Dr. Adel Afifi was born in Akka (Acre), Palestine. He earned bachelors and medical degrees from the American University of Beirut, in Beirut, Lebanon. Following post-graduate training in neurology and neuroanatomy at the University of Iowa, the New York Neurological Institute, and Johns Hopkins University, he joined the Faculty of Medicine at the American University of Beirut in 1965, where he progressed in academic ranks to professor and was appointed chair of the Department of Human Morphology, and Associate Dean of the Faculty of Medicine. He was the first Arab Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Jordan, and served short term visiting professorships at medical schools in Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Iraq. In 1984, Dr. Afifi joined the faculty in the Carver College of Medicine of the University of Iowa in the rank of professor in the departments of Anatomy, Neurology and Pediatrics. He retired in 2007 as Professor Emeritus in the Carver College of Medicine. Dr. Afifi was a member of the President’s Advisory Committee of the Jordan University of Science and Technology for the Health Science Complex. He served on the International Team to evaluate the Faculty of Medicine of the Gulf University of Bahrain. He coordinated the feasibility study for a school of medicine in Palestine, and the National Plan for health resource development and education in Palestine. He was a member of the selection committee for the King Faisal International Prize in Medicine. Dr. Afifi published over hundred articles in professional journals and ten books. He is recipient of several awards including the American University of Beirut Penrose Award, the Distinguished Alumnus Award, and her Excellency’s Suad Al-Sabbah Award for the best published scientific work by an American University of Beirut alumnus; The University of Iowa Regents Award for Faculty Excellence, The Carver College of Medicine Teaching Excellence Award, Teacher of the Year Award, and the Educator Extraordinaire Award
Medieval Islamic Medicine and Medical Luminaries
by Adel K. Afifi, M. D., M. S., and Ronald A. Bergman, Ph.D. (Professors Emeriti, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa)
Medieval Islamic Medicine and Medical Luminaries
by Adel K. Afifi, M. D., M. S., and Ronald A. Bergman, Ph.D. (Professors Emeriti, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa)
Published Oct 28, 2017
416 Pages
Genre: MEDICAL / History
Book Details
Islamic civilization once extended from China to the Atlantic Ocean and left its impact on Western science and medicine. Indeed, the pursuit of science was a central part of Islamic civilization and culture. The Quran, the Holy Book of Islam, considers scientific inquiry to be a virtue. Similarly, the Hadith (saying of the Prophet) places scholars above martyrs in holiness. Islamic medicine refers to medicine developed during the medieval Islamic civilization and written in Arabic. Contributions to it were made by Christian, Jewish, and Muslim scholars living in a culture welcoming to science and inquiry. In addition to translation of ancient medicine, preserving it in Arabic, adding new knowledge to it, and later reverse translation into Latin and Hebrew, Islamic civilization developed a sophisticated health system that included a structure of medical education, well-developed hospitals, a process of qualifying examinations and licensure, and a code of medical ethics. The authors offer a retrospective look at the status of medicine of the ancients. The book then introduces the status of medicine during the pre-, early, and late phases of Islamic civilization, including luminary scholars and their contributions, the structure of medical education and clinical practice, the role of Islamic women in medicine, the rules of ethical conduct for medical professionals, and the impact of Islamic civilization on the fledgling renaissance of Western civilization.