Western world, the far greater majority of individuals are simply not in that category, not even the religious ones.

Lastly, while I have some knowledge of the great philosophers, scientists, mathematicians, artists, and polymaths (like the amazing Roger Bacon, just to name one) from our medieval age, and going as far back as the time of Plato and Aristotle, I can not help but be even more impressed with the achievements of the Islamic Golden Age. Probably because it's relatively new to me. I mean, I knew they had a lot on the ball, but this write-up about their approach to healthcare, which, again, was where I worked for 30 years, really hit "home."

 

[braces_for_impact]

Good points all. Out of curiosity, did you find your Islamic scientist? I only really know of one. Ibn al-Haytham

 

[WAB]

Good points all. Out of curiosity, did you find your Islamic scientist? I only really know of one. Ibn al-Haytham

Unfortunately, no. Wiki provided a list that went on and on, and the names being similar-sounding to a Western ear, we were lost. My brother states that this scientist, or cosmologist more like, had come up with a TOE that dazzled and perplexed his contemporaries, and not just in Islam. He is still living. This isn't someone from the past. Maybe someone will know who I mean.

Also unfortunately, my brother cannot recall the documentary wherein this person was mentioned. He's a sponge for knowledge and watches them all the time.


ETA: I might recommend looking up more Islamic scientists and mathematicians. They were extremely well-versed and influential, especially in maths, like sines, trig, algebra, etc. And these were ancient mathematicians.

Also, according to Wiki, one Islamic physician is called, "The father of surgery."

 

[angelo]

Many researchers have found that the "Golden Age" of Islam is myth. It's always been, and will always be a retrograde ideology.
The reason why some people accomplished anything in a Muslim society was because of it's invasion of much of the middle east and Africa and Asia. Under Islamic occupation, you either convert to Islam, or become a dhimmi. Most if not all discovery in this so called " golden age " were either converts to Islam, or dhimmi.