Na pravou míru: Nezázrak islámské vědy

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Toto je vyvrácení "Setting the Record Straight: The Miracle of Islamic Science" (Na pravou míru: Zázrak islámské vědy) od Dr K. Ajram.

Úvod

Islámský Zlatý věk trval od 750 n. l. minimálně do 11. až 12. století, kdy se Al Ghazalimu povedlo úspěšně prosadit náboženství před rozumem; dle některých to trvalo až do doby, kdy mongolové vyplenili Bagdád v roce 1258. Většina toho času splývala s Abbásovskou říší a vytvořila několik velkých muslimských vědců. Nicméně, někteří apologetové nadhodnotili úspěchy těchto muslimských vědců, podhodnotili úspěchy ne-muslimských vědců, nebo přivlastnili muslimům úspěchy druhých. Někteří dokonce tvrdí, že Zlatý věk skončil ve 14. století. Nicméně, rozšíření Zlatého věku o další dvě století je chybné, protože dokonce už před rokem 1258, se Abbásovská říše rozpadala a upadala.

Účelem této analýzy je umístit úspěchy muslimských vědců Zlatého věku do správné perspektivy, nikoliv je pošpinit, nebo nafouknout. Veškerého vědeckého a technologického pokroku je dosahováno postupně; úspěchy muslimů jsou jen články v řetězu. Několik muslimských vědeckých úspěchů byly samostatné, ale byly odvozeny muslimskými vědci, kteří stáli na ramenou těch, kteří přišli před nimi. Zároveň předáváním řeckých, římských, indických, perských a egyptských znalostí (některé z nich mohly být ztraceny, nebýt jejich arabských překladů), tito muslimové udělali lidstvu velkou službu.

Zatímco my nemáme problém s muslimskými vědci, kde někteří z nich jsou uznáváni, myslíme si, že absence následného pokroku je krutým důsledkem vlivu islámu. Například, Newton (ne-muslimský vědec, který byl hodnocen jako druhý nejvlivnější člověk v historii, Michaelem H. Hartem) a jeho práce o optice vedly k vynalezení teleskopu a mikroskopu a přispěly k velkým krokům v astronomii, geografii a mikrobiologii. Na rozdíl od Alhazenovy práce o optice, která nevedla k žádnému vědeckému průlomu.

Ve většině případů, původní objev (základní věda) nestačí pro tvoření vědeckého pokroku, základní objev musí následovat aplikace vědy, v čemž většina muslimských vědců selhávala. Například, pan Alexander Fleming objevil penicilin, ale zároveň bylo potřeba pana Howarda Florey a Ernsta Chaina pro vytvoření cesty jak antibiotikum produkovat v terapeutických kvantitách. Islámskému zlatému věku většinou chyběly tyto vědecké následky a práce velkých vědců vadla ve vinici, nebo zemřela po narození.

Analýza

Létání lidí

Co je učeno: První zmínka o létání lidí byla od Rogera Bacona, který nakreslil létací zařízení. Leonardo da Vinci si také představoval leteckou dopravu a nakreslil několik prototypů.

Co by se mělo učit: Ibn Firnas z islámského Španělska vymyslel, zkonstruoval a otestoval létající zařízení, někdy po roce 800. Roger Bacon se naučil o létacích zařízeních od arabských referencí k Ibn Firnasově zařízení. Tento vznález tu byl 500 let před Baconem a 700 let před Da Vincim.[1]

V Číně roku 202 př. n. l., generál Han Xin, pod císařem Liu Bang, udělal létacího "draka" nesoucího muže pro vojenské účely. To je první zaznamenaný důkaz o létání lidí.[2]

Skleněná zrcadla

Co se učí: Skleněná zrcadla byla poprvé vyrobena roku 1291 ve Venice.

Co by se mělo učit: Skleněná zrcadla byly používány v islámském Španělsku už od 11. století. Benátčané se naučili umění produkce jemného skla od syrských řemeslníků během 9. a 10. století.[1]

Římané vynalezli skleněné zrcadlo v Sidonu v prvním století našeho letopočtu.[3]

Mechanické hodiny

Co je učeno: Až do čtrnáctého století, jediným typem dostupných hodin byly vodní hodiny. Roku 1335 byly v Milánu, v Itálii, vztyčeny velké mechanické hodiny. To byly pravděpodobně první hodiny, založené na váze.

Co by se mělo učit: Různé mechanické hodiny byly vytvořeny španělskými muslimskými inženýry, jak velké, tak malé, a tato znalost se přenesla do Evropy skrze latinské překlady islámských knih o mechanice. Tyto hodiny byly založeny na váze. Designy a ilustrace planetové převodovky byly také poskytnuty. Jediny takové hodiny měly krokové ústrojí. Pozdější typ byl přímo zkopírován evropany během 15. století. Navíc, během devátého století, Ibn Firnas z islámského Španělska, podle Willa Duranta, vynalezl něco jako hodinky, co udržovalo aktuální čas. Muslimové také zkonstruovali mnoho velmi přesných orlojů ve svých hvězdárnách.[1]

První plně mechanické hodiny (poháněné vodou) byly postavěny Liang Ling-Can, v Číně roku 724.[4][5] Dle některých, první hodiny založené na váze vynalezl Pacificus, arcijáhen z Verony, v devátém století.[6]

Kyvadlo

Co je učeno: V 17. století, bylo kyvadlo vynalezeno Galileem v jeho mládí. Všiml si jak se lustr houpe, když zafouká vítr. Nakonec přišel domů a vynalezl kyvadlo.

