From the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century A.D. to approximately the 15th century, there was a period in which religious beliefs, specifically Christian beliefs, dominated the concepts of mental illness in Europe. The mentally ill were faced with accusations of being possessed by the devil or even demons, some were even charged with the accusations of being witches and infecting others with their madness. Thus, instead of receiving care from physicians, the mentally ill became objects of religious inquisition and barbaric treatment. In contrast, some historians of medicine cite evidence that even in the Middle Ages, many people believed mental illness to have its basis in physical and psychological disturbances, such as imbalances in the four bodily humors (blood, black bile, yellow bile, and phlegm), poor diet, and grief (Klienman & Cohen, 1998). Muslim scholars were also led in their beliefs by their religion. However they worked industriously to integrate these beliefs with the most current medical knowledge about physical and mental illness and to use the results as their guide for diagnosis and treatment of disease. .
Rise of Islamic Culture and Medicine.
In medieval times the Islamic world developed a medical tradition which ranked among the most advanced of the pre-modern world. Not only in its intellectual sophistication, but also in its practical impact in society at large (Prioreschi, 1996). In 570 A.D. the prophet Mohammad was born in Mecca, Arabia. He received a revelation from God on which he preached. He fled to Medina in 622 A.D. to escape persecution for his teachings. He called his religion Islam, meaning surrender to God. His message is contained in the holy book, the Koran. After his death in 632 A.D. the spread of Islam became the objective of his followers (Watson, 1991). Islam as a universal principle lies in the nature of creation and comprehends a human being in its totality.
