ARAB CIVILISATION IN SPAIN 39 while physiology and anatomy gave to their surgical schools the wide renown which they enjoyed.

For seven centuries the medical schools of Europe owed everything they knew to Arabian research. The Arabic impression is still to be traced in the derivation of such words as syrup, julep, &c. Vivisection as well as dissection of dead bodies was practised in their anatomical schools, and women as well as men were trained to perform some of the most delicate surgical operations. Their studies of the functions of the human body and the cure of its diseases enabled them to establish hygienic systems which were perhaps among the greatest of the many boons which they conferred upon medieval Europe. Every court and household of importance had at one time its Jewish or Saracen physician. Amongst other very eminent names may be quoted for surgery Albucasis of Cordova, and for medicine Ibn Zohr.

Ibn Zohr, more generally known as Avenzoar, was regarded as the great authority in Moorish pharmacy.

He lived in the first half of the twelfth century, and was contemporary of another and almost equally eminent physician, Al Far. A story is told of these two which is not without application to the dietetic controversies of the present day. Ibn Zohr was very fond of green figs, and ate them freely. Al Far never ate them, and he used to say to Ibn Zohr: "If you eat figs to that extent you will have a very bad abscess." Ibn Zohr replied : '* If you don't eat them you will be subject to fever and die of constipation." Ibn Zohr was right. Al Far had fever and died of constipation. But Al Far was also right.

Shortly after Al Ear's death, Ibn Zohr was attacked by a bad abscess and died of it in Seville in 1 161. The daughter and granddaughter of this Ibn Zohr were both accomplished female doctors. Avempace was another physician of the twelfth century whose reputation was European. Averrhoes, also deeply versed in medicine, was a personal friend of Ibn Zohr.

In the higher departments of jurisprudence and poli-