e writings of all previous distinguished medical
writers, from Hippocrates to Honein Ben Ishac, also known as
Johannitius, a Christian Arabian physician, one of Rhazes' teachers. The
most frequently quoted of these authorities are Galen, Oribasius,
Aetius, and Paul of AEgina. The work, however, is not made up entirely of
quotations, but contains many observations made by the author himself.
Gurlt says that the foundation of the theoretic medicine of Rhazes is
the system of Galen, while in practice he seems to cling more to the
aphorisms of Hippocrates. He has many practical points which show that
he thought for himself. For instance, in wounds of the abdomen, if the
intestines are extruded and cannot be replaced, he suggests the
suspension of the patient by his hands and feet in a bath in order to
facilitate their return. If they do not go back readily, compresses
dipped in warm wine should be used. Cancer he declares to be almost
incurable. He has much to say about the bites of animals and their
tendency to be poisonous, knew rabies very well, and knew also that the
bites of men might have similar serious consequences.

It is impossible to give any adequate idea of the thoroughly practical
character of Rhazes' medical writing in a few lines, but it may suffice
to say that there is scarcely any feature of modern medicine and surgery
that he does not touch, and oftener than not his touch is sure and
rational and frequently much better than the advice of successors long
after him in the same matters. An example or two will suffice to
illustrate this. In the treatment of nasal polyps he says that whenever
drug treatment of these is not successful, they should be removed with a
snare made of hair. For fall of the uvula he suggests gargles, but when
these fail he advises resection and cauterization. Among the affections
of the tongue he numbers abscess, fissure, ulcer, cancer, ranula,
shortening of the ligaments, hypertrophy, erythema of the mucous
membrane, and inflammatory swelling. In general his treatment of the
upper respiratory tract is much farther advanced than we might think
possible at this time. He advises tracheotomy whenever there is great
difficulty of respiration, and describes how it should be done. After
the dyspnea has passed the edges of the wound should be brought together
with sutures. It is not surprising, then, to find that the treatment of
fractures and luxations is eminently practical, and, indeed, on