Co by se mělo učit: Kyvadlo vynalezl Ibn Yunus al-Masri během desátého století, který byl prvním, kdo studoval a dokumentoval jeho kmitavý pohyb. Jeho hodnota pro použití v hodinách byla uvedena muslimskými fyziky během 15 století.[1]

Římané věděli o kyvadlech, jelikož je používali pro věštění a jejich metody byly popsány ve spisech římského historika Ammianus Marcellinus.[7] První ověřené kyvadlové hodiny postavil Christian Huygens roku 1657 přestože Galileo o tom přemýšlel již kolem roku 1602. Někteří si myslí, že Gerbert z Aurillac (c.945 - 1003 n. l.), který se později stal Pope Sylvester II vynalezl kyvadlové hodiny kolem roku 996.[8]

Tisk pohyblivými písmeny

Co je učeno: Tisk pohyblivými písmeny byl vynalezen na západě Johannesem Gutenbergem v Německu během 15. století.

Co by se mělo učit: Roku 1454, Gutenberg vyvinul nejsofistikovanější tiskařský lis ve středověku. Nicméně, tisk pohyblivými mosaznými písmeny používalo islámské Španělsko o 100 let dřív a tam byly vytvořeny první tiskárny na západě.[1]

Číňané vynalezli tisk pohyblivými písmeny. Roku 1041, Pi-Sheng vyvinul tisková písmena z tvrzené hlíny, ale nebyl moc úspěšný. Na počátku 13. století, Korea vymyslela tisková písmenka z bronzu. Nejstarší tisk kovovými písmenky je ‘Baegun Hwasang Chorok Buljo jikji simche yojeol,’ který byl publikován v Korei roku 1377 a je momentálně uchován v národní knihovně Francie.[9][10]

Optika

Co je učeno: Isaac Newtonovo studium čoček v 17. století, světla a hranolu postavilo základy moderní optiky.

Co by se mělo učit: V 11. století, al-Haytham objevil v podstatě všechno, co objevil Newton a je považován mnoha autoritami za zakladatele optiky. Není téměř pochyb, že ovlivnil Newtona. Al-Haytham byl nejcitovanějším fyziekm ve středověku. Jeho práce byly používány a citovány mnoha evropskými učenci během 16. a 17. století, více než díla Newtona a Galilea dohromady.[1]

al-Haytham (aka Alhazen) byl velkým vědcem, který ale stavěl na práci řeckých vědců.[11]

Paprsky

Co je učeno: Isaac Newton během 17. století objevil, že bílé světlo se skládá z různých paprsků barevného světla.

Co by se mělo učit: Tento vynález by zcela vynalezen al-Haythamem v 11. století a Kamal ad-Dinem ve 14. století. Newton udělal nějaké původní objevy, ale tohle mezi ně nepatří.[1]

V tomhle mají apologetové pravdu. Alhazen byl velkým vědcem. Někteří si myslí, že možná musel předstírat, že je blázen, aby se vyhnul nemožnému úkolu od chalífa al-Hakima a odešel do exilu, aby mohl pokračovat ve svém zájmu o optiku.[12]

Povaha hmoty

Co je učeno: Koncept konečné povahy hmoty byl poprvé představen Antionem Lavoisierem během osmnáctého století. Objevil, že i když hmota mění svoji formu nebo tvar, její objem zůstává stejný. Proto například, pokud je voda zahřátá a vznikne pára, pokud je sůl rozpuštěná ve vodě nebo pokud je kus dřeva spálen na popel, celkový objem zůstává stejný.

Co by se mělo učit: Principy tohoto objevu byly popsány o několik staletí dříve islámským, perským, velkým učencem al-Birunim (d. 1050). Lavoisier byl učencem muslimských chemiků a fyziků a často se odkazoval na jejich knihy.[1]

al-Biruni byl velký vědec, a také stál na ramenou předešlých generací vědců. Byl velkým překladatelem sanskrtských vědeckých textů, včetně indické astronomie a matematiky o které se především zajímal. Al-Biruni byl velmi sečtělý, měl vědomosti o astrologii, astronomii, chronologii, geografii, gramatice, matematice, medicíně, filozofii, náboženství ze sanskrtské literatury.[13]

Trigonometry

Co je učeno: Řekové vyvinuli geometrii.

Co by se mělo učit: Trigonometrie zůstala z větší části jen teoretickou vědou mezi řeky. Byla vyvinuta k dokonalosti až muslimskými učenci, přestože uznání patří také al-Battanimu. Slova popisující základní funkce této vědy, sinus, kosinus a tangent jsou všechny odvozeny z arabských slov. Proto, původní přínost řeckých vědců byl minimální.[1]

Muslimové přispěli k trigonometrii jen jako článek v řetězu objevitelů, počínaje od egypťanů a babyloňanů, k řekům, indiánům, poté muslimům až k západním matematikům.[14] Tvrdit, že to muslimové "dovedli k dokonalosti" je emotivní a není to pravda. Ve skutečnosti slovo "sinus" má indické kořeny a bylo pouhou transliterací pro araby.

Tvrdit, že trigonometrie byla z větší čáasti jen teoretickou vědou mezi řeky je také emotivní. Řekové vyvinuli trigonometrii pro astronomické výpočty.[15] Tvrdit, že původní přínos řeků k trigonometrii byl minimální je také velmi nelaskavé vzhledem k tomu co ukazují reference v tomto textu.

Desetinná čísla

Co je učeno: Použití desetinných zlomkmů v matematice bylo poprvé vyvinuto holanďanem Simon Stevin, v 1589. Pomohl pokročit matematice tím, že nahradil těžkopádné zlomky, jako je 1/2 desetinnými zlomky jako je 0,5.

