Islam Creator of the Modern Age
1. Islam: Creator of the Modern Age
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treatise of its kind. Some 1400 items are considered,
of which 300, including about 200 plants, were
novelties. The number of authors quoted is about
one hundred and fifty, of whom twenty were
Greek. Parts of the Latin version of Ibn
al Baytar’s
Simplicia
were printed as late as 1758 at Cremona.
2S
After materia medica, astronomy and mathematics,
the Arabs made their greatest scientific contribution
in chemistry. This brought chemistry out of the
sphere of alchemy and gave it the status of a regular
science based on observation. In the study of
chemistry and other physical sciences the Arabs
introduced the objective experiment, a decided
improvement over the hazy speculations of the
Greeks. It was through them that the world was
first introduced to the scientific method.
After al-Razi, Jabir ibn Hayyan (721-815) is ranked
greatest in the field of medieval chemical science.
He more clearly recognized and stated the
importance of experimentation than any other early
alchemist, and made noteworthy advances in both
the theory and practice of chemistry.
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