Abu Bekr Muhammed Ibn Zakarija ar-Razi is commonly referred to in his Latinized form, Razes, the Razor, after his birthplace Raj in Khorasan (Persia). Unfortunately, his autobiography has been lost, so we know very little about his life. Since he died in 923 or, according to another account, in 932 AD at an old age, he must have been born around the mid-ninth century. He received a good education in philosophy, philology, and mathematics, but in his youth, he primarily focused on music, particularly singing and playing the zither, with notable success. He is also said to have engaged in money exchange activities. It was only at the age of 30 that he decided to study medicine; a visit to the great hospital in Baghdad is said to have made a profound impression on him. Here in Baghdad, Ibn Zein el-Tabari, who had converted to Islam, was present.