Islam and mental health: A few speculations.

Tags:

• ADJUSTMENT (Psychology)
• ISLAM
• mental health
• RESEARCH -- Methodology

Religiously integrated psychotherapy with Muslim clients: From research to practice.

Tags:

• Coping Behavior
• empirical research
• mental health
• MUSLIMS
• positive religious coping
• Psychological Assessment
• psychological measures
• Psychotherapy
• religion
• religious struggle
• religiously integrated psychotherapy
• stigma

Applying Qur’anic metaphors in counseling.

Tags:

• Counseling
• Cross Cultural Counseling
• Metaphor
• Quran
• Religious Literature
• therapeutic tools

Values, qualifications, ethics and legal standards in Arabic (Islamic) medicine

Tags:

• Arab World
• Ethics, Medical
• Female
• History, 20th Century
• History, Ancient
• History, Medieval
• Humans
• ISLAM
• Liability, Legal
• Male
• Medicine, Arabic
• Moral Obligations
• Quality of Health Care
• Social Values

Notes:

• Many historians claim that the Western world pioneered in the setting of ethical, legal and professional standards in the practice of medicine. Informed medical consent is proposed by some as an American invention. Others claim that patient rights and legal protection propose have stated in the early decades of the 20th century. This review is an attempt to uncover the facts regarding the way Arabs practiced medicine during the golden era of Islam. Eight hundred to fifteen hundred AD this includes the qualification of physicians according to a well designed curricula covering the science and humanity of medicine. The rules governing the quality control of health care delivery system and to some degree the principles of informed medical consent and to a lesser degree the principles of litigation are discussed. We hope that this paper will be a call to all humanity loving persons to end prejudices against other people and to stop stereotyping.

Cultural differences: practising medicine in an Islamic country

Tags:

• Abortion, Induced
• Blood Transfusion
• Female
• Fertilization in Vitro
• Hospitals, University
• Humans
• ISLAM
• Male
• Organ Transplantation
• Physician-Patient Relations
• Pregnancy
• Religion and Medicine
• SAUDI Arabia
• Sterilization, Reproductive

Notes:

• @font-face { font-family: "Garamond"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 6pt 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }p.BibEntryAnnotation, li.BibEntryAnnotation, div.BibEntryAnnotation { margin: 6pt 0in 0.0001pt 0.25in; text-align: justify; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: italic; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; }

  Islam and Muslims have been in the headlines recently for one reason or another. But the practice of medicine in an Islamic conservative country such as Saudi Arabia has not been adequately reported. Many questions about cultural differences in the practice of medicine have been directed at me by non-Muslim colleagues. Below, I have tried to answer some of them after practising at a university hospital in Saudi Arabia for the last 25 years.

   

South African Muslim Faith Healers perceptions of mental illness: understanding, aetiology and treatment

Tags:

• Faith Healing
• Humans
• Interviews as Topic
• ISLAM
• Mental Disorders
• Religion and Psychology
• South Africa

Notes:

• The important role that religious beliefs may have on perceptions of mental illness cannot be ignored. Many religions including Islam advocate witchcraft and spirit possession--all of which are thought to influence the behaviour of a person so as to resemble that of a mentally ill individual. Thus this research explored Muslim Faith Healers perceptions of mental and spiritual illness in terms of their understanding of the distinctions between the two, the aetiologies and the treatments thereof. Six Muslim Healers in the Johannesburg community were interviewed and thematic content analysis was used to analyse the data. From the results it is clear that the faith healers were aware of the distinction between mental and spiritual illnesses. It was also apparent that Islam has a clear taxonomy that distinguishes illness and the causes thereof. Treatments are then advised accordingly. Thus this paper argues that the predominant Western view of the aetiology and understanding of mental illness needs to acknowledge the various culturally inclined taxonomies of mental illness so as to better understand and aid clients.