Co by se mělo učit: Muslimští matematikové byli první, kteří používali desetinná čísla namísto zlomků ve velkém měřítku. Al-Kashiho kniha Key to Arithmetic, byla napsána na počátku 15. století a byla stimulem pro systematickou aplikaci desetinných čísel. Je velmi pravděpodobné, že Stevin importoval tuto myšlenku do evropy od al-Kashiho.[1]

Zlomky vymysleli babyloňané. Přestože muslimští matematici odvodili teoretické základy pro používání desetinných čísel, byl to číňan jménem Yang Hui která již v roce 1261 n.l. poprvé použil desetinná čísla v moderní formě. al-Kashi napsal hodnotu pí v desetinné formě více než o století později.[16]

Algebra

Co je učeno: První muž, který používal algebraické symboly byl francouzský matematik Francois Vieta. Roku 1591, napsal knihu o algebře, která vysvětlovala rovnice s písmenky jako jsou dnes známé x a y. Asimov říká, že tento objev měl dopad podobný jako přechod z římských číslic na arabské.

Co by se mělo učit: Muslimští matematikové, vynálezci algebry, uvedli koncept používání proměnných v rovnicích už v devátém století. Tímto způsobem řešili mnoho složitých rovnic, všetně kvadratických a kubických. Používali symboly pro vývoj binomické věty.[1]

Indové vymysleli algebru. Prvním textem o algebře je Bakhshali Manuscript. Západní učenci odhadují její datum na 3. nebo 4. století. Věnuje se většinou aritmetice a algebře, s několika problémy o geometrii. Brahmagupta (598 - 665 AD) poskytla pravidla pro řešení kvadratických rovnic.

Kubické rovnice

Co je učeno: Složité kubické rovnice (x na třetí) zůstaly nedořešené až do 16. století, kdy je Niccolo Tartaglia, italský matematik, vyřešil.

Co by se mělo učit: Kubické rovnice, stejně jako mnoho rovnic i vyšších řádů byly hravě řešeny muslimskými matematiky již v 10. století.[1]

Apologetické tvrzení neposkytuje žádné příklady ani odkazy nebo zdroje, proto nemůže být tvrzeno. Omar Khayyam je uznáván za vyřešení obecných kubických rovnic geometrickými konstrukcemi a kónickými sekcemi, ale on byl svobodomyslný agnostik, ne muslim.

Záporná čísla

Co je učeno: Koncept, že by čísla mohly být nižší, než nula, tedy záporná čísla, byl neznámý až do roku 1545, kdy jej Geronimo Cardano vymyslel.

Co by se mělo učit: Muslimští matematici uvedli záporná čísla pro použití v mnoha aritmetických funkcích minimálně 400 let před Cardanem.[1]

Záporná čísla vynalezl Brahmagupta (598 – 665 AD).[17] Jeho hlavní dílo bylo Brahmasphutasiddhanta, které bylo později přeloženo do arabštiny jako Sind Hind.

Logarithms

Co je učeno: In 1614, John Napier invented logarithms and logarithmic tables.

Co by se mělo učit: Muslim mathematicians invented logarithms and produced logarithmic tables several centuries prior. Such tables were common in the Islamic world as early as the 13th century.[1]

The apologetic position is unexampled and unreferenced, and therefore cannot be assessed.

Geometry

Co je učeno: During the 17th century Rene Descartes made the discovery that algebra could be used to solve geometrical problems. By this, he greatly advanced the science of geometry.

Co by se mělo učit: Mathematicians of the Islamic Empire accomplished precisely this as early as the 9th century A.D. Thabit bin Qurrah was the first to do so, and he was followed by Abu'l Wafa, whose 10th century book utilized algebra to advance geometry into an exact and simplified science.[1]

Apologists are relying on the ignorant assumption that anyone with a Middle-Eastern name must be Muslim. Thabit Ibn Qurrah (as with Omar Khayyam) did not belong to the Islamic faith. He was a member of the Sabian sect (who were star-worshipers) from Harran.[18]

And Abul Wafa’s 10th century book is titled, "Kitab al-Hindusa," probably betraying the debt he owed to Indian mathematics.

Binomial Theorem

Co je učeno: Isaac Newton, during the 17th century, developed the binomial theorem, which is a crucial component for the study of algebra.

Co by se mělo učit: Hundreds of Muslim mathematicians utilized and perfected the binomial theorem. They initiated its use for the systematic solution of algebraic problems during the 10th century (or prior).[1]

The apologetic position is unexampled and unreferenced, and therefore cannot be assessed.

Astronomy

Co je učeno: No improvement had been made in the astronomy of the ancients during the Middle Ages regarding the motion of planets until the 13th century. Then Alphonso the Wise of Castile (Middle Spain) invented the Aphonsine Tables, which were more accurate than Ptolemy's.

Co by se mělo učit: Muslim astronomers made numerous improvements upon Ptolemy's findings as early as the 9th century. They were the first astronomers to dispute his archaic ideas. In their critic of the Greeks, they synthesized proof that the sun is the center of the solar system and that the orbits of the earth and other planets might be elliptical. They produced hundreds of highly accurate astronomical tables and star charts. Many of their calculations are so precise that they are regarded as contemporary. The Alphonsine Tables are little more than copies of works on astronomy transmitted to Europe via Islamic Spain, i.e. the Toledo Tables.[1]

King Alphoso did not invent the Alphonsine Tables. He merely commissioned its creation by a team of astronomers (led by a Jew named Isaac Ibn Said). It was based on the principles set out by Ptolemy but including new observations (so, naturally, it was more accurate).

