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PART II.

SECOND PERIOD—THE MIDDLE AGES.

CHAPTER VI 11.

THE ARABIANS.

The religious fanaticism excited by Islamism, transformed the obscure
and nomad inhabitants of Arabia into a conquering nation, who very
soon extended their power over a considerable part of" Asia, Africa, and
Europe. Spain, invaded b\- the Arabs in 711, fell almost entirely into
their hands. After having bv force of arms rendered themselves power-
ful and dreaded, the Arabians acquired also great fame by the culture of
art and science within the limits allowed them b\- their religious code ;
and in these, for more than four centuries, the\ maintained an incon-
testable preeminence.
Unfortunately, as the Koran most absolutely prohibited the dissection
of dead bodies, all serious anatomical research was thereby rendered
impossible. This was a vet}- great hindrance to the progress of anatomy,
of phvsiolog\-, and, in consequence, of the whole of medical science. The
Arabians certainly had the merit of keeping alive the study of medicine
in an age of decadence and barbarism; but, apart from the important
progress realized bv them in chemistry and pharmacology, it may be
affirmed that the Arabs contributed but scantil\- to the development of
the healing art; thev followed almost entirely in the footsteps of Galen
and other ancient, and especially Greek, authors.
One of the characteristics of Arabian medical art consists in the aver-
sion to bloody operations and in the effort to avoid them. A like ten-
dency shows itself also in the sphere of dentistry; the Arabians, even
more than their Greek and Roman predecessors, were reluctant to extract
teeth, and emplo\ed all possible means,^ order to avoid the operation.
Rhazks (or more preciseh', Abu Bekr Muhammed ben Zacarja er
Rhazi) was born in Persia toward the middle of the ninth century, and
gave himself up to the study of medicine when about thirt\- years of
age, having previously been a- He wrote many works which,