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He is credited with, among other things, the discovery of sulfuric acid, the "work horse" of modern chemistry and chemical engineering; and also of alcohol and its use of in medicine.
Razi was a prolific writer, writing 184 books and articles in several fields of science. According to historian Ibn an-Nadim , Razi distinguished himself as the best physician of his time who had fully absorbed GreekAncient Greece is the term used to describe the Greek-speaking world in ancient times. It refers not only to the territory of the present Greek state, but also to those areas settled in ancient times by Greeks: Cyprus, the Aegean coast of Turkey (then kno medical learning. He traveled in many lands and rendered service to many princes and rulers. As a medical educator, he attracted many students of all levels. He was said to be compassionate, kind, upright, and devoted to the service of his patients, whether rich or poor.
The Razi Institute near TehranCapitals in Asia Tehran (also spelled Teheran ( or in Persian), population 11,050,000 ( metropolitan: 15,000,000), is the capital of Iran. More than half of the country's industry is based there. Industries include manufacturing cars, electronic and elect, Iran was named after him. Razi Day (Pharmacy Day) is commemorated in Iran every August 27August 27 is the 239th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (240th in leap years), with 126 days remaining. Events 479 BC Battle of Plataea ends the Persian invasion of Greece, Mardonius routed by Pausanias, the Spartan commander of the Greek army..
In PersianPersian , also known as Farsi (local name), Parsi Tajiki or Dari is a language spoken in Iran, Tajikistan, Afghanistan and Uzbekistan. It has official-language status in the first three countries. There are over 75 million native speakers. It belongs to t, Razi means "from the city of Rayy (Rages)" near TehranCapitals in Asia Tehran (also spelled Teheran ( or in Persian), population 11,050,000 ( metropolitan: 15,000,000), is the capital of Iran. More than half of the country's industry is based there. Industries include manufacturing cars, electronic and elect, Iran, where he was born and (like Avicenna) did much of his work. Although scholars mostly agree on the year of Razi's death, his year of birth is not precisely known: many sources say 864, but some scholars such as William H. Brock give 850 while the historian/pharmacist Charles LaWall dates his birth as early as 841. Like many other Islamic figures, he is often, but incorrectly, said to be Arab in Western literature.
Before becoming a physician, Razi was interested in music; he was well versed in musical theory and is said to have been an exceptional performer. After serving for some time as the head of the first Royal Hospital at Ray, Razi moved to Baghdad where he was put in charge of its famous Muqtadari Hospital , and gathered the bulk of his clinical observations.
His medical career was cut short by his major work, the Al-Hawi. A Muslim priest, whom Razi had apparently contradicted somewhere in its pages, ordered that Razi be beaten over the head with the manuscript until one of them broke. Razi's head broke first, and the result was permanent blindness for Rhazes. Rhazes suffered failing eyesight for several years, and though he eventually lost all vision he continued to provide medical consultations and often even lectured. The exact nature of his ocular disease is uncertain, though it is said that he refused to be operated on because his caregivers could not answer his questions concerning the anatomy of the eye.
Razi was a student of Hunayn Ibn Ishaq . Many claim that he was the first to say that the world is round, but this was known much earlier, at least as early as Ptolemy.
As chief physician at the Baghdad hospital Razi formulated the first known description of smallpox:
This is acknowledged by the Encyclopaedia Britannica (1911), which states: "The most trustworthy statements as to the early existence of the disease are found in an account by the 9th-century Arabian physician Rhazes, by whom its symptoms were clearly described, its pathology explained by a humoral or fermentation theory, and directions given for its treatment.".
Written by Razi, the al-Judari wa al-Hasbah was the first book on smallpox, and was translated over a dozen times into Latin and other European languages. Its lack of dogmatism and its Hippocratic reliance on clinical observation show Razi's medical methods:
Razi was also the first to distinguish between smallpox and measles.
Razi is known to have discovered allergic asthma , and was the first person to have ever written an article on allergy and immunology. In the Sense of Smelling he explains the occurrence of rhinitis when smelling a rose in the spring ("An Article on the Reason Why Abou Zayd Balkhi Suffers from Rhinitis When Smelling Roses in Spring"). In this article he talks of seasonal rhinitis, which is the same as allergic asthma or hay fever. Razi was also the first to realize that fever was a natural defense mechanism, the body's way of fighting disease.
Rhazes contributed to the early practice of pharmacy by compiling texts, but also in various other ways. Examples are the introduction of mercurial ointments, and the development of apparatus like mortars, flasks, spatulas and phials, as used in pharmacies until the early twentieth century.
