Journal - International Society for the History of Islamic Medicine

Al-Razi and Gastrointestinal System Diseases
Radhi Javad BAKIR*
* M,B;Ch,B D.L.O., Head of the Department of Otolaryngology Al-Zahraa (Al-Ku) General Hospital Wasit, Iraq
e-mail : rajab_552002@yahoo.com
This is a review of the theories and opinions proposed by a well scientifically recognized doctors at the time of Arabic-Islamic
civilization era who paved the way to the modern scientific achievements and it is at the same time the continuation of the very old
human heritage.
Al-Razi (865 A.D) the second greatest clinician after Galen in the history of medicine, had written some of the opinions about
G.I.T illnesses (part of these are according to his own experiences) in his famous book Al-Mansuri, which was the text book in the
Arabic-Islamic and European universities for several decades.
Key Words; Al-Razi, Gastro Intestinal Diseases, Al - Mansuri book.
Notes on Al-Razi Life
Abu-Bakir Mohammed Ben Zekria Al-Razi was
born in Al-Rai (Persia) (1) (865 A.D). He studied
banking, chemistry, music early in his life but his
interest shifted to medicine, he studied, practiced and
taught medicine in Baghdad and Al-Rai hospitals. He
had the honor to help in the establishment of one of
the earliest hospitals in Baghdad at the order of
Abbasid Caliph (Al-Muatadh).
Al-Razi had many achievements in medicine and
chemistry among them:
* He was the first to differentiate clinically
between measles and small pox against the old
concept of being one illness.
* He was the first to use diuretics and laxatives
in treating ascites.
* He was the first to use Coal of animal origin to
blench colors (2).
Beside this he had left around (270) books (3) and
articles in medicine, Chemistry, Astronomy,
Philosophy, Religion and many other branches of science
(4).
Al-Hawi was the biggest and most famous book,
it was considered a reference medical book since that
time to the seventieth century both in Arabic-Islamic
and European universities (5).
Summary
G.I.T. Illnesses as Mentioned in
Al-Mansuri Book
Al-Razi wrote about the anatomy of G.I.T in the
first chapter and in the following way;
1. The esophagus: It is considered as route which
start just below the end of the oral cavity and
descend behind the trachea and in front of the
cervical vertebrates, it is fixed by bands, after
it pierce the diaphragm it bend to the left and
dilate to form the stomach.
2. The stomach: It is tilted by it’s head to the left
and by it’s end to the right it looks like (Pear),
it is flat posteriorly and fixed by bands to the
adjacent viscera for it’s safety. The end passage
is called the Door man as it control the
passage of food to the intestine, it closes when
the food and even water enter the stomach to
keep it longer time for digestion. The wall of
the stomach consist of three layers of fibers,
longitudinal, transverse, and circular.
3. The intestine: It consist of two layers the inner
one is viscous: it is divided into six parts: three
are small intestine and the others are the large:
A. duodenum (athni-ashri)
B. jejunum (alsaam,_fasting): it has more
pores than the other, from it the food transported
to the liver.
52 JISHIM 2004, 3