Mental health and psychiatry in the Middle East: historical development

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

This paper provides a 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

Quranic description of gametes.

There are several important characteristic properties of reproductive fluid. Gametes are the reproductive cells consisting of sperms in males and ovum in females. These cells combine to form Zygote in the process of fertilization. The characters of Gametes have been narrated by Holy Quran in a very well-suited and selected terminology. This paper enumerates various Quranic terms related to gametes, and then discusses their scientific significance.

The role of Galen in the development and progress of medical sciences.

Early Roman medicine was a mixture of religion and witchcraft, but as time went by, it became more influenced by the Greek medical sciences, which were more developed. The most famous Greek physician during the Roman period was Galen (129-200 AD). In the 4th century A. D. The Byzantine physicians of the Emperor Julian, made the Galenic writings available to ordinary practitioners, and so Greek medicine spread throughout Syria and was carried by the Nestorians into Persia, where it became available to the Islamic World.

The relation between Greek and Islamic materia medica.

Many studies have been made on the exact data of the introduction of Greek sciences to the Arabic culture. During the 8th and 9th centuries A.D. a big progress was done in the Arab-Islamic sciences, when the Caliphs of the Omayad and Abbasid dynasties invited many scientists, researchers and translators for translation of all sciences into Arabic. The Arabs paid special attention to the Greek natural sciences such as botany and pharmacy. Greek materia medica was a major common basis for Arab-Islamic medicine and pharmacy which in turn paved the way to the modern pharmaceutical therapy.

Hakeem Ali Gilani: a commentator of canon of Avicenna.

Hakim Ali Gilani was a native of Gilan. He was a distinguished physician and medical writer. He wrote commentary on canon of Avicenna. He came to India during Akbar's time and served two Mughal rulers, Akbar and Jahangir. He was praised very much by the medical historians for his vast knowledge, curiosity and intelligence. A brief account of his achievements has been given in this article.