Creative Writer's Core Live

Date: 4/29/10

Marcus Surface

The Abbasid Dynasty: Yuhanna Ibn Masawayh

Introduction

Looking back over the centuries at the progress that has been made in modern medicine and pharmacology is absolutely amazing. It makes you stop and think for a moment about your health and lifestyle. Remember that trip to the Emergency room-that close-call? Thank goodness, for a hospital where you can go and get fixed up, right? How grateful we should all be for physicians and nurses-who do such a great job! Isn’t it neat to know that one of the greatest contributor s to modern medicine and pharmacology were the Muslims. Let’s stop for a moment and take a look at a time referred to as the “Golden Age” which occurred over in Baghdad, Iraq. What happened during this time in the “2^nd Islamic Dynasty of the Caliphs’? Who was Yuhabnna Ibn Masawahy? What were Yuhanna’s contributions to universal knowledge and modern scientific medicine? These are a few of the questions that are answered here.

                To begin with Muslims were one of the greatest contributors to medicine and other areas of the sciences during the “Golden Age” as it has been referred too. The history behind these developments were rooted in the reforms brought about by the “Abbasid Ruling Institution”. In the article written by Jacob Lassner “Abbasids”, mentioned is a brief  history of the “2^nd Islamic Dynasty” and the movements which were precursory to the Islamic “Golden Age”. According to Lassner, the “2^nd Dynasty” took it’s name from “Ab-Abbas Ibn Abel al-Muttslib of the Clan of Hishim”, the paternal Uncle of the Prophet Mohammed. In 747, the presiding rulers the “Umayyad State” had grown weak within their leadership ranks. This is what the “Abbasid Clan” were waiting for. The outbreak of tribal warfare set up the perfect conditions for the “Abbasid’s” to revolt and take over the Dynasty as pointed out in the article. “Several bitterly fought engagements were fought in Syria and the heartland of the Umayyad Regime”, according to Researcher Lassner.  Furthermore, “Once the Abbasid’s had victory and got established, conflict within the Abbasid House erupted over who was going to rule. Abu Ja’ Far ends up restructuring the government and within two decades the loose coalition of tribal forces was transformed into a well disciplined army”(Jacob Lassner). As time passed Al Mansur ended up in the Caliphate. He set about reforming, restructuring and building the “Abbasid Dynasty” into what became known as the “Golden Age” (700-1232 AD). Right there in Baghdad, the “Navel of the Universe” the “Creation of the Abbasid Imperial Style”-desirability of integrating image and functions conducting the affairs of the government came about” as Lassner continued to show in the well written article. Noting a couple observations: First, that the greatest threat to the Abbasid Dynasty was their own kinsmen. Also, accordingly the Caliphate Rulers established proof of their certifiable ascendancy to govern by assembling a histiography because the Umayyad Regime challenged their right to the throne. Moreover, because the Abbasid Dynasty went through a series of internal conflicts, policy-changes, and efforts to strengthen the very “Abbasid-Ruling Institution” a new period was ushered in” (Lassner,2).

                Beginning in 800 AD the Muslim lands experienced the glorious enrichments of “prolific intellectual activity” which made way for authorship (MEHM-online/web). Extremely innovative breakthrough and progressions were made during this era in Health and Medicine. There were two categories allured to in the Encyclopedia of Islam, “folklore medicine” and “state sanctioned medicine”. Noticeably, folklore medicine derived it’s legitimacy based on the teaching of Islam corroborated by the Qur’anic verses” ( Encyclopedia of Islam,294). Interestingly, the four sources of disease in “folklore medicine” were: sorcery, evil, jinn, and adverse routine -conditions (Encyclopedia of Islam,294). Islamic contributions to humanity in regards to Medicine has always been the most popular underdog-perception historically; but, contrary to these opinionated “Eurocentric” based beliefs, major conventions in medical scientific studies have been born unto from these enlightened Muslims of the “Golden Age”.

“It may seem like the Islamic Empire back then may have seemed unwelcoming of Non-Muslims as is morally contrived in the West”(Encyclopedia,294); but, the opposite is actually spoken of by Researcher Abdullahi Osman El-Tom, in his compositional research. El Tom points out that, “Many famous doctors were Jews, Christians and Non-Arabs, plus Persians.” Moreover, “ Up to the sixth century, Alexandria and Athens stood as the rival centers of medical learning.” Additionally, “In 641 AD following the fall of Alexandria to Muslim rule, there was a rich repository  of Greek manuscripts discovered.” Abdullahi Osman El-Tom further explains in his summarization that : “Khalid Ibn Yazid was the first emir who laid the foundation for translation of Greek into Arabic. The transcripts were translated in the City of Jundeshappur. This city was a vault of vast wealth of Latin manuscripts in addition to equal numbers of other documents of Indian and Chinese origin. A century, later the Muslim Caliph reinvigorated Baghdad, as the “Center of Knowledge” enshrined in the famous Institute of Wisdom (Bayt-al-Himkma)”(El-Tom, 295).

