Revising her 2003 doctoral dissertation in the history of medicine for Oxford University, Tibi investigates the extent to which medieval Islamic physicians used opium and in what way, and how much of their use of opium was original and how much derived from Greek sources. Baghdad, only 50 years old, was at its prime in the ninth century and had become a center of academic activity, she points out, where well-known physicians practiced and wrote important medical and scientific treatises. She analyzes extracts dealing with opium and poppies from six of these books, and discusses Greek sources they refer to. The Arabic texts are appended. Not covered here are later practices and theories, medicinal use in the rest of Islam, or recreational use of opium--all of which she says clearly existed. Annotation ©2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)