Practice versus theory: tenth-century case histories from the Islamic Middle East

Tags:

• Eye Diseases
• History, Medieval
• Humans
• ISLAM
• Medicine
• Middle East
• Philosophy, Medical
• Practice Management, Medical

Notes:

• Medicine and disease in medieval Islam have thus far been approached through theoretic medical treatises, on the assumption that learned medical texts are a transparent account of reality. A question yet to be sufficiently explored is the extent to which the ideas and theoretical principles they contain were actually carried out in practice. This paper deals with the description of diseases occurring in a tenth-century Casebook (Kitab al-Tajarib) by Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Zakariya’ al-Razi (known to Europeans as Rhazes)-the largest and oldest collection of case histories, so far as is known, in medieval Islamic medical literature. Since the author was a prolific medical writer, this study also includes a review of his medical and therapeutic principles dealing with eye diseases, as described in his learned treatises, and a comparison with those therapies actually employed in his everyday practice, as exemplified by the Casebook. The comparative analysis shows that the medical knowledge and the therapeutic advice so meticulously described in theoretical works were not paralleled in the physician’s medical performance. On the contrary, it appears that learned treatises served other purposes than determining medical practice.

Islam and mental health

Tags:

• Alcoholism
• Attitude to Health
• Cultural Characteristics
• Health Behavior
• Health promotion
• Humans
• ISLAM
• Mental Disorders
• mental health
• Religion and Medicine
• Religion and Psychology

Notes:

• This paper discusses the importance of a spiritual element in health with particular reference to mental health and Islam. The Islamic spiritual quest is outlined and some directives described. Specific examples are given of their application to health.

The effects of Islam and traditional practices on women's health and reproduction

Tags:

• Abortion, Induced
• Adult
• Attitude to Health
• Culture
• Educational Status
• Family Planning Services
• Female
• Humans
• ISLAM
• Maternal Health Services
• Questionnaires
• Religion and Medicine
• Turkey
• Women's Health

Notes:

• The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of Islam as a religion and culture on Turkish women’s health. The study included 138 household members residing in the territory of three primary health care centers in Turkey: Güzelbahçe, Fahrettin Altay and Esentepe. Data were collected by means of a questionnaire prepared by a multidisciplinary team that included specialists from the departments of public health, psychiatric nursing and sociology. We found that the women’s health behavior changed from traditional to rational as education levels increased, and that religious and traditional attitudes and behaviors were predominant in the countryside, especially practices related to pregnancy, delivery, the postpartum period, induced abortion and family planning. One of the most important prerequisites for the improvement of women’s health is that nurses should know the religious practices and culture of the society for which they provide care, so that their efforts to protect and improve women’s health will be effective.

Historical perspectives on health. Early Arabic medicine

Tags:

• Arab World
• History of Nursing
• History, Ancient
• Hospitals
• Humans
• Medicine, Arabic
• Medicine, Traditional

Notes:

• The Arabian conquests during and after the 7th century led to a spread of Islam as well as the consequential influence of theology on health through the teachings of the Qur’an (Koran). Although traditional medicine was widely accepted and used, the character of early aggrandisement of Arabic medicine involved a facility for adapting and absorbing Graeco-Roman knowledge. The translation schools and libraries, famous in both the East and West, preserved and expanded the knowledge acquired. European academic learning owed much to the Arabs. Information came through Spain to Italy, France and, later on, England. The founding of hospitals, whilst not an Arab initiative, received a fillip from the religious prescriptions for care of the sick. The Military Orders developed specialist institutions for the sick, probably as a result of what they saw during their sojourn in the Middle East. The legacy of Arabic medical care is still with us today and deserves understanding and greater appreciation.

