Following the decline of the Roman Empire came the expansion of Islam into parts of Europe, especially the Iberian peninsula. Islam brought many important contributions to the medical field, notably in pharmacology. Surgery, in contrast, hardly made any progress as it was largely dependent on anatomical knowledge and the Koran banned dissection. Islamic medicine, deeply inspired by the doctrines of Hippocrates, Aristotle and Galen,* as well as elements imported from India (more of this later), had devoted, as did Hebraic medicine, a great deal of attention to hygiene, also in its religious teachings. This is seen in the recommendations for regular rinsing of the mouth, and cleaning of the teeth with aromatic wood sticks, whose fibres had been teased out at one end to form a sort of paintbrush.