Unlike in ancient Greece, Alexandria, and Rome, where the practice of medicine had been considered more a trade than a profession, many physicians in the Islamic empire were highly respected by the public.  The physicians who catered to the upper class were paid extravagant salaries and were thus able to take 1 or 2 days a week to work for no fees in the hospitals treating the poor. This was the first civilization to provide for many of the health needs of its urban general public.