'All is done by Allah'. Understandings of Down syndrome and prenatal testing in Pakistan

How Islam changed medicine: Al-Nafis, Servetus, and Colombo

Tags:

• Blood Circulation
• History, 16th Century
• Humans
• ISLAM
• Medicine, Arabic
• Pulmonary Medicine

The professional ethics of medieval pharmacists in the Islamic world

Tags:

• Ethics, Professional
• History, Medieval
• ISLAM
• Pharmacy

Notes:

• Most work on Islamic medical ethics has been in relation to the physician, yet physicians are only one category of many health-related professionals. In view of its role as mediator between the layman and medication, pharmacy is of perhaps equal importance. In medieval Islam, there seems to have been a clear differentiation between the physician and the pharmacist. However, most of our sources reflect the physician’s point of view. A text which uniquely reflects that of the pharmacist is the thirteenth-century Minhaj al-dukkan by al-Kuhin al-’Attar of Cairo. A comparison between the ethical contents of this book, and of similar works aimed at physicians, can indicate what the differences and similarities were between the “good physician” and the “good pharmacist.” Interestingly, the language used to define the “go od” professional is religiously neutral--there is nothing to evince a particular identity, beyond a general monotheism, on the part of the writers.

Claiming the Public Soul: Representations of Qur'anic Healing and Psychiatry in the Egyptian Print Media

Psychiatric therapy and pharmacology in medieval Islam

Tags:

• History, Medieval
• ISLAM
• Pharmacology
• Psychiatry
• Religion and Medicine

Notes:

• Although psychiatric therapy and pharmacology in Medieval Islam are based on the ancient Greek tradition, the original Arabic contribution in the introduction and employment of new substances is undeniable. Another important aspect which received a decisive impetus by Arab physicians was the concept of psychical therapy.

The influence of Islam on AIDS prevention among Senegalese university students

Tags:

• Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
• Adolescent
• Adult
• Female
• Humans
• ISLAM
• Male
• Questionnaires
• Religion and Sex
• Senegal
• Sexual behavior
• Students
• Young Adult

Notes:

• Few studies have attempted to quantify Islam’s contributions to HIV/AIDS prevention. Senegal has involved Muslim leaders in its prevention campaign for over a decade. Senegal also has the lowest HIV/AIDS prevalence rate in sub-Saharan Africa. This study examines how Islam influences AIDS prevention by testing whether Senegalese participants’ religiosity scores explain their risky decisions associated with sex, condom use, and drug use. Participants with higher religiosity scores were more likely to abstain from sex. However, participants high in religiosity were not more likely to report that they did not use condoms when sexually active.

Abortion and Islam: policies and practice in the Middle East and North Africa

Tags:

• Abortion, Induced
• Africa, Northern
• Aftercare
• Contraception
• Cultural Characteristics
• Family Planning Services
• Female
• Health Policy
• Health Services Accessibility
• Humans
• ISLAM
• Middle East
• Patient Advocacy
• Pregnancy
• Women's Health
• Women's Rights

Notes:

• This paper provides an overview of legal, religious, medical and social factors that serve to support or hinder women’s access to safe abortion services in the 21 predominantly Muslim countries of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, where one in ten pregnancies ends in abortion. Reform efforts, including progressive interpretations of Islam, have resulted in laws allowing for early abortion on request in two countries; six others permit abortion on health grounds and three more also allow abortion in cases of rape or fetal impairment. However, medical and social factors limit access to safe abortion services in all but Turkey and Tunisia. To address this situation, efforts are increasing in a few countries to introduce post-abortion care, document the magnitude of unsafe abortion and understand women’s experience of unplanned pregnancy. Religious fatawa have been issued allowing abortions in certain circumstances. An understanding of variations in Muslim beliefs and practices, and the interplay between politics, religion, history and reproductive rights is key to understanding abortion in different Muslim societies. More needs to be done to build on efforts to increase women’s rights, engage community leaders, support progressive religious leaders and government officials and promote advocacy among health professionals.