The Toledo Tables were actually compiled by 12 Jewish astronomers, although led by the Cordovan Arab astronomer Ibn Arzarkali ("Azarchel").[19]

Optical Lenses

Co je učeno: The English scholar Roger Bacon (d. 1292) first mentioned glass lenses for improving vision. At nearly the same time, eyeglasses could be found in use both in China and Europe.

Co by se mělo učit: Ibn Firnas of Islamic Spain invented eyeglasses during the 9th century, and they were manufactured and sold throughout Spain for over two centuries. Any mention of eyeglasses by Roger Bacon was simply a regurgitation of the work of al-Haytham (d. 1039), whose research Bacon frequently referred to.[1]

The Chinese were the first to use corrective optical lenses between 250 BC to 100 AD.[20]

The Roman tragedian Seneca, born in about 4 BC, is alleged to have read "all the books in Rome" by peering at them through a glass globe of water to produce magnification. However, Ibn Firnas may have invented eyeglasses (despite evidence of a prior Chinese invention) though we can find no evidence for this. Roger Bacon did owe a great debt to Kindi and Alhazen, but to say that his work is merely a regurgitation of the latter’s work is uncharitable.

Gunpowder

Co je učeno: Gunpowder was developed in the Western world as a result of Roger Bacon's work in 1242. The first usage of gunpowder in weapons was when the Chinese fired it from bamboo shoots in attempt to frighten Mongol conquerors. They produced it by adding sulfur and charcoal to saltpeter.

Co by se mělo učit: The Chinese developed saltpeter for use in fireworks and knew of no tactical military use for gunpowder, nor did they invent its formula. Research by Reinuad and Fave have clearly shown that gunpowder was formulated initially by Muslim chemists. Further, these historians claim that the Muslims developed the first fire-arms. Notably, Muslim armies used grenades and other weapons in their defence of Algericus against the Franks during the 14th century. Jean Mathes indicates that the Muslim rulers had stock-piles of grenades, rifles, crude cannons, incendiary devices, sulfur bombs and pistols decades before such devices were used in Europe. The first mention of a cannon was in an Arabic text around 1300 A.D. Roger Bacon learned of the formula for gunpowder from Latin translations of Arabic books. He brought forth nothing original in this regard.[1]

The entire apologetic case is false. The Chinese knew the formula for gunpowder and used it for military purposes including grenades, fragmentation bombs, rockets, and even an early form of the gun/cannon in the 12th century Sung Dynasty.[21]

Compass

Co je učeno: The compass was invented by the Chinese who may have been the first to use it for navigational purposes sometime between 1000 and 1100 A.D. The earliest reference to its use in navigation was by the Englishman, Alexander Neckam (1157-1217).

Co by se mělo učit: Muslim geographers and navigators learned of the magnetic needle, possibly from the Chinese, and were the first to use magnetic needles in navigation. They invented the compass and passed the knowledge of its use in navigation to the West. European navigators relied on Muslim pilots and their instruments when exploring unknown territories. Gustav Le Bon claims that the magnetic needle and compass were entirely invented by the Muslims and that the Chinese had little to do with it. Neckam, as well as the Chinese, probably learned of it from Muslim traders. It is noteworthy that the Chinese improved their navigational expertise after they began interacting with the Muslims during the 8th century.[1]

Another appropriation of a Chinese invention.[22] The first known compass surfaced in China in the 1st century AD (at least 5 centuries before there were Muslims).[23] Some say that the compass was introduced by the Chinese to the Arabs (not the other way around) during the Northern Sung Dynasty (960 - 1127 AD).[24]

Racial Typing

Co je učeno: The first man to classify the races was the German Johann F. Blumenbach, who divided mankind into white, yellow, brown, black and red peoples.

Co by se mělo učit: Muslim scholars of the 9th through 14th centuries invented the science of ethnography. A number of Muslim geographers classified the races, writing detailed explanations of their unique cultural habits and physical appearances. They wrote thousands of pages on this subject. Blumenbach's works were insignificant in comparison.[1]

Although we will not challenge the claim that Muslims invented racial-typing, their explanation above is false. Racial discrimination had been used much earlier by Muhammad bin Abdullah (c. 570 - 632 AD) when he called black people ‘raisin heads’.[25]

Geography

Co je učeno: The science of geography was revived during the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries when the ancient works of Ptolemy were discovered. The Crusades and the Portuguese/Spanish expeditions also contributed to this reawakening. The first scientifically-based treatise on geography were produced during this period by Europe's scholars.

Co by se mělo učit: Muslim geographers produced untold volumes of books on the geography of Africa, Asia, India, China and the Indies during the 8th through 15th centuries. These writings included the world's first geographical encyclopedias, almanacs and road maps. Ibn Battutah's 14th century masterpieces provide a detailed view of the geography of the ancient world. The Muslim geographers of the 10th through 15th centuries far exceeded the output by Europeans regarding the geography of these regions well into the 18th century. The Crusades led to the destruction of educational institutions, their scholars and books. They brought nothing substantive regarding geography to the Western world.[1]

Strike two to the apologists. The Muslim geographers were at the forefront of geography before the western world became interested.

Chemistry

Co je učeno: Robert Boyle, in the 17th century, originated the science of chemistry.

Co by se mělo učit: A variety of Muslim chemists, including ar-Razi, al-Jabr, al-Biruni and al-Kindi, performed scientific experiments in chemistry some 700 years prior to Boyle. Durant writes that the Muslims introduced the experimental method to this science. Humboldt regards the Muslims as the founders of chemistry.[1]

Notwithstanding the contribution the Muslim alchemists made, the invention of chemistry should really be attributed to the Ancient Egyptians as evidenced by the Leyden Papyrus (reference: Prof. Hamed Abdel-reheem Ead, Professor of Chemistry at Faculty of Science-University of Cairo Giza-Egypt and director of Science Heritage Center.)[26]

Geology

Co je učeno: Leonardo da Vinci (16th century) fathered the science of geology when he noted that fossils found on mountains indicated a watery origin of the earth.

