Most of those eastern Christians were
Nestorians and one of their important centres was Edessa, whose school
of learning became so celebrated. Here in the fifth century was built
one of the most celebrated hospitals of antiquity.
Now look at another map showing the same countries about a century
later. No such phenomenal change ever was made within so short space
of time as that which thus altered the map of Asia and Europe at this
period. Within a century, the Crescent had swept from Arabia through the
Eastern Empire, over Egypt, North Africa and over Spain in the West, and
the fate of Western Europe hung in the balance before the gates of Tours
in 732. This time the barbaric horde that laid waste a large part of
Christendom were a people that became deeply appreciative of all that
was best in Graeco-Roman civilization and of nothing more than of its
sciences. The cultivation of medicine was encouraged by the Arabs in a
very special way. Anyone wishing to follow the history of the medical
profession among this remarkable people will find it admirably presented
in Lucien Leclerc's "Histoire de la medecine arabe" (Paris, 1876).
An excellent account is also given in Freind's well-known "History of
Medicine" (London, 1725-1726).
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