On the professional level, Razi introduced many useful, progressive, medical and psychological ideas. He also attacked charlatans and fake doctors who roamed the cities and the countryside selling their nostrums and 'cures'. At the same time, he warned that even highly educated doctors did not have the answers for all medical problems and could not cure all sicknesses or heal every disease. Humanly speaking, this is an impossibility. Nonetheless, to be more useful in their services and truer to their calling, Razi exhorted practitioners to keep up with advanced knowledge by continually studying medical books and exposing themselves to new information. He further classified diseases into three categories: those which are curable, those that can be cured, and those which are incurable. On the latter, he cited advanced cases of cancer and leprosy which the doctor should not be blamed for if uncured. Then, on the humorous side, Razi pitied physicians caring for the well being of princes, nobility, and women, for they did not obey doctor's orders for restricted diet and medical treatment, thus making most difficult the task of being their doctor.
This is a partial list of Razi's books and articles in medicine, according to Ibn Abi Usaybi'ah . Some books may have been copied or printed under different names.
Razi's notable books and articles on medicine (in English) include:
Razi's interest in alchemy and his strong belief in the possibility of transmutation of lesser metals to silver and gold was attested half a century after his death by Ibn an-Nadim 's book (The Philosophers Stone). Nadim attributed a series of twelve books to ar-Razi, then seven more, including his refutation to al-Kindi's denial of the validity of alchemy. Last come Razi's two best-known alchemical texts, which largely superseded his earlier ones: al-Asrar("The Secrets"), and Sirr al-Asrar ("The Secret of Secrets"), which incorporates much of the previous work.
Apparently Razi's contemporaries believed that he had the secret of turning iron and copper into gold. Biographer Khosro Moetazed reports in Mohammad Zakaria Razi that a certain General Simjur confronted Razi in public, and asked whether that was the reason for his willingness to treat patients without charging. "It appeared to those present that Razi was reluctant to answer; he looked obliquely at the general and replied:
Razi developed several chemical instruments that remain in use to this day. Rhazes is known to have perfected methods of distillation and extraction. This work led to his discovery of sulfuric acid (from the dry distillation of vitriol) and alcohol. These discoveries paved the way for the work of other Islamic alchemists, such as the discovery of several other mineral acids by Jabir Ibn Hayyam (known as Geber in Europe).
Razi's alchemy, like his medical thinking, struggles within the cocoon of hylomorphism. It dismisses the idea of potions and dispenses with an appeal to magic, if magic means reliance on symbols as causes.
But Razi does not reject the idea that there are wonders in the sense of unexplained phenomena in nature. His alchemical stockroom, accordingly, is enriched with the products of Persian mining and manufacture, and the Chinese discovery, sal ammoniac. Still reliant on the idea of dominant forms or essences and thus on the Neoplatonic conception of causality as inherently intellectual rather than mechanical, Razi's alchemy nonetheless brings to the fore such empiric qualities as salinity and inflammability-the latter ascribed to 'oiliness' and 'sulphurousness'. Such properties are not readily explained by the traditional fire, water, earth and air schematism, as al-óhazali and other later comers, primed by thoughts like Razi's, were quick to note.
Here is a list of Razi's known books on alchemy, mostly in Persian:
Razi believed that the competent physician must also be a philosopher well versed in the fundamental questions regarding existence:
Razi is known to be a free-thinking Islamic philosopher, since he was well-trained in the Greek sciences. He was also well versed in the musical theory, as were many other Islamic scientists of the time, although his approach in chemistry was naturalistic.
His ideas on metaphysics were also based on the works of the great Greeks:
It is quite evident that most of his thoughts derived from Islam, this is demonstrated clearly in his writing of The Metaphysics.
This is a partial list of Razi's books on philosophy. Some books may have been copied or published under different titles.
Notable Books (in English): Spiritual Medicine, The Philosophical Approach (Al Syrat al Falsafiah), and The Metaphysics
Asked if a philosopher can follow a prophetically revealed religion, al-Razi openly retorts:
"gentility of character, and nicety and purity of mind, are found in those who are capable of thinking deeply about abstruse matters and scientific minutiae."
"Man should hasten to protect himself from love before succumbing and wean his soul from it if he falls."
"The self-admirer, generally, should not glorify himself nor be so conceited that he elevates himself above his counterparts. Neither should he belittle himself to the extent that he becomes inferior to his counterparts or to those who are inferior both to him and to his counterparts in the sight of others. If he follows this advice, he will be free of self-admiration and feelings of inferiority, and people would call him the one who truly knows himself."
When asked of envy, Razi retorts: "It results from the gathering of niggardliness and avarice in the soul." "one of the diseases that cause grave harm to the soul."
See also: List of Persian scientists
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