Reproductive issues from the Islamic perspective

Notes:

• The Islamic faith is regarded by its followers, Muslims, as a complete way of life. A multitude of nationalities practice Islam and also various sects, and as a result there are various interpretations of Qur’anic guidance relating to almost every matter. Only a fully qualified jurist of the highest rank can issue edicts on problems that are not already clearly addressed in the Qur’an. This applies to contemporary issues and any Muslim is at liberty to debate and dialogue with the religious leader to obtain a ruling on a specific question. Marriage is described as half the faith in Islam and to have children is seen as a great blessing. There is no religious objection to an infertile married couple pursuing any form of infertility treatment including in vitro fertilization, surgical sperm retrieval and micro-assisted conception methods. However, there must be strict control to ensure that the gametes belong to the husband and wife. This relationship is described as ‘halal’ (permitted), whereas any union of gametes outside a marital bond, whether by adultery or in the laboratory, is ‘haraam’ (forbidden). Therefore, donor sperm pregnancies are strictly forbidden in all schools of Islamic law. The advent of ovum donation and surrogacy has led some Islamic scholars to allow this procedure between co-wives thereby avoiding the ‘haraam’ relationship between sperm and egg, but there is still debate on the definition of the mother. Similarly, treating any other situation outside a marriage relationship, for example fertilization of an ovum from cryopreserved sperm after divorce of the couple or death of the husband would be ‘haraam’ and strictly forbidden. The Qur’anic guidance is quite clear that the couple can pursue all permitted treatments but may need to accept that they may not achieve a pregnancy. Adoption is encouraged in Islam with the specific rule that the child must be able to identify its biological father by keeping his name. It must be emphasized that Muslims will vary on their degree of adherence to the faith and the practitioner should present all the options to the couple without assuming which treatments they will or will not accept.

Illness of the mind or illness of the spirit? Mental health-related conceptualization and practices of older Iranian immigrants

Tags:

• Aged
• Aged, 80 and over
• Cultural Characteristics
• Female
• Healthcare Disparities
• Holistic Health
• Humans
• Interviews as Topic
• Iran
• Male
• mental health
• Middle Aged
• Qualitative Research
• spirituality
• Transients and Migrants

Perception of nursing care: views of Saudi Arabian female nurses

Tags:

• Data Collection
• Female
• Humans
• ISLAM
• Male
• Nurse-Patient Relations
• Nurses
• Nursing
• SAUDI Arabia
• Terminal Care

Notes:

• Values are principles and standards that have meaning and worth to an individual, family, group, or community’ (Purnell & Paulanka 1998: p.3). Values are central to the care provided by nurses. The provision of nursing care within the context of value clarification, has been explored from various perspectives, however, as values vary within cultures, there is a limited range of studies reflecting on Saudi Arabian nurses’ perspectives of nursing care. Through a Heideggerian phenomenological research design, six nurses were enrolled through purposive sampling. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews, which were audio tape-recorded, were chosen as the methods of data collection. A seven stage framework approach was applied to analyse and organise the research findings in three conceptual themes: values in context of Islam, the nurse-patient relationship, and identity’s influence on being in the world of nursing. The findings of the research indicate that values in nursing and the perception of care are closely linked to the Islamic values of the informants. However, one of the most challenging aspects emerging from this study is related to these nurses’ experiences related to the public’s negative perception of nursing as a profession for Saudi Arabian women.

Veiled communication: is uncovering necessary for psychiatric assessment?

A tribute to Zakariya Razi (865 - 925 AD), an Iranian pioneer scholar

Tags:

• History, Ancient
• Humans
• Iran
• Male
• Measles
• Philosophy, Medical
• Smallpox

Notes:

