Menu of Activities - Medicine and Health

• Note Taking and Outlining: Make an outline of the main points in this unit on medicine. Use standard outline format: Roman numerals, capital letters, Arabic numerals, then small letters. Example:

  Intro. Medicine and health were perhaps the highest scientific __________________________ of the Muslims during the Middle Ages. Islam _____________________ the gaining of medical knowledge: Allah has made a remedy for every _____________________. The Third Pillar (__________________) encouraged people to help the poor and sick. ______________________ were built throughout the empire. Islam encouraged good ____________________ and cleanliness. Scientists got _______________________ from Greeks, Egyptians, etc. The Empire was so big it encouraged ___________________ of ideas and knowledge.   I. Famous Doctors A. Al-Razi (864-930) Expert in medicine, put in charge of the famous ______________________ in Baghdad Wrote about Greek - _________________ medicine Famous for study of ______________________ and chicken pox. Introduced the use of _____________________ for medical purposes. Used opium for __________________________ Emphasized the importance of _________________________ factors in health B. Ibn Sina (980 - 1037) - the boy ____________________ By the age of _________ he was an excellent physician who took care of the king. He wrote his first book at age _________ . Wrote the Canon, or _________________________ of Medicine. He first recognized the _____________________ nature of tuberculosis (T.B.) He emphasized the importance of ________________________, climate and environment on health. He described the use of oral ________________________ (pain killers). He tested many drugs and medicines. His Canon of Medicine was used in the medical schools of _____________________ from the 12th - ________th century C. Al-Zahravi (963-1013) Called the _____________ of surgery Wrote an encyclopedia of surgery. Developed many surgical ___________________ used in operations Used silk ________________ for stitching wounds Performed delicate operations such as ________________________ to deliver babies D. Ibn Zuhr (1091 - 1161) Worked mostly in Spain. Knew about dissecting and ______________________ First to test medicines on ______________________ First to describe __________________________ and ______________________ Described intestinal ____________________, inflammation of middle ear, and __________________________ Wrote important books   II. Dentists A. Dental Care Dentists made false teeth out of __________________. They pulled teeth that had _______________________ Muslims brushed their teeth with a __________________ and sweetened their breath with _____________________ . B. Al-Zahravi wrote about crooked teeth and invented the way for making and ______________________ false teeth   III. Diseases of the Middle Ages A. Low life expectancy - not like today. They suffered from many diseases we don't _____________ about. High infant ______________________ rate Famine __________________ Epidemics B. The Bubonic Plague (The _____________ Death) Began about 1331 in the _______________ of Central Asia Found in rodents Spread to humans by the bite of __________________ Spread quickly because of ________________ and exchange between cultures Many false treatments, but none worked Plague patients were isolated in _______________________ Ships were _______________________ for 40 days until the disease died out C. . . .       D.     Part IV: Some Common Medieval Medical Procedures A.   B.   (etc.)

• Vocabulary Master: Show that you know the important vocabulary from this unit that is in boldface type. The words are listed here:

____ 1. He is a physician.	A. can spread to others
____ 2. to dissect	B. the study of the body (its organs, skeleton, muscles, etc.)
____ 3. He studied anatomy.	C. a doctor
____ 4. TB is contagious.	D. cleanliness (to prevent disease)
____ 5. hygiene	E. medicine to keep a patient from feeling pain (especially during an operation)
____ 6. a fatal disease	F. before
____ 7. I was given anesthesia	G. to cut up for inspection
____ 8. prior to	H. the heartbeat and flow of blood that can be felt in the wrist (and elsewhere)
____ 9. He was baffled by...	I. an operation to remove a baby from the mother through the belly
____10. She felt her pulse	J. a cure; a way to solve the problem
____11. a remedy	K. a disease that spreads rapidly through the population
____12. He was born by caesarean	L. deadly
____13. epidemic	M. confused; didn't know the answer

