Adab al-Tabib

Adab al-Tabib (Arabic: أدب الطبيب‎‎ Adab aț-Ṭabīb, "Morals of the physician") is the common title of a historical Arabic book on medical ethics, written by Al-Ruhawi, a 9th-century physician. The title can be roughly translated "Practical Ethics of the Physician". As the name suggests, it focuses on adab, the Islamic concept of etiquette and personal ethics, as it is defined in a medical context. One of the earliest texts on Islamic medical ethics, it has been called the "crowning achievement" of early works concerning adab in medicine.

Al-Ruhawi was born a Christian, probably of the Nestorian sect that had split from mainstream Christianity in 530. Although it is not entirely clear, he was most likely still a Christian when he wrote Adab al-Tabib. Despite his beliefs, Adab al-Tabib is primarily an Islamic text, built upon Islamic beliefs and practices. Due to this strong Islamic influence, a modern scholar has disputed this interpretation, claiming that only a full Muslim could have produced such a text.

Adab al-Tabib builds on the works of several earlier Muslim and middle-eastern Christian philosophers and medical authorities, like Al-Kindi and Hunayn ibn Ishaq. However, it draws from many other historical traditions as well, especially those of ancient Greece. The book incorporates themes and direct quotes from Greek philosophers such as Aristotle, Plato, and Hippocrates, among others. It also borrows particularly heavily from the writings of the prominent Roman physician Galen. Despite his thoroughness in citing his influences, Al-Ruhawi notably makes no mention or acknowledgement to any earlier texts that specifically deal with Islamic medical ethics, suggesting that this book may have been the earliest work on the subject.

Because contemporary and later Islamic works have been relatively neglected in analysis, it is difficult to ascertain Al-Ruhawi's impact on later thinkers in the field. Given Al-Ruhawi's extensive research and reliance on older traditions, and the degree to which Islamic medical ethics followed his ideas, it is likely that Al-Ruhawi's book was generally well-received and accepted.

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