Page 196 - Berkshire Encyclopedia Of World History Vol I - Abraham to Coal

al-razi 81

Truth in medicine is an unattainable goal, and the art as described in books is far beneath the
knowledge of an experienced and thoughtful physician. • al-Razi (c. 864–c. 930)

Hawi (Liber Continens; The Comprehensive Book of ing transformed the study of alchemy into an embryonic
Medicine) and the Kitab al-Mansuri (Liber Almansoris; form of chemistry. Throughout his works there are
The Book of Medicine for Mansur).The Kitab al-Hawi, a descriptions and classifications of mineral substances,
twenty-three-volume encyclopedia posthumously pre- chemical processes, and explanations of experimentation
pared by Razi’s pupils, contains extracts from Greek, that meet the standards of empirical investigation in
Indian, and Arabic sources on pathology, therapy, and modern chemistry. While Razi’s famous Sirr al-Asrar
pharmacology as well as records from his own clinical (Secret of Secrets) has generally been classified as
experience. The Kitab al-Hawi was translated into Latin alchemy, such a classification fails to take into account
in 1279 by Faraj ibn Salim, a Sicilian-Jewish physician Razi’s philosophical preferences—evident in Sirr al-Asrar
employed by Charles I of Anjou. Thereafter, it became —for reason, science, and observable reality over
widely used throughout Europe as an encyclopedia and prophecy, revelation, and spiritual symbolism.
teaching manual. Similarly, the Kitab al-Mansuri became Razi’s philosophical positions regarding reason and
highly prized in Europe after its translation into Latin as revealed religion were among the most heretical in the
the Almansoris by Gerard of Cremona (d. 1187). During medieval Islamic world. He believed that man’s intellect
the Renaissance, its ninth chapter, Liber Nonus, was or reason was a divine gift that made revelation and
often circulated by itself or with commentaries by leading prophecy superfluous. Razi praised humanity’s intellec-
physicians such as Vesalius.Another of Razi’s most influ- tual potential, but violently attacked revealed religion,
ential treatises, the Kitab fi al-Jadari wa al-Hasbah (Trea- detailing how revealed religions and prophecies contra-
tise on Smallpox and Measles), was the first to dicted one another, were hostile toward scientific and
distinguish smallpox from measles. He also wrote trea- philosophical progress, and were ultimately sources of
tises on kidney and bladder stones, diabetes, childhood conflict. He showed an obvious preference for Greek phi-
diseases, allergies, psychosomatic medicine, and medical losophy over the wisdom offered by the Quran. Thus,
ethics. unlike Islamic Aristotelians, Razi denied the possibility of
Razi’s works are characteristic of medieval Islamic reconciling philosophy and religion.
medicine in that they are based primarily upon the Greek As a result of Razi’s heretical views, his contributions
scholarship of Hippocrates and especially that of Galen. to philosophy in the Islamic world have been marginal-
However, despite his immense respect for the Galenic tra- ized. Moreover, because his ideas never gained a large
dition, Razi claimed that his own clinical experience audience in the Islamic world, their impact on his small
exceeded Galen’s. Razi noted that his clinical methodol- audience of Christian readers was limited at best. Yet,
ogy of studying cases contradicted Galen’s description of from a world historical perspective, Razi’s free-thinking is
fevers, which Razi believed to have been inspired by still relevant. It challenges scholars to alter the monolithic
philosophical dogma. He even called into question the picture of Islamic civilization that is often presented in
Galenic system of balancing the body’s “humors,” or ele- Western scholarship. Similarly, Razi’s important role in
ments. Accordingly, Razi—and indeed other Islamic the development ofWestern medical practice indicates the
physicians of the period—should not be seen as mere necessity of expanding the history of science and medi-
preservers of Greek medical thought during Europe’s so- cine beyond the study of modern Europe to include more
called Dark Ages, but rather as innovators in their own Islamic contributions, especially during the Middle Ages,
right. an era in which Islamic rather than European scholarship
Just as Razi relied on his clinical experiences and reigned supreme.
logic in the field of medicine, his empirical thinking led
Michael C. Low
him to deny occultist and symbolic significance in his
study of alchemy. Because of this, he may be seen as hav- See also Islamic World