Medical Scientist

Medical scientists conduct research with the aim of improving human health. They study the various diseases that afflict human beings, their causes, and how they can be prevented and treated. Medical research adds to the existing base of scientific knowledge on health and medicine through experimentation. By studying human diseases and their underlying causes, scientists are able to develop newer drugs or improve existing treatment procedures. New breakthroughs in the field of medicine that has the potential to save thousands of lives each year is the result of extensive medical research. The main purpose of medical research is to search for newer methods of improving healthcare available to human beings which culminates in the development of better medicines and treatment procedures. These scientists also work to investigate methods of disease prevention through drugs and vaccination. Medical scientists may conduct research in laboratories, or work directly with patients in trial procedures to analyze how they respond to certain treatments. They basically work in research institutions, clinics, hospitals and other healthcare facilities. The findings of their research are published in scientific papers in order to disseminate their results to others. Browse this section to explore biographies and timelines about the life and works of various famous medical scientists from all over the world.

Ali ibn Mousa al-Ridha ( 765-818)

Ali ibn Mousa al-Ridha (765–818) was the eighth Imam of shia. His treatise "Al-Risalah al-Dhahabiah" ("The Golden Treatise") deals with medical cures and the maintenance of good health, and is dedicated to the caliph Ma'mun. It was regarded at his time as an important work of literature in the science of medicine, and the most precious medical treatise from the point of view of Muslimic religious tradition. It is honoured by the title "the golden treatise" as Ma'mun had ordered it to be written in gold ink. In his work, Al-Ridha is influenced by the concept of humoral medicine.

Paul Ehrlich

Paul Ehrlich is a renowned scientist in the fields of virology, immunology and serology, and performed instrumental work in developing vaccines for diseases such as syphilis and diphtheria. Paul was born to a prominent German Jewish family on the outskirts of the Empire, and was inspired as a young child by a cousin, who was a scientist by profession, to begin studying microscopic life forms. After graduating from a prestigious secondary academy, Ehrlich began a career of formal scientific inquiry, attending several prominent universities in his quest for further knowledge about what microscopes could reveal. In the course of performing invaluable research into the fundamental processes of cellular biology, Ehrlich developed and patented several new analysis techniques that are still used today. After graduating from an elite university with a doctorate in medicine, he became the head physician at a prestigious hospital and continued to develop his work into immunology and serology. After nearly succumbing to a bout of tuberculosis, he developed several revolutionary new theories that led, in part, to the discovery of functional vaccines for syphilis, diphtheria and other immunological illnesses. After a lifetime of dedication to new scientific knowledge and helping other human beings, Ehrlich passed away from natural causes, and his death was lamented by the German Emperor, Wilhelm II, as well as lovers of knowledge around the world.

Ali ibn Sahl Rabban al-Tabari

The first encyclopedia of medicine in Arabic language was by Persian scientist Ali ibn Sahl Rabban al-Tabari's Firdous al-Hikmah ("Paradise of Wisdom"), written in seven parts, c. 860. Al-Tabari, a pioneer in the field of child development, emphasized strong ties between psychology and medicine, and the need for psychotherapy and counseling in the therapeutic treatment of patients. His encyclopedia also discussed the influence of Sushruta and Chanakya on medicine, including psychotherapy.

Muhammad bin Sa'id al-Tamimi

Al-Tamimi, the physician (d. 990) became renown for his skills in compounding medicines, especially theriac, an antidote for poisons. His works, many of which no longer survive, are cited by later physicians. Taking what was known at the time by the classical Greek writers, Al-Tamimi expanded on their knowledge of the properties of plants and minerals, becoming avant garde in his field.

Ali ibn al-'Abbas al-Majusi

'Ali ibn al-'Abbas al-Majusi (died 994 AD), also known as Haly Abbas, was famous for the Kitab al-Maliki translated as the Complete Book of the Medical Art and later, more famously known as The Royal Book. This book was translated by Constantine and was used as a textbook of surgery in schools across Europe. One of the greatest contributions Haly Abbas made to medical science was his description of the capillary circulation found within the Royal Book.

Abu-Ali al-Husayn ibn Abdullah ibn-Sina (Avicenna)

Ibn Sina, more commonly known in west as Avicenna was a Persian polymath and physician of the tenth and eleventh centuries. He was known for his scientific works, but especially his writing on medicine. He has been described as the "Father of Early Modern Medicine". Ibn Sina is credited with many varied medical observations and discoveries, such as recognizing the potential of airborne transmission of disease, providing insight into many psychiatric conditions, recommending use of forceps in deliveries complicated by fetal distress, distinguishing central from peripheral facial paralysis and describing guinea worm infection and trigeminal neuralgia. He is credited for writing two books in particular: his most famous, al-Canon fi al Tibb (The Canon of Medicine), and also The Book of Healing. His other works cover subjects including angelology, heart medicines, and treatment of kidney diseases.

Avicenna’s medicine became the representative of Islamic medicine mainly through the influence of his famous work al-Canon fi al Tibb (The Canon of Medicine). The book was originally used as a textbook for instructors and students of medical sciences in the medical school of Avicenna. The book is divided into 5 volumes: The first volume is a compendium of medical principles, the second is a reference for individual drugs, the third contains organ-specific diseases, the fourth discusses systemic illnesses as well as a section of preventative health measures, and the fifth contains descriptions of compound medicines. The Canon was highly influential in medical schools and on later medical writers.

Frederick Banting

Sir Frederick Grant Banting was a Canadian medical scientist, physician, and painter best remembered for contributing to the discovery of insulin and for being the first person to use insulin on humans. Along with J. J. R Macleod, he received the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1923 “for the discovery of insulin”. His valuable contribution helped to treat diabetes which used to be a dreaded fatal disease till then. He shared the Nobel Prize money with his colleague, Dr. Charles Best, whom he considered more deserving of the award than Macleod. Sir Banting graduated with a degree in medicine from the University of Toronto. He then joined the Canadian Army Medical Corps during World War I and served in France. After the war ended, he returned to Canada and worked as a medical practitioner in Ontario for some time. Later, he served as a Resident Surgeon at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. He soon developed a keen interest in diabetes, and focused on extracting insulin from the pancreas of animals. Together with medical student Dr. Charles Best, he discovered a way to extract insulin and effectively treat diabetic patients. He received a lifetime annuity to work on his research from the Canadian government and was also knighted by King George V.