Noah Gordon "Medicus"

Title: Medicus Author: Noah Gordon Publication date: 2001 Medical topic: history of medicine Description: The story is set in the 11th century; the titular Medicus is an orphan, Rob J. Cole, from London. While apprenticing with the barber who took him in, the main character learns the basics of medicine and also discovers... his sixth sense. Furthermore, he is distinguished by an incredible determination to pursue his own dreams. This above-average, intelligent young man decides at a certain point in his life to become a physician. In the world of that time, this dream is downright crazy, but Rob succeeds and becomes an outstanding expert in his field. The book is a colorful, captivating historical novel. We find ourselves in the Middle East and Asia, which in the Middle Ages were the cradle of science and cultural development. Europe at that time was a period of the Inquisition, burnings at the stake, and bloodletting as a remedy for all ailments. Backwardness, pervasive poverty, and anti-Semitism. Gordon reveals to us the secrets of medicine at that time. What is most impressive is the level of knowledge possessed by physicians in the Islamic world. The hakim (as physicians were called in the Middle East) were people with a well-rounded education. In addition to medicine, they had to study law, logic, and philosophy. They were devoted to their patients.