Medicine & health

Caliph al-Walid bin Abdul Malik founds the first Arabic hospital, or bimaristan, in Damascus (Syria). It specializes in treating patients with chronic illnesses, notably leprosy. See also 1154 Medicine & health.

History of Science and Technology, edited by Bryan Bunch and Alexander Hellemans. Copyright © 2004 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.