On the occasion of the centennial of the American Academy of Periodontology (AAP) this year, Dr. Kenneth S. Kornman, Editor-in-Chief of AAP’s Journal of Periodontology, together with Paul B. Robertson and Ray C. Williams have worked on a long reading list [pdf] of scientific articles which have shaped modern periodontology. I shall return to the list later.

In a commentary [pdf], they mention Europe’s first University in Bologna in 1088 although they have to concede that,

“[T]he European university model with a focus on science and research emerged later in the 19th century [sic!], original observations in the sciences were presented to members of learned societies became the primary vehicle for discussion and transmission of knowledge, and in the mid 1600s the proceedings of scientific societies, such as the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, began publication.”

It is true that the first university in the sense of a higher-learning, degree-awarding institute was founded in Bologna and the word university had even been coined at its foundation. It is nevertheless superfluous to mention that when it comes to medicine at large or, in particular, our roots. The first medical school had been founded already long before in the south Italian city of Salerno. Based on the 9th century dispensary of a monastery, it became famous after the arrival of Constantine the African in 1077, an Arab physician and professor who introduced Arab medicine to Europe which he compiled and translated from Arabic sources. Although he became a Benedectine monk a couple of years after he had arrived in Salerno, his teachings were entirely based on knowledge and skills of Arabic physicians.

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