Ibn
Sina was a highly respected Persian physician whose medical treatise, the Canon
of Medicine, influenced medical practice for centuries.
He
was born in 980 AD at Qishlak Afshona, a village near Bukhara (in present-day
Uzbekistan), which was the capital of Samanid Dynasty, IranChamber reported.
The
young Ibn Sina received his early education in Bokhara, and by the age of ten
had become well versed in the study of Qur’an and other sciences.
He
started studying philosophy by reading various Greek, Muslim and other books on
the subject and learnt logic and other subjects from Abu Abdallah Natili, a
famous philosopher of the time.
Early
Days
While
still young, he attained such a degree of expertise in medicine that his renown
spread far and wide.
At
the age of 17, he was fortunate in curing Nouh ibn Mansour, the Samanid king,
of an illness for the treatment of which all the well-known physicians had
given up hope.
Upon
his recovery, the king wished to reward him, but the young physician only
desired permission to use his uniquely stocked library.
On
his father’s death, Ibn Sina left Bokhara and travelled to Jurjan where
Khwarazm Shah welcomed him.
There,
he met his famous contemporary Abu Raihan Al-Birouni. Later, he moved to Rey
and then to Hamedan, where he wrote his famous book Al-Qanoun fi Al-Tibb.
Here
he treated Shams al-Daulah, the King of Hamadan, for severe colic. From
Hamadan, he moved to Esfahan, where he completed many of his monumental
writings.
Nevertheless,
he continued travelling and the excessive mental exertion as well as political
turmoil spoilt his health. Finally, he returned to Hamadan where he died in
1037 AD.
He
was the most famous physician, philosopher, encyclopedias, mathematician and
astronomer of his time.
Medical
Masterpiece
Ibn
Sina’s major contribution to medical science was his famous book Al-Qanoun,
known as the ‘Canon’ in the West.
Avicenna
began his Canon of Medicine in 1012, and completed it a little more than a
decade later, in 1023, in Hamedan, in wesernt-central Iran.
His
purpose in writing it was to put together a clear, concise compendium of
Greco-Roman scientific medicine.
The
Canon was translated into Latin by Gerardof Cremona between 1150 and 1187. It
became the standard European medical textbook during the Middle Ages.
The
first part of the Canon defines the nature of human body, health, illness and
medical treatment, as well as the causes and symptoms of diseases.
Disease
is caused by humoral imbalance, bodily malformation, or dysfunction such as
obstruction.
Urine
and pulse are a guide to the inner state of the body, and therapies include
drugs, bleeding and cauterization.
Part
two of the Canon deals with medicinal plants and the conditions they treat.
Diseases of individual organs or systems are covered in the third part of the
Canon.
Part
four deals with fevers. It also teaches minor surgery and treatment of tumors,
dislocations, poisons and skin conditions, among other afflictions. The fifth
and final part of the Canon is a guide to preparing medicinal compounds.
Critics
of the Canon point out that it was a reliable reference tool for answering
certain questions, but did not represent genuine progress.
In
1023, the city of Hamedan was attacked and Avicenna moved to Isfahan. Lodged
and welcomed by the ruler, Ala Al-Dawla, Avicenna would spend the last 14 years
of his life there in relative peace.
He
continued his research in medicine, noting that ice compresses effectively
relieved headaches and that sugar-rose preserves cured a woman of her
tuberculosis.
In
January 1030, Isfahan fell to the Ghaznavids and Ala al-Dawla and Avicenna
evacuated the city. While on a campaign with Al-Dawla, Avicenna suffered an
acute abdominal attack and died. He was 57 years old.
Other
Achievements
Ibn
Sina’s philosophical encyclopedia, Kitab Al-Shifa was a monumental work,
embodying a vast field of knowledge from philosophy to science.
According
to his classification, the fields are divided as follows: theoretical
knowledge: physics, mathematics and metaphysics; and practical knowledge:
ethics, economics and politics.
His
philosophy synthesizes Aristotelian tradition, neo-Platonism influences and
Muslim theology. He also contributed to mathematics, physics, music and other
fields.
Ibn
Sina propounded an interconnection between time and motion, and also made
investigations on specific gravity and used an air thermometer. These views
were radically opposed at that time.
Source:
IBNA News Agency