Logan Reid
Islamic hospitals, also known as bimaristans, were divided into wards based on several factors. Bimaristans were established centres for patient care, a main source of medical education for students, and a form of practical training for doctors and physicians. They were known for their secular nature, serving all people regardless of race, religion, citizenship, or gender. The wards in bimaristans were separated by disease, gender, and patient diagnosis. For example, separate wards existed for mental disease, contagious disease, non-contagious disease, surgery, medicine, and eye disease.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Separation | Separation by gender, diagnosis, and disease |
| Patient care | No time limit on inpatient stays, patients kept until full recovery, and patients were given food and money upon discharge |
| Staff | Male and female attendants, physicians, and nurses |
| Amenities | Running water, lecture halls, kitchens, pharmacies, libraries, mosques, chapels, waiting rooms, prayer halls, and aqueducts |
| Funding | Funded by Muslim philanthropists |
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What You'll Learn
Wards separated by diagnosis
Islamic hospitals, also known as bimaristans, were established as centres for patient care, sources of medical education, and practical training for doctors and physicians. Bimaristans were secular and served all people regardless of their race, religion, citizenship, or gender. They were also free of charge.
The wards in bimaristans were separated by diagnosis and gender. Patients were separated into different wards according to an initial diagnosis. For example, there were separate wards for patients with internal diseases, trauma and fractures, and communicable diseases. Communicable diseases were kept separate to prevent fear and panic among patients. Patients with severe mental illnesses exhibiting aggression were also isolated.
Within the male and female wards, there were separate sections for specific diseases, which were monitored by a group of doctors. For instance, the separate wards were further divided to address mental illnesses, contagious diseases, non-contagious diseases, surgery, medicine, and eye diseases. This practice helped advance treatments, leading to the "Canon of Medicine". Separation by diagnosis helped timely treatment and prevented patients and physicians from getting sick with other diseases.
The birth of pharmacy as an independent, well-defined profession was established in the early ninth century by Muslim scholars. Islamic hospitals also introduced various new concepts and structures, such as the implementation of separate wards, pharmacies, housing of medical records, and the education associated with practicing medicine.
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Segregation by gender
Islamic hospitals, also known as Bimaristans, were secular and served all people regardless of their race, religion, citizenship, or gender. The ultimate goal of all physicians and hospital staff was to work together for the well-being of their patients. Bimaristans were the first to implement separate wards based on disease and gender, with men and women being admitted to separate but equally equipped wards. Each ward was further divided to address mental illnesses, contagious diseases, non-contagious diseases, surgery, medicine, and eye diseases. Patients were attended to by same-sex nurses and staff.
The segregation of hospital wards based on gender was a result of the religious and social norms of the time. Islamic culture has a history of gender segregation, with free Muslim women expected to veil in public to signal their modesty and status as free women. This norm extended to the healthcare system, with males treating males and females treating females. Islamic hospitals also employed female physicians and nurses, a rare scenario in other parts of the world during medieval times, which was essential due to the segregation of patients by gender.
The concept of gender-concordant care is still important in providing care to Muslim patients today. Touch between members of the opposite gender is strongly discouraged in Islam, except for immediate family members or in medical emergencies. Male doctors may need to communicate through a female patient's spouse if she is uncomfortable speaking directly to him. Modesty in dress is also important, and female Muslim patients may be uncomfortable wearing hospital-provided gowns.
While there has been some relaxation of segregation in contemporary times, traditional Islamic people often value the reflection of past segregational practices in hospital policies. For example, in Afghanistan under Taliban religious leadership, feminist groups characterized the system as "gender apartheid," with women segregated from men in public and denied equal access to employment and education. However, it is important to note that, according to Islamic teachings, women have the right to equal access to employment and education, and men are expected to actively participate in child-rearing and household chores.
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Psychiatric wards
Islamic hospitals, known as bimaristans, were the first to implement the idea of separate wards based on disease and gender. These hospitals were founded at a time when public hospitals did not exist, and they offered world-class healthcare, free of charge, to all patients. Notably, patients with mental illnesses were not turned away and were treated with the same urgency as those with physical ailments.
The first single-purpose Islamic hospital was built in Baghdad, Iraq, in the 9th century. Bimaristans contained separate wards for contagious and non-contagious diseases, eye diseases, medicine, surgery, and mental diseases. While men and women were admitted to separate wards, these wards were equally equipped, and patients were accompanied by staff of the same sex.
