RCSI Heritage Collections

Within the last couple of days an amazing discovery has taken place in the University of Birmingham. Two pages of parchment from the Qur'an which date to the time of the Prophet Muhammad (c.570-632) have been discovered mistakenly bound with a manuscript from the 7th century. The discovery of this Arabic manuscript brought to mind the hugely significant medical tome written in the Islamic Golden Age  (c780-1260) by Avicenna , one of the most important thinkers and writers of that time. Avicenna was born in the Bukhara region modern day Uzbekistan in 980 AD and died at the age of only 57 in Hamadan, Iran. It was under the patronage of  Harun al-Rashid , the fifth Abbasid Caliph, that the Islamic Golden Age came about. He encouraged growth, study and discoveries in the sciences, culture, religion, Islamic art and music. He also established the legendary ' House of Wisdom ' or 'Bayt al-Hikma' library in Baghdad. Title page of The Canon of Medicine or   Al-Qanu...

St. Patrick banishing snakes from Ireland Image courtesy of Jim Fitzpatrick As snakes are associated with medicine through the Rod of Asclepius the RCSI Heritage Collections thought it apt to have a picture of snakes to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, even if they are getting banished! Asclepius , a deity associated with healing and medicinal arts in Greek mythology, is depicted in ancient statues, pottery and coins with snakes and the staff. Because of this association a particular type of non-venomous snake was often used in healing rituals by the ancients. These snakes crawled freely on the floor in dormitories where the sick and injured slept.  Illustration of the Rod of Asclepius. Aphorisms of Hippocrates dated to 1571. The snake and staff symbol can be seen clearly. Image courtesy of  John P. McGovern Historical Collection If Asclepius is the 'god of medicine' than Hippocrates is the 'father of med...