Co by se mělo učit: Al-Biruni (1lth century) made precisely this observation and added much to it, including a huge book on geology, hundreds of years before Da Vinci was born. Ibn Sina noted this as well (see pages 100-101). It is probable that Da Vinci first learned of this concept from Latin translations of Islamic books. He added nothing original to their findings.[1]

There is no evidence that da Vinci consulted Arabic texts on this issue. To say that he added nothing original to the Arabic findings is highly uncharitable.

At about 540 BC, Xenophanes described fossil fish and shells found in deposits on mountains. Similar fossils were noted by Herodotus (about 490 BC) and by Aristotle (384 - 322 BC). Aristotle believed volcanic eruptions and earthquakes were caused by violent winds escaping from the interior of the earth, thus perhaps making the first breakthrough in the human understanding of geology.

Formation of Valleys

Co je učeno: The first mention of the geological formation of valleys was in 1756, when Nicolas Desmarest proposed that they were formed over a long periods of time by streams.

Co by se mělo učit: Ibn Sina and al-Biruni made precisely this discovery during the 11th century (see pages 102 and 103), fully 700 years prior to Desmarest.[1]

Minor point. Conceded.

First Great Experimenter

Co je učeno: Galileo (17th century) was the world's first great experimenter.

Co by se mělo učit: Al-Biruni (d. 1050) was the world's first great experimenter. He wrote over 200 books, many of which discuss his precise experiments. His literary output in the sciences amounts to some 13,000 pages, far exceeding that written by Galileo or, for that matter, Galileo and Newton combined.[1]

Not to demean Al-Biruni’s genius, it must be pointed out that quantity does not equate to quality. Archimedes (287 – 212 BC) was also quite an experimenter for his time.

Medicine

Co je učeno: The Italian Giovanni Morgagni is regarded as the father of pathology because he was the first to correctly describe the nature of disease.

Co by se mělo učit: Islam's surgeons were the first pathologists. They fully realized the nature of disease and described a variety of diseases to modern detail. Ibn Zuhr correctly described the nature of pleurisy, tuberculosis and pericarditis. Az-Zahrawi accurately documented the pathology of hydrocephalus (water on the brain) and other congenital diseases. Ibn al-Quff and Ibn an-Nafs gave perfect descriptions of the diseases of circulation. Other Muslim surgeons gave the first accurate descriptions of certain malignancies, including cancer of the stomach, bowel and esophagus. These surgeons were the originators of pathology, not Giovanni Morgagni.[1]

The field of Islamic Medicine owes its origins to two Christians, Yahya ibn Masawayh and Hunain ibn Ishaq. The Nestorian Christian, Yahya ibn Masawayh, wrote many works on fevers, hygiene, and dietetics. His was the first treatise on ophthalmology, but he was soon surpassed in this field by his famous pupil, Hunain ibn Ishaq, aka Johannitius, whom some regard as the father of Arab medicine. Razi, the physician of genius known in medieval Europe as Rhazes, profited greatly from the works started by Hunain ibn Ishaq.[27]

Microbes

Co je učeno: Paul Ehrlich (19th century) is the originator of drug chemotherapy, that is the use of specific drugs to kill microbes.

Co by se mělo učit: Muslim physicians used a variety of specific substances to destroy microbes. They applied sulfur topically specifically to kill the scabies mite. Ar-Razi (10th century) used mercurial compounds as topical antiseptics.[1]

There is no evidence that Muslim physicians knew the existence of microbes. In fact, pre-Roman civilizations used burned brimstone as a medicine and used "bricks" of sulfur as fumigants, bleaching agents, and incense in religious rites. Pliny (23 - 27 AD) reported that sulfur was a "most singular kind of earth and an agent of great power on other substances," and had "medicinal virtues”. The Romans used sulfur or fumes from its combustion as an insecticide and to purify a sick room and cleanse its air of evil. The same uses were reported by Homer in the Odyssey in 1000 BC.[28]

Distilled Alcohol

Co je učeno: Purified alcohol, made through distillation, was first produced by Arnau de Villanova, a Spanish alchemist, in 1300 A.D.

Co by se mělo učit: Numerous Muslim chemists produced medicinal-grade alcohol through distillation as early as the 10th century and manufactured on a large scale the first distillation devices for use in chemistry. They used alcohol as a solvent and antiseptic.[1]

Distilled wine was known in China by the 7th century.[29]

Surgical Anesthetics

Co je učeno: The first surgery performed under inhalation anesthesia was conducted by C.W. Long, an American, in 1845.

Co by se mělo učit: Six hundred years prior to Long, Islamic Spain's Az-Zahrawi and Ibn Zuhr, among other Muslim surgeons, performed hundreds of surgeries under inhalation anesthesia with the use of narcotic-soaked sponges which were placed over the face.[1]

Dioscorides (40 - 90 AD), was a Greek surgeon with the armies of the Roman Emperor Nero. He wrote excellent descriptions of nearly 600 plants, including cannabis, colchicum, water hemlock, and peppermint, contained in his De materia medica. Written in five books around the year 77, this work deals with approximately 1,000 simple drugs.

The medicinal and dietetic value of animal derivatives such as milk and honey is described in the second book, and a synopsis of such chemical drugs as mercury (with directions for its preparation from cinnabar), arsenic (referred to as auripigmentum, the yellow arsenic sulfide), lead acetate, calcium hydrate, and copper oxide is found in the fifth book. He clearly refers to sleeping potions prepared from opium and mandragora as surgical anesthetics “to such (people) as shall be cut, or cauteried .... For they do not apprehend the pain because they are overborn (overcome) with dead sleep .... But used too much they make men speechless.”

