Lectures on Islamic Medicine at RCP, London

Lectures on Islamic Medicine at the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) at the Launch of the "The Miror of Health" Exhibition, 13th May 2013, London

Lectures on Islamic Medicine at the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) at the Launch of the “The Miror of Health” Exhibition, 13th May 2013, London

The Mirror of Health: Discovering Medicine in the Golden Age of Islam is an exhibition revealing the development of medical tradition in Europe and the Middle East from the collections of the Royal College of Physicians. It opened in London on May 1st and will stay in display until 25 October 2013.

In the exhibition, the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) displays for the first time a rare collection of its Islamic medical manuscripts dating from the 13th century onwards. The collection of original documents of Arabic and Persian medical texts have never been on public display before.

The exhibition was curated by Ms Pamela Forde. The Foundation for Science, Technology and Civilisation (FSTC) assisted in the development of the exhibition, the catalogue and the accompanying film. The Catalogue is published in the form of a book authored by Prof. Peter Pormann. The film contains interviews with Prof. Peter Pormann of the university of Manchester and Prof. Charles Burnett of the Warburg Institute of the university of London.

Ms Pamela Forde, curator of RCP Mirror of Health Exhibition, and Prof Peter Pormann, both with Prof. Salim Al-Hassani, President of FSTC, at the Royal College of Physicians

On May 13, 2013, the launch was inaugurated by a reception, a session of two lectures and dinner. The chair of the session was Professor Mohammed El-Gomati, OBE, Chairman of (FSTC).

Prof. Mohammed El-Gomati, OBE, Chairman of FSTC

The first lecture (18.30-19.45) entitled:

From Alexandria to Baghdad and from Cairo and Tehran to the RCP, London was presented by Professor Peter Pormann.

Prof. Peter Pormann giving a lecture at Al-Fuqran (Source)

The second lecture entitled The Arabic Medical Tradition in the West: A Shared Legacy was presented by Professor Charles Burnett.

Prof. Charles Burnett giving a lecture at The Royal Society (Source)

On this occasion the catalogue/book was launched. The book entitled “The Mirror of Health” by Prof. Peter E Pormann can be purchased from www.rcplondon.ac.uk.

The exhibition and the catalogue explore the development of medical science in the Middle East and Europe, via the medical traditions that developed in the heartland of Islam from the 9th to the 17th century. This fascinating story is illustrated by the RCP’s collection of Islamic manuscripts dating from the 1200s to the 1900s.

See also: The Mirror of Health: Discovering Medicine in the Golden Age of Islam, 1 May to 25 October 2013