"The eminent Shaykh, physician-philosopher, Shams al-Dawla Abu'l-Fadl Ibn al-Shaykh Abi'l-Hasan al-Masihi, may Allah grant him eternal happiness, discussed with me all the contents of this book of mine, which contains my commentary on the book of the leader Hippocrates, that is his book known as Nature of Man. This discussion has revealed the clarity of his mind and the straightforwardness of his thought; may Allah the exalted [help] him to make use [of my book] and render him useful [to mankind]; and so writes cAli Ibn Abi'l-Hazm al-Qurashi[known as Ibn al-Nafis], a practitioner, who is in need of Allah the exalted. Praise be to Allah for His graces; may He bless His best Prophet Muhammad ( pbuh ) and his people; twenty-ninth Jumada of the year six hundred and sixty-eight [AD 25 January 1270]."

"...The blood from the right chamber of the heart must arrive at the left chamber but there is no direct pathway between them. The thick septum of the heart is not perforated and does not have visible pores as some people thought or invisible pores as Galen thought. The blood from the right chamber must flow through the vena arteriosa (pulmonary artery) to the lungs, spread through its substances, be mingled there with air, pass through the arteria venosa (pulmonary vein) to reach the left chamber of the heart and there form the vital spirit...”

"The heart has only two ventricles ...and between these two there is absolutely no opening. Also dissection gives this lie to what they said, as the septum between these two cavities is much thicker than elsewhere. The benefit of this blood (that is in the right cavity) is to go up to the lungs, mix with what is in the lungs of air, then pass through the arteria venosa to the left cavity of the two cavities of the heart...”

"The lungs are composed of parts, one of which is the bronchi; the second, the branches of the arteria venosa; and the third, the branches of the vena arteriosa, all of them connected by loose porous flesh."

"... the need of the lungs for the vena arteriosa is to transport to it the blood that has been thinned and warmed in the heart, so that what seeps through the pores of the branches of this vessel into the alveoli of the lungs may mix with what there is of air therein and combine with it, the resultant composite becoming fit to be spirit, when this mixing takes place in the left cavity of the heart. The mixture is carried to the left cavity by the arteria venosa."

'a complex of buildings surrounded by gardens with lakes and waterways. The buildings were topped with domes, and comprised an upper and a lower story with a total, according to the chief official, of 360 rooms.... In each department, catalogues were placed on a shelf... the rooms were furnished with carpets...'

"Dear father, You have mentioned in your previous letter that you would send me some money to make use of it in my medicines costs , I say , I don't need it at all as treatment in this Islamic hospital is for free , also there is something else concerning this hospital . This hospital gives a new suit and 5 dinars to every patient who has already got well lest he should find himself obliged to work in the period of rest and recuperation.

Dear father, if you 'd like to visit me , you will find me in the surgery department and joints treatment . When you enter the main gate , got to the south hall where you will find the department of first aid and the department of disease diagnosis then you will find the department of arthritis (joints diseases ) , next to my room , you will find a library and a hall where doctors meet together to listen to the lectures given by professors , also this hall is used for reading . Gynecology dept. lies on the other side of the hospital court ,. Men are not allowed to enter it . On the right of the hospital court lies a large hall for those who recovered , in this place they spend the period of rest and convalescence for some days , this hall contains a special library and some musical instruments.

Dear father, any place in this hospital is extremely clean , beds and pillows are covered with fine Damascus white cloth , as to bedcovers , they are made of gentle soft plush , all the rooms in this hospital are supplied with clean water .This water is carried to the rooms through pipes that are connected to a wide water fountain , not only that , but also ever room is equipped with a heating stove .As to food , chicken and vegetables are always served to the extent that some patient don't want to leave the hospital because of their love and desire of this tasty food."

