(Pervez Bari): A three-day International Conference on History of Islamic Medicine (Contemporary Medicine & Alternative Medicine) is scheduled to be organised from January 2-4, 2015 at Calicut in Kerala.
According to Dr. Fakhruddin Mohammad, secretary MESCO, (Muslim Educational, Social and Cultural Organisation, Hyderabad), the International conference is being jointly organised by the International Institute of Islamic Medicine, (IIIM), USA and Islamic Medical Association of North America, (IMANA), in collaboration with Muslim Education Society, (MES), Kerala and MESCO of Hyderabad.
Dr. Fakhruddin told this Correspondent that during the three-day conference the contribution of Muslims in medical sciences in the Middle Ages (Legacy of a Thousand Years) would be brought to the fore through exhibits of charts, replica instruments, documentaries, posters and short films. An exhibition on the Golden Age of Muslim Civilisation wherein Muslims’ contribution to Sciences in the Middle Ages (7th to 16th Century) will be organised on the occasion, he added.
He has invited Paper and Poster presentations from all medical professionals and medical students of Allopathic and AYUSH. The last date for registration for the conference is November 30th, 2014. For more information interested professionals can log on to www.iiim.org; www.mescoeducation.com or contact on Mobile phone No. 09247578583; e-mail IDs: contact@iiim.org, mescoevent@gmail.com
Meanwhile, it may be mentioned here that Islamic Medical Association of North America (IMANA) mandated the formation of IIIM at an extra ordinary Council meeting of its Executive in Orlando Florida, in 1992. The IIIM was established for the purpose of reviving and re-recording the history and traditions of Islamic Medicine. For this purpose it hopes to become a collection house for all knowledge: past, present and future related to the History and Practice of Islamic Medicine.
The IIIM’s vision is to educate all physicians and especially Muslim Physicians in the rich history and traditions of Islamic Medicine. By learning from history IIIM wishes to set standards in practice of medicine that will eliminate medicine as a commodity available for sale and barter, only to the one that can afford to pay the often inflated price. The IIIM wants to restore Medicine to its former glory as a humanitarian science, for promotion and maintenance of health, curing of the sick and prevention of pain and suffering, without regard to colour, caste, creed, or ethnicity of an individual or one’s status in a society.
The purpose, for which IIIM was formed, was to collect, collate, catalogue, annotate, research and disseminate information about the History of Islamic Medicine (HIM). Islamic Medicine was the Medicine that developed and was practiced during the Islamic period of Civilization. IIIM was also to research and publicize the multitudinous contributions that Islamic Medicine made to the development of Modern Medicine.
The activities of IIIM since 1992 are: (i) has held two national and five international conferences on History of Islamic Medicine; (ii) Published and encouraged numerous articles on subjects related to Islamic Medicine and published them in national and International journals; (iii) Undertaken translation of pertinent works to enhance our knowledge of the subject; (iv) Encouraged research into the subject by providing grants and scholarship; (v) Has gathered and housed a unique and a special collections Library, on the subject of History of Islamic Medicine; (vi) Created a travelling exhibit on History of Islamic Medicine (HIM), which has exhibited in cities nationally and internationally, disseminating information and increasing awareness about the subject; (vii) Published monographs and occasional papers for distribution; (viii) Created a dynamic interactive website for reference, research and interactive exchange of information on the subject; (ix) Is developing a curriculum for Medical schools for courses on History of Islamic Medicine & (x) Has a proposal for the design and construction of a Museum and Library of History of Islamic Medicine. (pervezbari@eth.net)