• The resurgence of Islamic Civilization in the Near East in the 7th century AD and its expansion to Persian Empire and Westward provided opportunities of access Persian, Hellenic, and Roman writings in philosophy and medicine. Based on their observations and experiences, Islamic physician-philosophers expanded upon those writings and at times challenged them. Among these physician-philosophers admiring and challenging Galen was Zakariya Razi described as the greatest physician of Islam and Medieval Ages. A search of electronic and written materials about early Islamic Medicine was carried out focusing on Persian physician-philosophers Zakariya Razi. Abu Bakr Mohammad Ibn Zakariya al-Razi, known in the West as Rhazes, was born in 865 AD in the ancient city of Rey, Near Tehran. A musician during his youth he became an alchemist. He discovered alcohol and sulfuric acid. He classified substances as plants, organic, and inorganic. At age 30, he undertook the study of medicine. He was a prolific writer with more than 184 texts in medicine attributed to him with 40 of them currently available. Among them are Kitab al-Mansoori, Kitab al-Hawi, and Kitab al -Judari wa al-Hasabah. The latter is the first scientific description for the recognition and differentiation of smallpox and measles. The Bulletin of the World Health Organization of May 1970 pays tribute to Razi by stating “His writings on smallpox and measles show originality and accuracy, and his essay on infectious diseases was the first scientific treatise on the subject”. Razi established qualifications and ethical standards for the practice of medicine. Zakariya Razi was not only one of the most important Persian physician-philosophers of his era, but for centuries his writings became fundamental teaching texts in European medical schools. Some important aspects of his contributions to medicine are reviewed.

Mental health and psychiatry in the Middle East: historical development

Tags:

• Arab World
• Attitude to Health
• Health Services Needs and Demand
• History, 15th Century
• History, 16th Century
• History, 17th Century
• History, 18th Century
• History, 19th Century
• History, 20th Century
• History, 21st Century
• History, Ancient
• History, Medieval
• Humans
• ISLAM
• Medicine, Arabic
• mental health
• Mental Health Services
• Middle East
• Philosophy
• Psychiatry
• Religion and Medicine
• Religion and Psychology

Notes:

• A brief account is given of attitudes towards mental health and the development of psychiatry in the Middle East from an historical perspective. The Middle East is considered as a cultural entity and the influence of the beliefs and practices of ancient times on the collective mind of the people of the Region is discussed.

Egyptian contribution to the concept of mental health

Tags:

• Arab World
• Cultural Characteristics
• Egypt
• History, 20th Century
• History, 21st Century
• History, Ancient
• History, Medieval
• Humans
• ISLAM
• Medicine, Arabic
• mental health
• Mental Health Services
• Psychiatry

Notes:

• This paper provides an historical look at the Egyptian contribution to mental health from Pharaonic times through to the Islamic era and up to today. The current situation as regards mental health in Egypt is described.

The perceived role of Islam in immigrant Muslim medical practice within the USA: an exploratory qualitative study

Tags:

• Adult
• Cultural Characteristics
• Emigrants and Immigrants
• Female
• Humans
• ISLAM
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Physicians
• Pilot Projects
• Professional Practice
• Qualitative Research
• Religion and Medicine
• United States

Notes:

• Background: Islam and Muslims are underrepresented in the medical literature and the influence of physician’s cultural beliefs and religious values upon the clinical encounter has been understudied. Objective: To elicit the perceived influence of Islam upon the practice patterns of immigrant Muslim physicians in the USA. Design: Ten face-to-face, in-depth, semistructured interviews with Muslim physicians from various backgrounds and specialties trained outside the USA and practising within the the country. Data were analysed according to the conventions of qualitative research using a modified grounded-theory approach. Results: There were a variety of views on the role of Islam in medical practice. Several themes emerged from our interviews: (1) a trend to view Islam as enhancing virtuous professional behaviour; (2) the perception of Islam as influencing the scope of medical practice through setting boundaries on career choices, defining acceptable medical procedures and shaping social interactions with physician peers; (3) a perceived need for Islamic religious experts within Islamic medical ethical deliberation. Limitations: This is a pilot study intended to yield themes and hypotheses for further investigation and is not meant to fully characterise Muslim physicians at large. Conclusions: Immigrant Muslim physicians practising within the USA perceive Islam to play a variable role within their clinical practice, from influencing interpersonal relations and character development to affecting specialty choice and procedures performed. Areas of ethical challenges identified include catering to populations with lifestyles at odds with Islamic teachings, end-of-life care and maintaining a faith identity within the culture of medicine. Further study of the interplay between Islam and Muslim medical practice and the manner and degree to which Islamic values and law inform ethical decision-making is needed.

