Al-Razi’s Comprehensive Book, 900 – One of medical history’s most important bridges

One of the greatest physicians of medieval medicine and the Islamic world was the Persian-born (in present-day Iran) physician known in the West as Rhazes / Râzî, al-Razi. During his life, on subjects ranging from philosophy and alchemy to medicine, he wrote nearly 200 books.

The first book on pediatrics was his work, and he is famous for extensive observations distinguishing smallpox from measles. He was among the first to study nervous-system lesions and relate them to clinical signs.

Alongside scholarly works, he also wrote for ordinary people seeking help. Discussing medical ethics, he wrote, "The physician’s aim is to do good, even to our enemies. Since my profession was established for the benefit and welfare of the human race, it forbids us to harm our kind."

Like Galen, Râzî often contradicted famous earlier physicians when he believed them wrong. He also offered harsh criticism of religious prophets and religions, including Islam. According to tradition, he said, "I have seen enough of the world" when turning away a physician who offered to remove his cataracts. He died blind and disenchanted with life.

Among his landmark works is Kitab al-hawi fi al-tibb (The Comprehensive Book of Medicine, about AD 900), a vast compilation of medicine and observations assembled by his students after his death. It inspired later physicians of the Islamic world, including the famous Avicenna, author of the five-volume Canon of Medicine. Jewish physician Faraj ben Salim translated Kitab al-hawi into Latin in 1279, and its influence spread after it was printed as Liber Continens in 1486. Kitab al-hawi is notable not only for its size but also for its discussions of Greek, Arab and Indian physicians whose works would otherwise have been lost. Al-Razi’s Al-tibb al-Mansuri (Kitabul-Mansur) was also influential in Europe, becoming one of the most widely read medieval books there.

Description of the article image: A European depiction of al-Razi in the Medical Treatises Collection of Gerard of Cremona (1114–1187). Gerard was an Italian translator who traveled to Toledo, Spain, to learn Arabic and translate the many Arabic scientific works available there.

Historical figures mentioned in the article: Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Zakariya al-Razi (865–925), Abu' Ali al-Husayn ibn' Abd-Allah Ibn Sina (Avicenna) (980–1037)

• Previous topic: Galenic Writings, 190 – A 1000-year reign over medicine
• Next topic: Avicenna, 1025 – Author of the most famous medical textbook ever written