ew suggested by the desire to make out a
better case for Christianity in its relation to science will be very
well understood, besides, from the fact that a number of the original
physicians of Arab stock who attracted attention during the first period
of Arabian medicine, that is, during the eighth and ninth centuries,
were Christians. There are a series of physicians belonging to the
Christian family Bachtischua, a name which is derived from Bocht Jesu,
that is, servant of Jesus, who, from the middle of the eighth to the
middle of the eleventh century, acquired great fame. The first of them,
George (Dschordschis), after acquiring fame elsewhere, was called to
Bagdad by the Caliph El-Mansur, where, because of his medical skill, he
reached the highest honors. His son became the body-physician of Harun
al-Raschid. In the third generation Gabriel (Dschibril) acquired fame
and did much, as had his father and grandfather, for the medicine of the
time, by translations of the Greek physicians into Arabian.

These men may well be said to have introduced Greek medicine to the
Mohammedans. It was their teaching that aroused Moslem scholars from the
apathy that had characterized the attitude of the Arabian people toward
science at the beginning of Mohammedanism. As time went on, other great
Christian medical teachers distinguished themselves among the Arabs. Of
these the most prominent was Messui the elder, who is also known as
Janus Damascenus. Both he and his father practised medicine with great
success in Bagdad, and his son became the body-physician to Harun
al-Raschid either after or in conjunction with Gabriel Bachtischua. Like
his colleague or predecessor in official position, he, too, made
translations from the Greek into Arabic. Another distinguished Arabian
Christian physician was Serapion the elder. He was born in Damascus, and
flourished about the middle of the ninth century. He wrote a book on
medicine called the "Aggregator," or "Breviarium," or "Practica
Medicinae," which appeared in many printed editions within the century
after the invention of printing. During the ninth century, also, we have
an account of Honein Ben Ischak, who is known in the West as
Johannitius. After travelling much, especially in Greece and Persia, he
settled in Bagdad, and, under the patronage of the Caliph Mamum, made
many translations. He translated most of the old Greek medical writers,
and also certain of the Greek philosophic and mathe