Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Zakariya Razi

Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Zakariya Razi is one of the greatest names in medieval medicine. He was born in the city of Ray in Iran in 865 AD. When he was young, he was interested in music but then turned his focus on to medicine, astronomy, mathematics, chemistry and philosophy. Soon, he was known as an expert in medicine, and students from distant parts of Asia came to him for treatment.

Razi was a prolific author, who left more than 200 scientific contributions to his credit, most of which dealt with medicine and alchemy. A few of his works in medicine gained global fame and have been published in various languages. He wrote treatises on various conditions including colic, kidney and bladder stones and diabetes. A treatise he wrote on smallpox and measles was translated into Latin in the 18th century and became incredibly influential during a time when there was much interest in vaccination. His Comprehensive Book on Medicine, the Hawi, was translated in 1279 into Latin under the title Continens.
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In Europe, he was known by his Latinized name, Rhazes. About 40 of his books are in the museums of Paris, Britain, Rampur and Bankpur and Iran. Razi’s contribution greatly influenced the development of science, particularly medicine. 

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Sources:

• US. National Library of Medicine (NIH). Al-Razi, the Clinician.
• Iranian Personalities. Mohammad Ibn Zakariya Razi. Iran Chamber Society.
• Wikipedia. Muhammad ibn Zakariya al-Razi. CC BY SA.
• Encyclopedia Britanica 911
• Photo: Wikipedia. Wellcome Images. CC By 4.0.