The early Muslim physicians viewed mental illness as a special branch of medicine, referring to it as "the treatment of the soul" or "healing of the heart". This perspective contrasted with the Judeo-Christian societies' belief that mental illness was a "punishment of the gods". Bimaristans in the Arab and Muslim world recognised the importance of treating mental health issues and provided care for patients with anxiety or psychological distress.
The 15th-century bimaristan in Edirne, Turkey, is a notable example of the seriousness with which psychiatry was treated in Islamic hospitals. This hospital was located just outside the city to provide a peaceful environment for patients, with a focus on sound and fragrance as part of the treatment. Another example is the Ahmad ibn Tulun Hospital in Cairo, which was built between 872 and 874 and included a psychiatric wing.
In addition to separate wards, bimaristans also incorporated various features to enhance the healing process. These hospitals often included gardens, fountains, lecture halls, libraries, kitchens, pharmacies, and prayer rooms for people of all faiths. Recreational materials and musicians were also provided to create happiness and promote healing.
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Contagious diseases
Islamic hospitals, also known as Bimaristans, were well-developed and advanced systems that served the public without charge or discrimination. These hospitals were the first to implement the segregation of wards by disease and gender.
The Islamic hospitals were divided into separate wards or segments based on patient diagnostics and sex. While modern hospitals are not as strict and do not separate by sex, they still separate patients by disease or problem. This practice allowed different wings to specialize in certain treatments specific to their patients. This separation of diseases helped in the timely treatment of patients and protected them and the physicians from getting sick with other diseases.
Islamic hospitals also had special hospitals and wards for patients with contagious diseases such as leprosy. For example, the ninth-century Al-Qayrawan hospital had a special ward for lepers called Dar al-Judhama, built near the hospital, at a time when leprosy was deemed an untreatable sign of evil elsewhere. The first Muslim hospital, built in the early eighth century, was also a leprosarium—an asylum for lepers. Physicians appointed to it were compensated with large properties and munificent salaries, and patients were confined due to the contagious nature of the disease.
The Al-Fustat Hospital, built in 872 A.D., served the growing Cairo population for six centuries and was divided into separate wards. Another important hospital, the Al-Mansuri Hospital, built in 1284 A.D., was properly staffed with physicians and fully equipped for the care of the sick. It had separate wards for males and females and specialized areas for specific diseases, which were monitored by a group of doctors.
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Non-contagious diseases
Islamic hospitals, or Bimaristans, were well-developed and advanced systems that served the public with no charge and no discrimination. They were the first to implement separate wards based on disease and gender, with male and female patients housed in separate but equally equipped wards. These wards were further divided to address specific ailments, including non-contagious diseases, surgery, medicine, and eye diseases.
The separation of patients by disease type was an important advancement, as it allowed for timely treatment and prevented patients and physicians from contracting other diseases. This practice is still common in modern hospitals today. Within the male and female wards, there were separate sections for specific diseases, each monitored by a group of doctors.
The Al-Qayrawan hospital, built in 830 AD in Tunisia, is an example of an Islamic hospital with spacious separate wards and waiting rooms for visitors. Another example is the Al-Fustat Hospital in Cairo, built in 872 AD, which also had separate wards and provided patients with special apparel during their stay. The famous Al-Mansuri Hospital in Cairo, built in 1284 AD, also had separate wards for men and women, as well as different disease types.
Islamic hospitals were also known for their focus on patient recovery and welfare. There was no time limit on a patient's stay, and they were provided with high-quality food, clean sheets, and special stuffed mattresses. Patients who were cured but too weak to be discharged were transferred to a convalescent ward until they fully recovered.
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Frequently asked questions
Islamic hospitals, or bimaristans, were divided into wards based on gender and diagnosis. Men and women were admitted to separate but equally equipped wards. Within these wards, there were separate sections for specific diseases, such as mental illness, contagious diseases, non-contagious diseases, surgery, medicine, and eye diseases.
Separating wards by gender was important in Islamic culture as Muslim women tend to avoid exposing their bodies unnecessarily, especially to men outside of their families. Women were also treated by women doctors when possible.
Yes, separating patients by diagnosis helped to advance treatments and improve the efficiency of hospitals. It allowed different wings to specialize in certain treatments specific to their patients, facilitating timely treatment and preventing the spread of disease.
Islamic hospitals were known for their inclusivity and served all people regardless of race, religion, citizenship, or gender. They also featured lecture halls, kitchens, pharmacies, libraries, mosques, and occasionally chapels for Christian patients.