As for surgical anaesthetics, Hua T'o (c. 100 - 145 AD) was the leading surgeon of his time and highly revered in Chinese historical texts. He was the first to use anasthesia in surgical practice. One concotion that he used as a local anesthetic was a mixture of wine and hemp extract.[30]

Hua T'o predated Az-Zahrawi and Ibn Zuhr by more than 1,000 years.

Opium Extracts

Co je učeno: During the 16th century Paracelsus invented the use of opium extracts for anesthesia.

Co by se mělo učit: Muslim physicians introduced the anesthetic value of opium derivatives during the Middle Ages. Opium was originally used as an anesthetic agent by the Greeks. Paracelus was a student of Ibn Sina's works from which it is almost assured that he derived this idea.[1]

Dioscorides (40 - 90 AD), wrote about the use of opium and mandragora as surgical anesthetics. The Ancient Egyptians also use mandrake and hashish as pain-killers.[31]

Modern Anesthesia

Co je učeno: Modern anesthesia was invented in the 19th century by Humphrey Davy and Horace Wells.

Co by se mělo učit: Modern anesthesia was discovered, mastered and perfected by Muslim anesthetists 900 years before the advent of Davy and Wells. They utilized oral as well as inhalant anesthetics.[1]

Again, Dioscorides (40 - 90 AD), wrote about the use of opium and mandragora as surgical anesthetics.

In India, Sushruta is the father of surgery. 2,600 years ago he and health scientists of his time conducted complicated surgeries like cesareans, cataract, artificial limbs, fractures, urinary stones and even plastic surgery and brain surgery. Usage of anesthesia was well known in ancient India. Over 125 surgical equipment were used. Deep knowledge of anatomy, physiology, etiology, embryology, digestion, metabolism, genetics and immunity is also found in many texts.[32]

Medical Quarantine

Co je učeno: The concept of quarantine was first developed in 1403. In Venice, a law was passed preventing strangers from entering the city until a certain waiting period had passed. If, by then, no sign of illness could be found, they were allowed in.

Co by se mělo učit: The concept of quarantine was first introduced in the 7th century A.D. by the prophet Muhammad, who wisely warned against entering or leaving a region suffering from plague. As early as the 10th century, Muslim physicians innovated the use of isolation wards for individuals suffering with communicable diseases.[1]

Quarantine was first proposed by Moses who ordered that cases of leprosy should be segregated, that dwellings from which infected Jews had gone should be inspected before again being occupied, and that persons recovering from contagious disease were not to be allowed to go abroad until examined. The modern quarantine harks back to these sanitary regulations of the Old Testament.[33]

Antiseptic

Co je učeno: The scientific use of antiseptics in surgery was discovered by the British surgeon Joseph Lister in 1865.

Co by se mělo učit: As early as the 10th century, Muslim physicians and surgeons were applying purified alcohol to wounds as an antiseptic agent. Surgeons in Islamic Spain utilized special methods for maintaining antisepsis prior to and during surgery. They also originated specific protocols for maintaining hygiene during the post-operative period. Their success rate was so high that dignitaries throughout Europe came to Cordova, Spain, to be treated at what was comparably the "Mayo Clinic" of the Middle Ages.[1]

The Ancient Egyptians used ‘Oil of Fir’ as an antiseptic.[31]

Speaking of Cordoba and the Mayo Clinic, the Ancient Egyptian physicians were also much sought in the Ancient World. Ramses II sent physicians to the king of Hatti and many rulers, the Persian Achaemenids among them, had Egyptian doctors in attendance. The Egyptian theories and practice influenced the Greeks, who furnished many of the Roman Empire's physicians, and later Arab and Western European medical thinking for centuries to come.

Surgery

Co je učeno: In 1545, the scientific use of surgery was advanced by the French surgeon Ambroise Pare. Prior to him, surgeons attempted to stop bleeding through the gruesome procedure of searing the wound with boiling oil. Pare stopped the use of boiling oils and began ligating arteries. He is considered the "father of rational surgery." Pare was also one of the first Europeans to condemn such grotesque "surgical" procedures as trepanning (see reference #6, pg. 110).

Co by se mělo učit: Islamic Spain's illustrious surgeon, az-Zahrawi (d. 1013), began ligating arteries with fine sutures over 500 years prior to Pare. He perfected the use of Catgut, that is suture made from animal intestines. Additionally, he instituted the use of cotton plus wax to plug bleeding wounds. The full details of his works were made available to Europeans through Latin translations.

Despite this, barbers and herdsmen continued be the primary individuals practicing the "art" of surgery for nearly six centuries after az-Zahrawi's death. Pare himself was a barber, albeit more skilled and conscientious than the average ones.

Included in az-Zahrawi's legacy are dozens of books. His most famous work is a 30 volume treatise on medicine and surgery. His books contain sections on preventive medicine, nutrition, cosmetics, drug therapy, surgical technique, anesthesia, pre and post-operative care as well as drawings of some 200 surgical devices, many of which he invented. The refined and scholarly az-Zahrawi must be regarded as the father and founder of rational surgery, not the uneducated Pare.[1]

The Ancient Egyptians were quite advanced in surgical medicine. The Edwin Smith Papyrus describing surgical diagnosis and treatments, the Ebers Papyrus on ophthalmology, diseases of the digestive system, the head, the skin and specific diseases like abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), which some think may be a precursor of AIDS. As early as 3,000 BC evidence of brain surgery is found in papyrus writings in Egypt. "Brain," the actual word itself, is used here for the first time in any language (Edwin Smith Papyrus).[31]

Blood Circulation

Co je učeno: William Harvey, during the early 17th century, discovered that blood circulates. He was the first to correctly describe the function of the heart, arteries and veins. Rome's Galen had presented erroneous ideas regarding the circulatory system, and Harvey was the first to determine that blood is pumped throughout the body via the action of the heart and the venous valves. Therefore, he is regarded as the founder of human physiology.