Female patients and practitioners in medieval Islam

Tags:

• Female
• Gynecology
• History, Medieval
• Humans
• ISLAM
• Medicine in Literature
• Medicine, Arabic
• Obstetrics
• Physicians, Women
• Women's Health
• Women's Rights

Islam and end-of-life organ donation. Asking the right questions

Tags:

• Death
• Humans
• ISLAM
• Religion and Medicine
• Tissue and Organ Procurement

Notes:

• Organ transplantation has become an established treatment option for end-stage organ disease. Both living and end-of-life (so called deceased) organ donation narrow the gap between supply and demand for transplantable organs. Advances in human biology prove that death occurs as a gradual process over time and not as a single discrete event. Declaring death with either neurological criteria (heart-beating organ donation) or circulatory criteria (non-heart-beating organ donation) enables the procurement of transplantable organs before human death is complete, namely, from the incipiently dying donor. Thus, surgical procurement of organs from the incipiently dying donor is the proximate cause of death, raising new questions on end-of-life organ donation. It is imperative to first and foremost care for the patient as a dying person. International Muslim scholars should reevaluate previous Islamic rulings and provide guidance about current practice of end-of-life organ donation.

The terminally ill Muslim: death and dying from the Muslim perspective

Tags:

• Attitude to Death
• Attitude to Health
• Cultural Diversity
• Ethics, Medical
• Funeral Rites
• Grief
• Humans
• ISLAM
• Patient Advocacy
• Resuscitation Orders
• Terminal Care
• United States

Notes:

• Islam holds life as sacred and belonging to God and that all creatures will die one day. Suicide is forbidden. Muslims believe death is only a transition between two different lives. The terminally ill Muslim desires to perform five ritual requirements. Do not resuscitate (DNR) orders are acceptable. A deceased Muslim must always be buried after being ritually washed and wrapped. There are different Muslim schools of thought, but they are united regarding their views on death and dying.

Islamic perspectives in human reproduction

Tags:

• Cloning, Organism
• Cryopreservation
• Female
• Gene Therapy
• Humans
• Infertility
• ISLAM
• Male
• Menopause
• Posthumous Conception
• Pregnancy
• Pregnancy Reduction, Multifetal
• Religion and Medicine
• Reproduction
• Reproductive Techniques, Assisted
• Sex Preselection
• Surrogate Mothers
• Uterus

Notes:

• Assisted reproductive technology is widely practised around the world for the treatment of virtually all forms of infertility. The application of this technology in the Islamic world had been delayed for many years, based on the misconception that Islamic teachings do not approve assisted reproduction. The paper discusses derivation of Islamic rulings and its impact on the ethics of contemporary issues, including family formation and assisted reproduction. It clearly shows that Islam encourages family formation and assisted reproduction, when indicated, within the frame of marriage. It also discusses differences among Muslim sects, Sunni and Shi’aa. The paper also discusses Islamic rulings on the new emerging practices in assisted reproduction, including surrogacy, multifetal pregnancy reduction, cryopreservation, pregnancy in the post-menopausal period, sex selection and embryo implantation following the husband’s death. The moral status of the embryo in Islam is discussed. Organ differentiation and ensoulment are believed to occur at 42 days after fertilization at the earliest. As individuation of the embryo does not occur before 14 days from fertilization, research on surplus embryos during this period is allowed. Similarly, preimplantation genetic diagnosis, gene therapy and non-reproductive cloning for the benefit of humanity are ethically acceptable in Islam. This information should help physicians in their decision before conscientious objection to offering various modalities of assisted reproduction to their infertile patients.

