Rhazes ------
Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Zakariya al-Razi, known in France as Rhazes, was born in 865 in Ray, a city near present-day Tehran. A native Persian speaker, he wrote his entire body of work in Arabic. Originally a musician, he quickly developed an interest in alchemy, philosophy, mathematics and astronomy. In particular, he maintained that the earth was round, an idea that was far from universally accepted at the time. Afflicted with an eye disease, he turned to medicine after the age of 30 and immersed himself in the works of Galen and Hippocrates. He was then put in charge of running a hospital, which he directed in a highly rational manner, stressing the importance of prevention and diet. He explained the importance of observing symptoms precisely and deducing the right diagnosis from the theoretical knowledge he had established. He was the first to note that certain disorders had psychosomatic origins. Rhazes is best known for developing pharmacology as a discipline in its own right within medicine, and he was probably the first to introduce chemical elements as medicines. His influence in the field lasted in the West until the 17th century. He is credited with numerous works, in particular Kitab al-Hawi fi al-Tibb, a compendium of all the medical knowledge of the time.
-
Avicenna --------