                “Knowledge is power” as the saying goes. This power transforms civilizations from peasantries into scholarly kingdoms of wise men and people who make their mark in the world for the betterment of humanity. Surveying several of these individuals and some of their contributions hopefully conjures up the proper context and credit we should give to these extraordinary scholars. Assimilated by Abdullahi- El-Tom they are listed as follows:

1.      Avicenna “Prince of Physicians”-Left behind a million words in medical documents.

2.      Ibn Hay Tham “Father of Optics”-Inductive reasoning in search of knowledge and preached experimentation.

3.      Sinar Ibn Thabit-Contributed to art of presenting medical teaching books . Established system of medical examination, and registration of doctors; formulating ethical rules to govern medical practice.

Mentioned also was the fact that, “Islamic scholars contributed to chemistry and preparing of medicinal drugs, distillation, and sublimations”(Encyclopedia of Islam,296).

Yuhanna Ibn Masawayh

Who was Yuhanna Ibn Masawayh? What were Yuhanna’s contributions to universal knowledge and scientific medicine? Yuhanna was a very outstanding and imminent physician who was schooled in the “Academy of Gundishapur” in Western Iran”; according to the “The Cultural Atlas of Islam”. In the section titled “Medicine and Public Healing” This Persian doctor contributed: “…medical treatises on numerous topics such as ophthalmology; translated several Greek medical works into Syriac; and wrote the famous “Aphorism”- which was popular in the Middle Ages”. Furthermore, as was summarized about Yuhanna in this section of “Medicine and Public Healing” were more factors, “Yuhanna Ibn was  the personal Court physician to four of the Abbasid Caliphs during this time, and he was asked to teach his profession to the Muslims.” Yuhanna Ibn Masawayh as it is shown in “The Cultural Atlas of Islam” correlates stating , “He regularly held assemblies, consulted with patients, entertained discussions with pupils, and attracted considerable audiences”(321). Yuhanna in our modern times would be considered the head Professor Emeritus of Medicine, and the President of the Hospital. Introduced in the “The Cultural Atlas of Islam” was the fact that: “Yuhanna Ibn Masawayh participated in the headship of the Institute of Wisdom where Greek and Latin manuscripts were translated.” In addition, statistically there were 869 physicians who presented themselves to the licensing examination set up by the government of Caliph Muqtadir (319).

Like a thirsty man drinking water in the desert, “…the science of medicine prompted the development of pharmacology, botany, chemistry, physiology, and surgery. Islamic medical society was governed by the Hippocratic oath which combined medical service with devotion to God” as featured in the section of “Medicine and Public Health”(325). Another contribution which Yuhanna made was his book “Liber de Simplicibus” detailing “30 aromatics along with their physical properties and pharmacological effects”. Yuhanna was know to, “…urge physicians to prescribe one remedy for each disease using empirical and analogous reasoning”, according to “The Cultural Atlas of Islam”.

Conclusion

This amazing Abbasid Scholar died in 857 AD Near the end of the Islamic “Golden Age” the governing Caliphate had neglected certain responsibilities of administration ultimately weakening the Abbasid Dynasty. Eventually, the Mongols conquered the Empire, taking it over to the Abbasid’s chagrin. Many mighty contributions to “universal knowledge and medical science” were made. Lastly, may the same spirit of “prolific intellectual learning” those Abbasid Scholars possessed be inherited by this generation and the next. Society needs a continuity of enlightened learning, and teachers who are willing to teach the medical sciences. Education is the heart and soul of growth for civilized society.

Works Cited

“Abbasids”. Dictionary of the Middle Ages”. 13 vols. American Council of Learned Societies. Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1989. Reproduced in history Resource Center. Farmington Hills, MI: gale.//galnet.galegroup.com.ez.sccd.ctc.edu: 2048/servlet/History.

El-Tom, Abdullahi Osman.“Healing”. Encyclopedia of Islam and& the Muslim World. Ed. R.C. Martin. Vol.1. Gale-MacMillan Reference USA. Print.

Faruqi, Lois Lamya Al, and Faruqi, Ismail R. Al. The Cultural Atlas of Islam. “Natural Order-Medicine and Public Health.” New York: MacMillan, 1986. 334-14. Print.

“Islamic Physicians in History-Yuhanna Ibn Masawayh”. MEHM Online. Middle East health magazine. Feature Jan. 2006. Web. 24 Apr. 2010: //www.middleeasthealthmag.com/Jan.2006/feature 7.htm.