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Day to Commemorate Polymath Razi

Day to Commemorate Polymath Razi
Day to Commemorate Polymath Razi

In recognition of the achievements of famed Persian polymath, physician, alchemist and philosopher Muhammad ibn Zakariya al-Razi (854-925) in the field of pharmacy, his birthday (August 27) is commemorated in Iran and named as Pharmaceutical Day.

As a legendary polymath in medicine, philosophy, and chemistry, Razi wrote numerous books on medical and scientific subjects that have been influential in western medicinal fields for centuries, Pupils Association News Agency (PANA) reported.

Razi was the leading scholar of Islam and the Medieval Ages. He made fundamental and enduring contributions to various fields, which he recorded in 200 plus manuscripts, and is remembered for numerous advances in medicine through his observations and discoveries.

According to the Encyclopedia Britannica (1911), he was among the first to use humoral theory to distinguish one contagious disease from another, and wrote a pioneering book about smallpox and measles providing clinical characterization of the diseases. He also discovered numerous compounds and chemicals including alcohol and kerosene, among others.

Through translation, his medical works and ideas became known among medieval European practitioners and profoundly influenced medical education in the Latin West. Some volumes of his work Al-Mansuri, namely ‘On Surgery’ and ‘A General Book on Therapy’, became part of the medical curriculum in western universities.

On a professional level, Razi introduced many practical, progressive, medical and psychological ideas.  His philosophical writings were neglected for centuries and renewed appreciation of their importance did not occur until the 20th century.

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