Co by se mělo učit: In the 10th century, Islam's ar-Razi wrote an in-depth treatise on the venous system, accurately describing the function of the veins and their valves. Ibn an-Nafs and Ibn al-Quff (13th century) provided full documentation that the blood circulates and correctly described the physiology of the heart and the function of its valves 300 years before Harvey. William Harvey was a graduate of Italy's famous Padua University at a time when the majority of its curriculum was based upon Ibn Sina's and ar-Razi's textbooks.[1]

Blood circulation appears discussed in full and complex form in The Yellow Emperor's Manual of Corporeal Medicine in China by the 2nd century BC.[29]

Pharmacopeia

Co je učeno: The first pharmacopeia (book of medicines) was published by a German scholar in 1542. According to World Book Encyclopedia, the science of pharmacology was begun in the 1900's as an off-shoot of chemistry due to the analysis of crude plant materials. Chemists, after isolating the active ingredients from plants, realized their medicinal value.

Co by se mělo učit: According to the eminent scholar of Arab history, Phillip Hitti, the Muslims, not the Greeks or Europeans, wrote the first "modern" pharmacopeia. The science of pharmacology was originated by Muslim physicians during the 9th century. They developed it into a highly refined and exact science. Muslim chemists, pharmacists and physicians produced thousands of drugs and/or crude herbal extracts one thousand years prior to the supposed birth of pharmacology. During the 14th century Ibn Baytar wrote a monumental pharmacopeia listing some 1400 different drugs. Hundreds of other pharmacopeias were published during the Islamic Era. It is likely that the German work is an offshoot of that by Ibn Baytar, which was widely circulated in Europe.[1]

Pliny the Elder, Caius Plinius Secundus, (23 - 79 AD) wrote 10 books on drugs and medicines in his compendium ‘Natural History’.

Dioscorides (40 - 90 AD), was a Greek surgeon with the armies of the Roman Emperor Nero. He wrote excellent descriptions of nearly 600 plants, including cannabis, colchicum, water hemlock, and peppermint, contained in his De materia medica. Written in five books around the year 77, this work deals with approximately 1,000 simple drugs.

Medical Theories

Co je učeno: The discovery of the scientific use of drugs in the treatment of specific diseases was made by Paracelsus, the Swiss-born physician, during the 16th century. He is also credited with being the first to use practical experience as a determining factor in the treatment of patients rather than relying exclusively on the works of the ancients.

Co by se mělo učit: Ar-Razi, Ibn Sina, al-Kindi, Ibn Rushd, az-Zahrawi, Ibn Zuhr, Ibn Baytar, Ibn al-Jazzar, Ibn Juljul, Ibn al-Quff, Ibn an-Nafs, al-Biruni, Ibn Sahl and hundreds of other Muslim physicians mastered the science of drug therapy for the treatment of specific symptoms and diseases. In fact, this concept was entirely their invention. The word "drug" is derived from Arabic. Their use of practical experience and careful observation was extensive. Muslim physicians were the first to criticize ancient medical theories and practices. Ar-Razi devoted an entire book as a critique of Galen's anatomy. The works of Paracelsus are insignificant compared to the vast volumes of medical writings and original findings accomplished by the medical giants of Islam.[1]

The Muslim physicians listed above made great contributions to medical science. For many centuries after the fall of the Roman Empire, the Arabic world was the center of scientific and medical knowledge. Texts from Greece and Rome were translated into Arabic and studied by Islamic scholars. They developed and refined Hippocrate's theories and Islamic physicians began to use the regulation of diet, exercise and the prescription of medicinal herbs in the treatment of their patients. Arabic pharmacists became skilled in the formulation of medicines from plants and minerals.

One of the most important medical books of its time was written by the physician Ali al-Husayn Abd Allah Ibn Sina (also known as Avicenna). His massive manuscript, called the Laws of Medicine, was completed around 1030 AD and translated into Latin in the 12th Century. This encyclopaedia of medicine contained five books detailing the formulation of medicines, diagnosis of disorders, general medicine and detailed therapies. It continued to be a great influence in the development of medicine in medieval Europe for hundreds of years.[34]

However, it must be noted that the Muslim physicians did not invent medicine. They owed a great debt to two Christians in the court of the Caliph Mamun; Yahya ibn Masawayh and his student, Hunain ibn Ishaq who translated Greek medical texts and laid the foundations of Arab medicine.

Development of Medical Science

Co je učeno: The first sound approach to the treatment of disease was made by a German, Johann Weger, in the 1500's.

Co by se mělo učit: Harvard's George Sarton says that modern medicine is entirely an Islamic development and that Setting the Record Straight the Muslim physicians of the 9th through 12th centuries were precise, scientific, rational and sound in their approach. Johann Weger was among thousands of Europeans physicians during the 15th through 17th centuries who were taught the medicine of ar-Razi and Ibn Sina. He contributed nothing original.[1]

The Muslim physicians are generally acknowledged to have made great contributions to medical science, particularly ar-Razi and Ibn Sina. However, while not diminishing their greatness, once again, it must be noted that the foundation of Arab medicine was laid by two Christians; Yahya ibn Masawayh and Hunain ibn Ishaq.

