• Corpus ID: 14761256

HISTORY OF MEDICINE PAST GLORIES THE GREAT LIBRARY OF ALEXANDRIA

@inproceedings{Hajar2007HISTORYOM,
  title={HISTORY OF MEDICINE PAST GLORIES THE GREAT LIBRARY OF ALEXANDRIA},
  author={Rachel Hajar},
  year={2007}
}

• R. Hajar
• Published 2007
• History

HEART VIEWS VOL. 1 NO. 7 MARCH / MAY 2000: 278-282 *Director, Non-Invasive Cardiac Laboratory, Cardiology and Cardiovascular Surgery Dept., Hamad Medical Corporation, P.O. Box 3050, Doha, Qatar. E-mail:[e-mail] F abled in antiquity for its treasures of wisdom, the Library of Alexandria was the envy of the civilized world. Alexandria was by no means the first great book repository, but because it contained antiquity’s most extensive collection of recorded thought, it undoubtedly was the greatest. The library became a wonder of the scholarly world, eventually containing, it was said, 700,000 manuscripts, and its facilities included an observatory, zoological gardens, lecture halls, and rooms for research. For nine brilliant centuries, from around 300 BC to the 7th century AD, Alexandria was a place of inspiration. Alexandria stood as a beacon of learning and discovery and played a central role in the development of medical thought and practice. The medical books in the library were dominated by Greek theories. To appreciate fully Alexandria’s impressive position in the evolution of medical theory and practice, it is necessary to touch briefly on the great thinkers, Plato and Aristotle, for their ideas and doctrines were the cornerstones of Western thought, which profoundly influenced science and medicine in the West. Together with Hippocrates before them, and Galen afterwards, their doctrines were the roots of pagan, Christian, and Muslim medical thought.