A Concise History of Science in India c8.s9.4

c8.s9.4

The earliest of the independent Arabic medical writers was Ali b. Rabban, who, in A.D. 850, in his book, *Firdausúl-Ḥikmat* (Paradise of Wisdom), summarized the whole system of Greek medicine as well as the Indian system of medicine on the basis of four important Indian medical works—*Caraka*, *Suśruta*, *Nidāna* and *Aṣṭāṅgahṛdaya*. After him, his student, Abu Bakr Muhammad b. Zakariyya ar-Razi (Rhazes of Medieval Europe), who died in the first quarter of the tenth century, made a thorough study of both the systems, had been in charge of many hospitals, introduced in them the system of keeping complete records of each case, and, in his methods of teaching medicine, attached great importance to practical training of its student. This method was adopted by other physicians also.