Archives Of Truth1

Archives of Truth (Part I) History is a vast tree of knowledge, yet certain elements of the tree have been stripped so that parts of the tree do not grow or show. Little is known about Muslim History and its contributions to society in regards to, medicine, science, mathematics, navigations etc¦ Over the next few articles I would like to enlighten you on some of these missing elements, first starting with Medicine and Navigations I hope you enjoy the reading.

Albucassis (Al-Zaharwi), born near Cordola in 936 A.D. Albucassis was one of the greatest surgeons of his time. His encyclopedia of surgery was used as standard reference work in the subject in all universities of Europe for over five hundred years, he was among the very first of those who worked in the field of medicine. Albucassis was not only a medical scholar, but a great practicing physician and surgeon. His works include, At-Tasrif, which contains the earliest pictures of surgical instruments in history, about 200 are described and illustrated.

The 300 pages of Albucasis surgery represents the first book of this size devoted solely to surgery which at that time also included dentistry and what one may term surgical dermatology. Here in Albucasis developed all aspects of surgery and various branches; Ophtalmology, disease of the ear, nose and throat, and of the head and neck, general surgery, Obstetrics, Gynecology; Military medicine, Urology, and Orthopedic surgery. He divided the discourse into three parts: (1) on cauterization (56 sections); (2) on surgery (97 sections), and (3) on orthopedic (35 sections). It is no wonder then that Albucasis awakened in Europe a prepossession in favor of Arabic medical Literature, that his book reached eminence as the foremost text book in Western Christendom. (By Dr. Ibrahim Shasashikh) Speak of the worlds first navigators and the names Christopher of Vascoda Gama flash through a Western mind. Little is known of the remarkable feats that a Chinese Muslim Zheng He (1371-1433) had accomplished decades before the two European adventures.

Admiral Zheng He, who ranks as perhaps the countrys foremost adventurer. A muslim and a warrior, Zheng He helped transform China into the regions and perhaps the worlds, superpower of his time. Ma He as he was originally known, was born in 1371 to a poor ethnic Hui (Chinese muslims) family in Southwest China. His grand father and father once made an overland pilgrimage o Makkah. Their travels contributed much to youg Mas education, He grew up speaking Arabic and Chinese, learning much about the world to the West and its geography and customs.

In 1405, Zheng was chosen to lead the biggest naval expedition in history up to that time. Over the next 28 years (1405-1433) he commanded seven fleets that visited 37 countries, through Southeast Asia to faraway Africa and Arabia. In those years China had by far the largest ships of the time. A great fleet of ships, with mast and manned by 500 men, each set sail in July 1405, half century before Columbuss voyage to America. Zheng He first fleet included 27,870 men on 317 ships, including sailors, clerks, interpreters, soldiers, artisans, medical men and meteorologists. On board were large quantities of cargo including silk goods, porcelain, gold and silverware, copper utensils, iron implements and cotton goods. The fleet sailed along Chinas coast to Champa close to Vietnam and, after crossing the South China sea, he visited Java, Sumatra and reached Sri Lanka by passing through the Strait of Malacca. On the way back it sailed along the west coast of India and returned home in 1407.