____14. infant mortality	N. extreme hunger; not enough food
____15. inflammation	O. animals like rats, mice
____16. famine	P. on purpose
____17. plague	Q. cannot catch a disease
____18. rodents	R. the death of babies
____19. a quarantine	S. when sick people are isolated or kept apart from others
____20. immunity	T. the amount of medicine a patient should take
____21. intentionally	U. a dead body
____22. dose	V. a very small amount
____23. corpse	W. a person who lived at the same time (as someone else)
____24. a meager quantity	X. redness (like a rash or skin irritation)
____25. a malady	Y. a deadly disease that kills or infects many people; a rapidly spreading disease
____26. a contemporary of	Z. a sickness

• Knowledge Master: Show that you know this subject well by answering the following questions:
  1. How did the religion of Islam encourage achievements in medicine and health?
  2. From which ancient civilization(s) did the Muslims get much medical knowledge?
  3. What are some of the achievements of the four famous doctors listed above? Which two achievements do you think were the most important? Why?
  4. Why was life expectancy so short during the Middle Ages? (Give at least four reasons.)
  5. How was the Bubonic plague (the black death) spread so rapidly throughout Asia, Europe and North Africa?
  6. What were some diseases that were deadly epidemics in the Middle Ages, but we don't worry about now? Why don't we worry?
  7. How did Muslim hospitals compare with European hospitals at that time?
  8. What achievements were made in pharmacology (pharmacies or drug stores)?
  9. What was the job of the public health inspectors, and why were they important?
  10. What is the most important thing you have learned about Medicine and Health from this webpage? Why do you think so?

   

Medieval Medicine:

• Community Photo Search: Get a camera and find in your community the following places which were influenced by Islamic medicine and sciences. On a large map display your pictures and tell about the influences from these doctors and scientists:
  1. Optometry store or office - Yes, the Muslims had studied the eye long before it was done scientifically in Europe. Read about Al-Haitham (Alhazen), "the Father of Modern Optics"
  2. Dentist or Orthodontist's Office- Al-Zahravi had techniques to straighten the teeth!
  3. Hospital, health center, or doctor's office - Read about the father of surgery, Al-Zahravi (Albucasis) and Ibn Zuhr (Avenzoar). You can compare the hospitals of the Middle Ages with the one in your community.
  4. Herbal medicine shop - Ibn Sina (Avicenna) was a collector of herbs, and he wrote a medical textbook that was used for five hundred years!
  5. Pharmacy - Ibn Zuhr and Ibn Sina (Avicenna) [listed above] have added to medicine given to patients. See how Ibn Sina tested medicines. Also read about Jabir Ibn Haiyan (Geber), the father of modern chemistry.
  6. Clean streets and restaurants: See "Health Inspectors - the Muhtasib" which tells about "health inspectors" in Baghdad in the 11th-12th centuries.
• Create a Medical Advice Column: Using pictures and information from books, magazines, and websites above to get your information, create a Medical Advice Column. Use advice that physicians would give from the Middle Ages.

• Create a Medical "Who's Who" list of important physicians and scientists during the Medieval Period.

• In a short skit or play illustrate the approaches to medicine that were common back in the Middle Ages. Have actors act out the parts of doctors and patients from long ago. (You may learn about this from "Hospitals and Medical Schools in the Dark and Middle Ages".)

• Oral Reports: All groups may be required to make an oral report on their topic. See the oral report criteria before you begin your report.

   

• Create a webpage: Show what you learned and did through research and activities. Remember, a good webpage has an introduction, body, and conclusion (with a reflection) just like a good composition. (Add pictures from other sites or scan in photographs you have taken.) A good webpage has good information that is well researched and written in your own words. A good webpage may also have links to lead the reader to more information if they want to learn more.

• Evaluate the websites listed above according to a five-star system. Which ones, if any, deserve all five stars? Set up your criteria for evaluation. Your evaluations may become part of this webpage.

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