Ibn Jazlah and his 11th century accounts (Taqwim al-abdan fi tadbir al-insan) of disease of the brain and spinal cord. Historical vignette

Tags:

• Books
• Brain Diseases
• History, Medieval
• Iraq
• Medicine, Arabic
• Spinal Cord Diseases

Notes:

• The 11th century was culturally and medicinally one of the most exciting periods in the history of Islam. Medicine of this day was influenced by the Greeks, Indians, Persians, Coptics, and Syriacs. One of the most prolific writers of this period was Ibn Jazlah, who resided in Baghdad in the district of Karkh. Ibn Jazlah made many important observations regarding diseases of the brain and spinal cord. These contributions and a review of the life and times of this early Muslim physician are presented.

Islamic legacy of cardiology: Inspirations from the holy sources

Notes:

• The main source of all inspirational knowledge in Islam is indeed the Holy Qur’an. The verses of the Qur’an as well as the Hadeeth and Sunnah literature have also accumulated a number of teachings and practices in relation to cardiovascular medicine. Islam is actually a comprehensive system of life, which provides mankind with the best forms of balance between the mundane and the spiritual. Early era of Islamic medicine has generated some very famous and notable physicians. The greatest physician of this era was Avicenna who devoted a substantial section of his classic magnum opus, the Canon of Medicine, to cardiovascular disorders. The empirical guidelines and principles of the Qur’an and Sunnah might contribute to the understanding and evaluation of various disturbances of the heart and vessels. Islamic legacy will still continue to inspire the contemporary cardiology in investigating cardiovascular diseases.

Anatomy of the eye from the view of Ibn Al-Haitham (965-1039). The founder of modern optics

Tags:

• Egypt
• History, Medieval
• Humans
• Medicine, Arabic
• Ophthalmology
• Optics and Photonics
• Reference Books, Medical

Notes:

• Ibn Al-Haitham (known as Alhazen in Latin [965 Basra, Iraq-1039, Cairo, Egypt]) was a scientist who played an important role in the middle age Islam world. He wrote many books and novels, but only 90 of them are known. His main book Kitab al-Manazir was translated into Western languages in the late twelfth century, and in the early thirteenth century. In this book, he formulated many hypotheses on optical science. The book, which is also known as Optic treasure (opticae thesaurus), affected many famous Western scientists. He became an authority until the seventeenth century in the Eastern and Western countries. Roger Bacon (1212-1294), who made radical changes in the Western optical traditions, reconfirmed Ibn Al-Haitham’s findings. Ibn al-Haitham began his book Kitab al-Manazir with the anatomy and physiology of the eye. He specifically described cornea, humor aqueous, lens, and corpus vitreum. He examined the effect of light on seeing. He caused changes in the prevailing ideas of his age, and suggested that light came from objects, not from the eye. He provided information regarding the optic nerve, retina, iris, and conjunctiva. He showed the system of the eye as a dioptric, and the relations between the parts of the eye. It is understood that he mastered all knowledge on the structure of the eye in his century. The best proof of this is the eye picture that he drew.

How Islam changed medicine: Ibn Sina (Avicenna) saw medicine and surgery as one

Tags:

• General Surgery
• History, 19th Century
• History, Medieval
• ISLAM
• Medicine, Arabic

Muslim views on mental health and psychotherapy

Notes:

• Objectives: The aim of this research was to explore with a heterogeneous Muslim population their understanding of the concept of mental health and how any mental distress experienced by an individual can best be addressed. Design: A qualitative approach was taken. Participants were interviewed, and data analysed thematically. Methods: A sample of 14 Muslims was interviewed according to a semi-structured interview schedule. Participants were recruited via electronic mailing lists, and communications with local Muslim organizations. Interviews were transcribed verbatim, and data were analysed using thematic analysis. Results: Thematic analysis identified seven operationalizing themes that were given the labels ‘causes’, ‘problem management’, ‘relevance of services’, ‘barriers’, ‘service delivery’, ‘therapy content’, and ‘therapist characteristics’. Conclusions: The results highlight the interweaving of religious and secular perspectives on mental distress and responses to it. Potential barriers are discussed, as are the important characteristics of therapy, therapists, and service provision. Clinical implications are presented along with the limitations of this study and suggestions for future research.