‘The hospital shall keep all patients, men and women until they are completely recovered. All costs are to be borne by the hospital whether the people come from afar or near, whether they are residents or foreigners,strong or weak, low or high, rich or poor, employed or unemployed, blind or signed, physically or mentally ill, learned or illiterate. There are no conditions of consideration and payment; none is objected to or even indirectly hinted at for non-payment. The entire service is through the magnificence of Allah, the generous one.’

"The science of medicine has gained a great and extremely important discovery and that is the use of general anesthetics for surgical operations, and how unique, efficient, and merciful for those who tried it the Muslim anaesthetic was. It was quite different from the drinks the Indians, Romans and Greeks were forcing their patients to have for relief of pain. There had been some allegations to credit this discovery to an Italian or to an Alexandrian, but the truth is and history proves that, the art of using the anaesthetic sponge is a pure Muslim technique, which was not known before. The sponge used to be dipped and left in a mixture prepared from cannabis, opium, hyoscyamus and a plant called Zoan."

"When ingested or inserted into the anus or inhaled it causes a state of drunkenness. It is sometimes taken to treat insomnia but to induce sleep more of it is used. Some doctors reverse its effects by sitting (the patient) in cold water until he wakes up. Mandragora also reduces sensation and is therefore used before incising or cauterizing because (the patient) will not feel the pain as a result of both the analgesic and anesthetic effects. Following ingestion hallucination and sleep occur that last three to four hours. Also, from the leaves of mandragora, a concoction is produced which can be given to those who have need for amputation."

"Take two thirds from alkali(al-qily) and one third of un-slaked lime (nura dhakar). Break the lime into small pieces the size of faufal or chestnut. Take a mirkan (large vessel) of pottery and cut an outlet (manzil) at its bottom. And seal this outlet tightly with a rag. Take bricks and break them into small pieces, not quite small, and pack them inside the middle of the mirkan. Place on the broken bricks a piece of khsaf. Throw on the khasafa the alkali and the un-slaked lime. And pour on them an amount of water equal to four or five times the submersion volume. The mirkan should be placed on a high position, and we place under the outlet another empty mirkan so that the liquid will flow into it. If there is no high place you will dig a cavity in the ground at a depth equal to that of the empty mirkan, and it is lowered down the cavity so that it is below the outlet. Leave it for one day and one night then open the outlet on the second day so that the filtered water of alkali and lime will pour into it. When all the liquid is emptied, return again and pour it above the alkali and lime and leave it for one day and one night. Open the outlet the next morning and empty the whole clear liquid. When the whole liquid ceases flowing divide it into two halves. Put one half aside. Pour [onto the remaining half] an equal amount of sesame oil (shiraj) and beat (agitate) the mixture strongly and repetitively with a wooden beater for one hour until it hardens and thickens. Leave it for the rest of the day and overnight if you are in a hurry, otherwise leave it for two or three days if you are not in a hurry because the longer it stays the better it ferments. Cool it down and put it in a copper cauldron and set under it a strong fire. Each time it thickens water it with the sharp water from the one half that was put aside as mentioned above. You will continue kindling the fire and watering with the sharp water until it becomes grainy and ripens. Continue beating (mixing) it so that it will not burn. Put it down and pour it into a mirkan (a large vessel) and beat it and water it little by little, then pour it again into the cauldron and place it on fire, let it be a strong fire, and whenever it tends to become dry, water it with the sharp water little by little while you are stirring so that it will not burn. Continue like this until the water is consumed and the soap is well cooked and its consistency becomes like that of the shoemakers glue, known as ashras. Make a milban(mould) from wood, similar to the milban of bricks, but larger. Spread a kham cloth(coarse cotton cloth) or a piece of khasf and place the milban (the mould) over it. Pour the soap into the milban. The purpose of the milban (the mould) is to prevent the soap from flowing until it thickens. Leave it for one night and one day until it solidifies. Then cut it with a knife as is usual. If you want the soap to be perfumed add to it, on the last cooking on fire, choice perfumes and saffron and whatever scents you like then pour it as above mentioned, if God wills."