Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Zakariya al-Razi

Name of the Scientist: Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Zakariya al-Razi

Life Period: 865 A.D-925 A.D

Profession: Physician, Philosopher, Medician

Physician, philosopher, alchemist, musician, and mathematician, born in Rayy, Persia, called Rhazes in the West. He was born in the year 865 in the Persian city of Rayy, near present-day Tehran, and died in the same town about 925. Before learning medicine, he studied philosophy, alchemy, and music. At an early age he gained eminence as an expert in medicine and alchemy, and patients and students flocked to him from distant parts of Asia.
He studied medicine under Ali ibn Sahl Rabban al-Tabari, known as Ali ibn Rabban al-Tabari or Ali ibn Sahl, (Cf. al-Qifti, Usaibi'ah), a physician and philosopher born in Merv about 192 AH (808 C.E.) (d. approx. 240 AH (855 C.E.)). Ali ibn Sahl belonged to the medical school of Tabaristan or Hyrcania).
He was first placed in charge of the first Royal Hospital at Rayy, from where he soon moved to a similar position in Baghdad and became head of its famous Muqtadari Hospital. He moved from time to time to various cities, especially between Rayy and Baghdad, but finally returned to Rayy, where he died . His name is commemorated in the Razi Institute near Tehran. He also served as physician at the Samanid court in Central Asia.

Razi wrote on many different subjects. His general medical textbook, Kitab al-Mansuri fi al-tibb (The Book of Medicine for Mansur) was written for the Samanid ruler of Rayy, Abu Salih al-Mansur. His voluminous working files of readings and personal observations were assembled posthumously by his students and circulated under the name Kitab al-Hawi fi al-tibb (The Comprehensive Book on Medicine). Over 1,000 of his case histories are also preserved today, and they provide an important insight into the working life of the greatest medieval clinician. Kitab al-Mansuri, which was translated into Latin in the 15th century C.E., comprised ten volumes and dealt exhaustively with Greco-Arab medicine. Some of its volumes were published separately in Europe. His al-Judari wal Hasabah was the first treatise on smallpox and chicken-pox, and was the first to draw clear comparisons between smallpox and chicken-pox. Al-Hawi was the largest medical encyclopaedia ever composed at the time, containing on each medical subject all important information that was available from Greek and Arab sources.

In addiiton to his clinical work, Razi was also a researcher. He portrayed in great detail several chemical reactions and also given full descriptions of and designs for about twenty instruments used in chemical investigations. His description of chemical knowledge was translated into Latin and used for many years as the source for chemistry. He was the first to produce sulfuric acid together with some other acids, and he also prepared alcohol by fermenting sweet products. In the biology area, Razi developed a primitive classification system; dividing substances into plants, animals and minerals, thus in a way opening the way for inorganic and organic chemistry.

Razi was a rationalist and very confident in the power of ratiocination; he was widely regarded by his contemporaries and biographers as liberal, free of prejudice, and bold in expressing his ideas.[citation needed]

His eye affliction started with cataracts and ended in total blindness. During that time he was approached by a physician offering an ointment to cure his blindness. Al-Razi then asked him how many layers does the eye contain and when he was unable to answer he refused his services and the ointment stating "my eyes will not be treated by one who does not know the basics of its anatomy".[12] One of his pupils from Tabaristan came to look after him, but, according to al-Biruni, he refused to be treated, proclaiming it was useless as his hour of death was approaching. Some days later he died in Rey, on the 5th of Sha'ban 313 AH (27 October 925).

Abu Marwan Abd al-Malik ibn Abi al-Ala Zuhr (1091-1161)

Name Of Scientist-Abu Marwan Abd al-Malik ibn Abi al-Ala Zuhr

Life period- 1091-1161 (or 1092-1162)


Profession-:Surgeon and Physician


Contribution- Al-Taisir Fil-Mudawat Wal-Tadbeer (Book of Simplification Concerning Therapeutics and Diet)


Ibn-Zuhr  also called as AVENZOAR born in Sevilla (Spain) one of the medieval Islam's foremost thinkers and the "Greatest Medical Clinician" of the western caliphate.

In his Taysir fi al-mudawat wa al-tadbir (“Practical Manual of Treatments and Diet”), later translated into Hebrew and Latin, he described serious pericarditis (inflammation of the membranous sac surrounding the heart) and mediastinal abscesses (affecting the organs and tissues in the thoracic cavity above the diaphragm, excluding the lungs) and outlined surgical procedures for tracheotomy, excision of cataracts, and removal of kidney stones. He also discussed excessive contraction and dilation of the pupil (miosis and mydriasis) and advocated use of the narcotic plant Mandragora for treatment of ocular disease.

Ibn Zuhr 's unique experiment performing a tracheotomy on a goat, proved the safety of this operation in humans and represented a further step in the development of the experimental school started by Al-Razi (Rhazes) of Baghdad in the ninth century who is known to have given monkeys doses of mercury to test it as a drug for human use. Ibn Zuhr also performed post mortems on sheep in the course of his clinical research on treatment of ulcerating diseases of the lungs. Same as all his predecessors in the Islamic Era, he stressed the importance of a practical and sound knowledge of anatomy for surgical trainees. Furthermore, Ibn Zuhr insisted on a well supervised and structured training program for the surgeon-to-be, before allowing him to operate independently. He also drew the red lines at which a physician should stop, during his general management of a surgical condition; a step forward in the evolution of general surgery as a specialty of its own. He believed in prophylaxis against urinary stone disease and reported the importance of dietary management for that purpose.

Ibn Zuhr made several breakthroughs as a physician. He was the first to test different medicines on animals before administering them to humans. Also, he was the first to describe in detail scabies, the itch mite, and is thus regarded as the first parasitologist. He was also the first to give a full description of the operation of tracheotomy and practiced direct feeding through the gullet in those cases where normal feeding was not possible. As a clinician, he provided clinical descriptions of intestinal phthisis, inflammation of the middle ear, peri carditis, and mediastinal tumors among others.

'The Book of Simplication concerning Therapeutics and Diet. It contains many of his original contributions. This book discusses pathological conditions and therapy in detail. the second book 

'Kitab al-Iqtisad fi Islah Al-Anfus wa al-Ajsad (translated as the 'Book of the Middle Course concerning  the Reformation of Souls and the Bodies') summarizes differnt diseases, therapeutics and the hygiene. It also discusses the role of psychology in the treatment. The third book 'Kitab al-Aghziya (Book on Foodstuffs) discusses numerous drugs, and the importance of food and nutrition.