Al-Kashkari Explained

Al-Kashkari (Arabic: الكسكري; 322 in AH/c. 934 CE in Kashkar – 414 AH/1023 CE in Fushanj)^[1] was a hospital physician from Baghdad.^[2]

In diagnosing mental disorder, al-Kashkari used criteria such the temperament of the patient as indicators to ascertain the nature of the mental disorder: sluggishness and forgetfulness point to a cold temperament, which requires a different treatment from a warm one, which is revealed through insomnia.^[3]

Further reading

• Theory and Practice in the Early Hospitals in Baghdad — Al-Kaškarī On Rabies and Melancholy. Zeitschrift für Geschichte der Arabisch-Islamischen Wissenschaften. Pormann. Peter E. 2003. 15. 197–248.

Notes and References

1. Book: Al-Dhahabi. Al-Dhahabi. سير أعلام النبلاء. مؤسسة الرسالة. 1983. 293. Arabic.
2. Book: Peter E.. Pormann. Emilie. Savage-Smith. Emilie Savage-Smith . Medieval Islamic Medicine. Edinburgh University Press. 2007. 978-0-7486-2066-1. 54.
3. Book: Medieval Islamic Civilization: An Encyclopedia. Josef W.. Meri. Jere L.. Bacharach. Routledge. 2006. 0-415-96691-4. 496.