In the 5th century, Persian physician Ishaq ibn Ali al-Ruhawi writes the first code of medical ethics Abad al Tabib, known as "Practical Ethics of the Physician" or "Practical Medical Deontology", based on the works of Hippocrates, Galen and Muhammad ibn Zakariya ar-Razi, physician, philosopher, and scholar who wrote The Conduct of the Physician.
Persian medicine reached a high level and is associated with the origin of hospitals as organized institutions dating back to the 4th century.
Some authors consider that Persia was the most important medical center in the world between the 5th and 8th centuries. They founded a Medical School in Jundishapur, southern Persia, a city erected by the Sassanid emperor Shapur I in 269 AD.
It was a learning hospital that had a library and a higher education center. In fact, the city of Jundishapur is associated with the origin of hospitals as organized institutions, whose model would later be copied by Baghdad, Shiraz and the rest of the world.
The academy offered training in medicine, philosophy, theology and science. Some historians place medical education in this city in the 5th century through a university in which Greek, Christian, Persian, Muslim and Hindu ideas on medical and religious matters were disseminated.
The head of this group of doctors was Theodosius or Theodorus and he created a System of Medicine: "These doctors adopted the scientific methods of others modified with their own discoveries. They made medical laws and recorded the work they had done." In this context, the first book on medical ethics and deontology, Adad al Tabib, appears.
Ishaq ibn Ali al-Ruhawi is known for his work in 20 chapters titled Adad al Tabib (Doctor's Ethics). His treatise on medical deontology is preserved in a unique manuscript of the Süleymanie Kitabhane of Istanbul (no. 1658), of 112 folios, with 17 lines per page dedicated to Sultan Bayediz II.
It is a collection of materials on medical deontology, whose main purpose is to show that the practice of this art has the mission of caring for the sick, but always with the help of God. Chapter I deals: "On the loyalty and faith that a doctor must have and the ethics that he must follow to improve his soul and moral character."
He defines them as "the guardians of souls and bodies" with responsibilities inherent to their practice. Thus, they have to avoid evil practices in the treatment of health and illness, trusting in the help of Allah, the exalted, and the support they receive from Him, as well as expecting rewards from Him.
The doctor must take care of your health (both physical and mental) first, but also your image.
After waking up, it is necessary to cleanse the body and sensitive organs. To wash your mouth, clean your teeth, perfume your breath to avoid a bad odor.
Then it is necessary to examine the stench of other parts of the body to counteract it. Cut hair and nails that are too long. Clothing should be comfortable and pleasant.
Also as a custom he must read his sacred book, followed by the books of the ancient doctors.
"Before visiting the sick, the doctor must pray and ask for success with his patients. Once in the visit with the patient, he has to evaluate whether the person he is treating is capable of understanding the treatment. If not, it is "The doctor himself must give you the medications. You should always be kind and not cough, spit or stretch in front of the patient. In short, you must remember that taking care of your own body is as important as strengthening your moral character."
Doctors must be examined in their work to ensure that they perform their tasks well. To do this, he recommends keeping a record of everything that happens with the patient. In this way, if there is a problem, it will be possible to review whether the patient's deterioration or death was caused by a doctor's error. If the diagnosis and remedy were not correct, "the doctor should not practice the art of medicine again. If it was a serious error, then the doctor's execution would be mandatory."
He makes the observation that the payment should be sufficient so that the doctor would not have to find a second activity to survive.
Al-Ruhawi had written three other works that have been lost: a compilation of Galen's four treatises that form the first part of Summaria Alexandrinorum; an introduction to dialectics; and a text dedicated to doctors' examinations. The doctor is cited as "the guardian of souls and bodies."
