User:Balbiek19/sandbox

Purpose
Madrasas, in Islamic civilizations, were institutions which taught many students with a focus on medicine. These Madrasas were often closely linked with hospitals so that disciples could learn in the institutions and put their theoretical knowledge into practice in the hospitals. Physicians were not exclusively Muslim, practicing physicians included Jews, and Christians. Notable hospitals were in Cairo, Baghdad, and Damascus; students could visit patients often with the supervision of a practicing physician, in a system that is comparable to that of medical residents today.

The greatest contribution of the Islamic hospitals was the structure itself and how it functioned in Islamic culture. The first documented general hospital(hospitals that treated a multitude of pathologies, including mental illness) arose in Baghdad, in 805, built by vizier to the caliph, Harun al-Rashid. Although not much is known about this hospital due to poor documentation, the system of the general hospital itself set forth an example for the many other hospitals to come. Soon after, 34 new hospitals were built throughout the Islamic world with the number increasing annually. An Islamic hospital was even the first to specialize in treating convicts as the prison population was continually increasing.

Newly hospitals strived to be better than their preceding counterparts in the Islamic world. The purpose was to compete with European hospitals as well in order to attract more physicians as and scholars. Many of these hospitals also contained a conjoined library typically filled with any possible writings that may be relevant to the medicine practiced in the hospitals.

Function and Organization
The first few Islamic hospitals that arose in Baghdad, in the early 9th century, was to quarantine those who suffered from leprosy. At first, it was considered by many as a "leprosoria" due to its limited purpose; nonetheless, these hospitals still salaried doctors whose specialties were not solely limited to leprosy. The function of these hospitals soon became diversified overtime as newly built hospitals in Baghdad began to incorporate the knowledge from Islamic physicians, scientists such as the Al-Razi. Al-Razi's hospital in Baghdad, had 24 physicians on staff; these physicians had diverse specialties, including, physiologists, occultists, surgeons, and bonesetters.

In order to meet the demands of these specialties, Islamic hospitals were subdivided into departments for surgery, ophthalmology, orthopedics, mental illness, and systemic diseases. The systemic disease department was designated for general illnesses that did not fall into categories of other departments. In some hospitals, they were further divided into subsections to address the needs of the patient depending on the symptoms. Examples include, but not limited to, infections, fevers, and digestive issues. Hospital staff was not exclusive to physicians, much like today's hospitals, they rely on pharmacists, nurses, sanitary inspectors, supervising specialists, secretaries, and superintendents. The superintendents, or in Arabic, sa'ur, ensured that hospitals met certain standards in addition to managing the entire hospital institution. Pharmacists produced drugs as means for treatment of the hospitals' patients; they relied on a knowledge of chemistry, or in Arabic, Alchemia.

Before the 10th century, hospitals were ran throughout the day and closed at night. That is until amendments changed hospitals to operate on a 24 hour basis. Nonetheless, the practicing physicians worked a set amount of hours with their salaries prescribed by law; the physicians were paid generously enough so as to retain their talent. Chief of staff physician, Jabril ibn Bukhtishu, was salaried 4.9 million Dirham; for comparison, a medical resident worked significantly longer hours salaried at 300 Dirham per month.

Islamic Hospitals attained their endowment from public donations, or Waqfs; Waqfs also referred to a series of documents which set forth rules for how the hospitals should operate in relation to the patient. The document states that anyone can be admitted irrespective of race, gender, or citizenship. Patients of all socioeconomic status would have had access to full treatment, that is, costs were borne by the hospital itself.

One of the largest hospitals that was documented, was the Mansuri Hospital, in Cairo. The hospital was built under the orders of the Mameluke ruler of Egypt, Al-Mansur Qalawun. Its maximum capacity was around 8000, and the annual endowment alone was said to be one-million dirhams. The design was intended to accommodate various pathologies, for men and women; as well as pharmacy, library, and lecture halls. Lecture halls were often used for regular meetings on the status of the hospital, lecturing residents, and staff as well.