Books for Iraq can be found here. The new web site explains its purpose.
In addition to the recent conflict and the continuing violence, two wars and twelve years of sanctions have had a crippling effect on Iraq’s pharmacy education and practice. These events have severely affected access to information resources such as books and journals, and imposed a total isolation from the scientific community.
Iraq has an important position in the history of pharmacy. Baghdad was a prominent centre for science and culture; enlightened Caliphs created an atmosphere where Arab, Jewish, Alexandrian and Indian scholars could all contribute to intellectual life. Talented scientists translated and preserved ancient Greek, Persian and Indian manuscripts. In the 9th century, one Baghdad institution, Bayt al-Hikma (House of Wisdom), translated a vast number of medical texts, including the works of Galen.
In future years, the lost Greek knowledge was re-established in the Western world, through the introduction of Latin translations of these Arabic texts. Yet, Baghdad did not merely hold this knowledge in safekeeping – it was added to, and Latin translations of Arabic medical texts were used in Europe for centuries.
Books to Iraq has been created by Iraqi and UK pharmacists in order to help raise funds for the supply of new academic textbooks to the eight Schools of Pharmacy within Iraq. We wish to help support Iraqi Pharmacy educators and students, and by their efforts the nation of Iraq.
Iraq has given the world a great legacy of pharmaceutical and medical knowledge and the world can, in return, help them rebuild their knowledge and infrastructure. Your donation can help replenish the knowledge that Iraq held for humanity in the past.