Insane Asylums

Co je učeno: Medical treatment for the insane was modernized by Philippe Pinel when in 1793 he operated France's first insane asylum.

Co by se mělo učit: As early as the 1lth century, Islamic hospitals maintained special wards for the insane. They treated them kindly and presumed their disease was real at a time when the insane were routinely burned alive in Europe as witches and sorcerers. A curative approach was taken for mental illness and, for the first time in history, the mentally ill were treated with supportive care, drugs and psychotherapy. Every major Islamic city maintained an insane asylum where patients were treated at no charge. In fact, the Islamic system for the treatment of the insane excels in comparison to the current model, as it was more humane and was highly effective as well.[1]

There is evidence that the institution of the hospital, including the wards for the insane, was inherited by the Muslims from both the Persians and the Byzantines. Already before the rise of Islam, the hospital at Jundhapur, near the present Persian city of Ahvaz, was a major medical institution which, in addition to the care of patients, medical instruction was carried out on an extensive basis. There were also hospitals established by Byzantines in their eastern provinces such as Syria which became rapidly integrated into the Islamic world.[35][36]

The hospital was first introduced into Islamic societies in the reign of the sixth Ummayid caliph, Al-Walid Bin Abdul-Malik (705 - 715 AD) in Jundishapur, a Persian city in the province of Ahwaz.[37]

The early Islamic hospital, the bimaristan, was "an institution built by Muslim caliphs, sultans and kings and by benevolent persons in general, as an act of charity, such as mosques and hospices. Its function was not restricted to the treatment of the ill; it also served as a place for instruction in the sciences and medicine from which students would graduate much as they do from our modern medical schools today." The term “maristan” is a later abbreviation of the original Persian, bimaristan, meaning "house of the ill."

The commonly held view which prevails to this day was that the bimaristan was an asylum for the insane. This misconception derives from the abbreviation of one of the institution's functions. "Bimaristans were public hospitals for the treatment of all illnesses, whether those requiring surgery or medication, whether physical or mental. With the passage of time, however, these institutions fell into disrepair and were abandoned by all their patients with the exception of the mentally ill. As a result, in recent times the term, if used at all, refers only to a madhouse."[38]

Kerosene

Co je učeno: Kerosene was first produced by an Englishman, Abraham Gesner, in 1853. He distilled it from asphalt.

Co by se mělo učit: Muslim chemists produced kerosene as a distillate from petroleum products over 1,000 years prior to Gesner (see Encyclopaedia Britannica under the heading, Petroleum).[1]

Another one for the apologists.

Závěr

Opravdovým účelem tohoto článku bylo vybalancova některé z těchto chybných pohledů se kterými se čtenáři mohou setkat na jiných stránkách a fórech, které používají díla (nebo díla odvozená) od Dr. K. Ajram. Myslíme si, že muslimští vědci ve Zlatém věku (ať už opravdoví stoupenci islámu nebo ne) udělali důležité kroky ve vědě a technologiích, což výrazně přispělo lidskému poznání. Vědecké úspěchy jsou často vyvrcholením nahromaděných vědomostí, spíše než samotné "zázračné" objevy lidmi, kvůli jejich náboženství a kultuře. Je zaznamenáno, že západní vědci, kteří přišli po vědcích zlatého věku, například Roger Bacon a Sir Isaac Newton, si byli vědomi jejich práce a hodně se od nich naučili. Nicméně, analýza tvrzení apologetů ohledně jejich významnosti ukazuje velké přehánění. V tomto spěchu přehánět, Ajram podceňuje příspěvky jiných kultur, podceňuje velikost ne-muslimských vědců, nebo přivlastňuje jejich práci jiným.

Tato analýza zároveň zvýrazňuje největší chybu islámského zlatého věku. Proběhlo jen několik průlomů ve vědě, založených na práci velkých muslimských vědců. Popravdě, ummah povolovala nebo podporovala, aby se tyto objevy dále nerozvíjely, ještě před vzestupem mysticismu na úkor racionálního myšlení, události připisované al-Ghazzalimu na přelomu 12. století. Tedy, islám není důvodem vědeckého pokroku ve zlatém věku. Mnoho lidí zastává názor, že zlatý věk vědeckého pokroku probíhal navzdory islámu, ne kvůli němu.

Skvělým příkladem je velký filozof-fyzik Ibn Sina (Avicenna), na jehož práci se Ajram neustále odkazuje. Je pravdou, že Ibn Sina byl jedním z nejvlivnějších středověkých filozofů, ale byl také jedním z nejčastěji napadaných. Sunitští teologové oponovali jeho názorům na duši a tvoření. Nicméně, byl to již zmíněný Algazali (Abu Hamid ibn Muhammad al-Ghazali, 1058 - 1111), kdo byl jeho hlavním oponentem. V díle "Nesoudržnost filozofů", al-Ghazzali zaútošil na Ibn Sinaovu tendenci odmítat to, že by Aláh měl nějakou sílu nad světem, jeho nevíru ve vzkříšení těla, a víru, že Aláh znal jen svět obecný, (tedy např. pes, strom, racionální zvíře) ne individualitu. Dokonce používal prasata ve svých vědeckých snahách, [39] což je něco, co rozhodně proti-muslimské chování. Dnes, pokud by jej muslimové nepropagovali jako svého velkého vědce, by jej považovali za ateistu.[40] Bez pochyby mnoho dalších islámských vědců by bylo považováno za heretické odpadlíky za své názory.[41]

This page is featured in the core article, Islam and Propaganda which serves as a starting point for anyone wishing to learn more about this topic
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External Links

References

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