ABSTRACT
It is well known that from an early point much of medieval Islamic scholarship adopted a negative attitude toward the doctrine of contagion. In medieval Arabic texts the term 'adwa is used in the sense of "transmissibilily", and hence encompasses the modern notions of both contagion and infection. The debate over 'adwa began in early Islamic times and is still discussed today among Muslim physicians committed both to their faith and to their professions as modern medics. The background to Ibn Qutayba's discussion of contagion extends back to pre-Islamic Arabia, where the Arab tribes considered that epidemics were caused by demons and other spirit beings that spread pestilence among mankind by means of their various weapons. Ibn Qutayba's material comes from a time when formal physicians flourished in Baghdad, translations from Syriac and Greek were being produced at a rapid pace, and formal medical institutions were emerging. Hence his ability to comment on what physicians says about "contagion".
