The Medieval Islamic Hospital
Medicine, Religion, and Charity

The first monograph on Islamic hospitals, this volume examines their origins, development, architecture, social roles, and connections to non-Islamic institutions.

Ahmed Ragab (Author)

9781107109605, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 14 October 2015

282 pages, 8 b/w illus. 1 map 1 table
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.9 cm, 0.59 kg

'… specialist and non-specialist alike will be enthralled by much of what the author has to tell them, as he unveils a medieval hospital world far too little known even to Islamicists, let alone historians of medieval Europe.' History Today

The first monograph on the history of Islamic hospitals, this volume focuses on the under-examined Egyptian and Levantine institutions of the twelfth to fourteenth centuries. By the twelfth century, hospitals serving the sick and the poor could be found in nearly every Islamic city. Ahmed Ragab traces the varying origins and development of these institutions, locating them in their urban environments and linking them to charity networks and patrons' political projects. Following the paths of patients inside hospital wards, he investigates who they were and what kinds of experiences they had. The Medieval Islamic Hospital explores the medical networks surrounding early hospitals and sheds light on the particular brand of practice-oriented medicine they helped to develop. Providing a detailed picture of the effect of religion on medieval medicine, it will be essential reading for those interested in history of medicine, history of Islamic sciences, or history of the Mediterranean.

Introduction
Prologue: a tale of two b?m?rist?ns
Part I. Building a B?m?rist?n: 1. From Jerusalem to Damascus: the monumental b?m?rist?ns of the Levant
2. Reclaiming the past: the (new) b?m?rist?ns of Egypt
3. 'The best of deeds': medical patronage in Mamluk Egypt
Part II. Physicians and Patients: 4. Theory and practice: the reign of the b?m?rist?n physicians
5. 'A house for king and slave': the patients of the b?m?rist?n
Conclusion
Annex: who built the first Islamic hospital?

Subject Areas: History of science [PDX], History of medicine [MBX], Medicine [M], Islamic studies [JFSR2], Islam [HRH], Religion & beliefs [HR], Middle Eastern history [HBJF1], Institutions & learned societies: general [GTN], Architecture [AM], History of art: Byzantine & Medieval art c 500 CE to c 1400 [ACK]