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Year 10
AQA

The nature and importance of Islamic medicine and surgery

I can evaluate the significance of Islamic contributions to medicine in medieval Europe.

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New
New
Year 10
AQA

The nature and importance of Islamic medicine and surgery

I can evaluate the significance of Islamic contributions to medicine in medieval Europe.

Download all resources
Share activities with pupils

These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Islam encouraged developments in medical knowledge and the search for new cures.
  2. Muslim scholars helped preserve many ancient medical works.
  3. Al-Razi, Ibn Sina and Ibn al-Nafis all contributed to new medical knowledge of diseases, treatments and human anatomy.
  4. Many Islamic medical works were translated, spread through medieval Europe and gained influence there.
  5. Muslim challenges to Galen’s works were not accepted in medieval Europe.

Keywords

  • Scholar - someone who has studied a subject and knows a lot about it

  • Anatomy - the scientific study of the body and how its parts are arranged

  • Arabic - the language of Islam

Common misconception

The acceptance of many Islamic medical works also encouraged challenges to Galen in medieval Europe.

Islamic medical works were widely accepted but were ignored where they criticised or encouraged challenges to Galen.


To help you plan your year 10 history lesson on: The nature and importance of Islamic medicine and surgery, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

After completing Task C, ask pupils to discuss the following: 'which religion contributed more to medical progress in medieval Europe; Christianity or Islam?'. This discussion can be further enriched by asking how the two affected one another's influence during this period.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content

Supervision

Adult supervision required

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Prior knowledge starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What is a scholar?
someone who knows very little
Correct answer: someone who has studied a subject and knows a lot about it
someone who is experienced in many different trades
Q2.
The funded and ran most medieval hospitals in England.
Correct Answer: Church
Q3.
What percentage of land in medieval England was owned by the Church?
Correct Answer: 33, 33%, thirty three, thirty three per cent, 33 per cent
Q4.
Identify the beliefs about disease which were commonly held by medieval Christians.
Correct answer: God might send diseases as a punishment.
God was unable to prevent the spread of diseases.
Correct answer: God used disease to test some people's faith.
Q5.
Which saint's tomb at Cantebury Cathedral was visited in hope of miraculous healing?
St Augustine's
St Boniface's
Correct answer: St Thomas Becket's
Q6.
Which statement is most accurate?
The Church had no control over university education in medieval England.
The Church had limited control over university education in medieval England.
The Church had some control over university education in medieval England.
Correct answer: The Church had control over all university education in medieval England.

Assessment exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What is the scientific study of the body and how its parts are arranged known as?
Correct Answer: anatomy
Q2.
Who usually staffed Muslim hospitals in the medieval period?
nuns and monks
Correct answer: physicians and students
priests and surgeons
Q3.
Who was the first person to to distinguish between smallpox and measles?
Correct answer: Al-Razi
Ibn Sina
Ibn al-Nafis
Q4.
Ibn al-Nafis corrected the ideas of about the circulation of blood around the human body.
Correct Answer: Galen
Q5.
Which statement is most accurate?
Medieval Europeans accepted all Islamic medical ideas.
Correct answer: Medieval Europeans accepted many but not all Islamic medical ideas.
Medieval Europeans accepted only a few Islamic medical ideas.
Medieval Europeans rejected all Islamic medical ideas.
Q6.
Which statement about Islamic medical attitudes is most accurate?
Medical cures were considered a challenge to Allah's plans.
Spiritual care was prioritised over medical cures.
Correct answer: Muslims felt encouraged to find and use medical cures.

Additional material

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