IntheMiddleAges,whentheCrusadesbroughtEuropeandtheMiddleEastintocontact,ArabmedicinewasfarinadvanceofthatusedintheWest.ThefollowingisastoryrelatedbyanArabdoctor.
‘Theytookmetoseeaknightwhohadanabscessonhisleg.Iappliedapoulticeandtheabscessopenedandbegantoheal.ThenthereappearedaFrankishdoctorwhosaid,“Thismanhadnoideahowtocurethisperson!”Heturnedtotheknightandasked,“Whichwouldyouprefer,tolivewithonelegordiewithtwo?”Whentheknightsaidhewouldprefertolive,hesentforastrongmanandasharpaxe.Thedoctorsupportedthelegonablockofwoodandtoldtheman,“Strikeamightyblow,andcutcleanly!”Thefellowstruckoneblowandthenanotherforthefirsthadnotfinishedthejob.Themarrowspurtedoutoftheleg,andtheknightdiedinstantaneously.’
中世紀期間，十字軍建立了歐洲和中東的關係。當時阿拉伯醫學遠勝歐洲。以下是一位阿拉伯醫生所述故事。
「他們帶我去看一個武士，他腿上長了膿瘡。我敷上膏藥，膿瘡迸裂，開始痊癒。這時來了個西歐醫生，說：『這人根本不懂治療！』他轉身問那武士：『你寧願砍掉一條腿而生，還是保存雙腿而死？』武士說寧願活下去，那醫生就叫人找來一名壯漢、一柄利斧，把武士那條腿放在厚木板上，吩咐壯漢說：『用力砍，要砍得乾淨利落。』壯漢砍了一下，未竟全功，於是再砍一下，骨髓飛濺而出，那武士當場死去。」