Concepts and Therapies for Cancer from Islamic Golden Age to Ottoman Empire

Document Type : Conference Paper

Authors

1 Department of History of Medicine, School of Persian Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

2 Iranian Society for the History of Pharmacy, Tehran, Iran

3 Department of Toxicology, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poznan, Poland

4 Department of Traditional Pharmacy, School of Persian Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

From its origins during the Islamic Golden Age (8th –14th centuries) to its use and dissemination during the classical Ottoman medical tradition (15th –18th centuries), this article charts the development of cancer knowledge and treatment.  This analysis shows a remarkable continuity in the humoral theory of cancer as a disease of black bile, drawing on important primary sources such as the writings of Rhazes, Avicenna, and Haly Abbas, as well as Ottoman surgical manuals (jarrāh-nāmes).  Although the Ottoman texts were primarily used to translate and preserve classical Islamic knowledge, they also show a consistent medical paradigm in which a systemic approach to a feared and frequently fatal disease was taken through the use of diagnosis, diet, purgation, and cautious surgery.

Keywords

References

  1. Acıduman, A., Er, U., and Belen, D., 2021. Cancer in Ottoman Surgical Books – Part I: Classical Period (1450–1730). Journal of Clinical Practice and Research, 43, pp. 513–518.
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Journal of Research on History of Medicine
Volume 14, Suppl. 1
The 2nd History of Medicine Meeting: Entangled Histories: Contribution of Iran and Türkiye to the Development of Medical Sciences; 2025 Oct 7-10; Shiraz, Iran
October 2025
Pages 75-80

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