Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Karenberg, Axel
• Hort, Irmgard

Titel

Medieval Descriptions and Doctrines of Stroke: Preliminary Analysis of Select Sources. Part II: Between Galenism and Aristotelism - Islamic Theories of Apoplexy (800-1200)

Ist Teil von

• Journal of the history of the neurosciences, 1998-12, Vol.7 (3), p.174-185

Ort / Verlag

England: Taylor & Francis Group

Erscheinungsjahr

1998

Link zum Volltext

Quelle

EBSCOhost Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• This second paper on medieval descriptions and doctrines of stroke reviews concepts outlined by famous Muslim physicians of the Middle Ages such as Rhazes, Haly Abbas, Avicenna, and Averroes. Contrary to a popular belief, Islamic neurological texts represent not only a bridge between ancient and western medieval medical knowledge, but also document remarkable advancements. Whereas statements on diagnosis and prognosis lack originality, the endeavors of physician-philosophers and medical authors led to substantial additions and important changes in theory. Such modifications include the integration of ventricular doctrine and particularly the attempt to unify Aristotelian and Galenic tenets which resulted in a complex discussion about the seats and causes of apoplexy. The fairly simple model handed down by Galenists of the Byzantine period was replaced by more detailed classifications, which proposed "cerebral" as well as "vascular" origins of the disease without suggesting a "cerebrovascular" etiology. Islamic therapeutic strategies included dietetic, pharmacological and surgical elements. The use of the cautery in "chronic apoplexy" was a special feature of Arabic surgery.