Katie Grimes
Dr. Mohammad Khalil
REL 330
15 April 2014
Ibn Sīnā’s Medical Masterpiece: al-Qanun and its Influence on the History of Medicine
The great Muslim philosopher Ibn Sīnā was also a great physician—one of the most influential of his time. As part of his studies, he authored the Canon of Medicine, a massive encyclopedia of medical practice. He opens this book with a famous definition, writing: “medicine is the science by which we learn the various states of the human body in health and when not in health, and the means by which health is likely to be lost and, when lost, is likely to be restored back to health” (Bakhtiar 9). The text that follows this quote is considered a masterpiece by many; Ibn Sīnā had no way of knowing that his book would transform the field he defines, having a momentous impact on the study of health and disease. Ibn Sīnā’s al-Qanun has, in fact, acted as a monumental stepping stone in the history and advancement of modern medicine.
Let’s set the scene: the eleventh century marked some of the last years of a magnificent Islamic Golden Age, an era distinguished by the construction of elaborate mosques, mathematical innovation in the disciples of algebra, trigonometry, and geometry, and the formation of the modern hospital. Crucial ancient Greek writings were preserved and improved upon, providing future generations access to invaluable knowledge. It was in the midst of these movements of conservation and advancement that a soon-to-be genius would emerge. In the year 980 CE in what is now Iran, Abū ‘Alī al-Ḥusayn ibn ‘Abd Allāh Ibn Sīnā was born. Ibn Sīnā (known as Avicenna in Europe) was a true Renaissance man; in addition to his primary fields of philosophy and medicine, he studied and experimented wi...
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...ial drugs and medicinal recipes, and draws the connecting line between mental and physical health, bringing this information into a conduit that could be widely distributed throughout Europe and the Middle East. From the encouragement of the use of the scientific method and the development of holistic medicine to the diagnosis of meningitis, many can agree that the Canon made a permanent imprint on Western medicine. In a world in which people have the ability to live well into their nineties and neurosurgeons can detect miniscule tumors hidden in the folds of a human brain, it would be beneficial to look back to our roots, to the history of science and medicine, and pay tribute to the inventors and innovators—of which Ibn Sīnā is just one—that have brought us thus far. Hopefully, this reflection will inspire other budding scientists to strive for similar greatness.
The improvement of medicine over the course of the human successes gave great convenience to the people of today. Science has cured and prevented many illnesses from occurring and is on its way to cure some of the most dreadful and harmful illnesses. As the world modernizes due to the industrialization, so does the ways of medicine. Some cures are approached by chance, some, through intense, scientific measures.
Usmah Ibn Munqidh in his 1175 Autobiography relates an anecdote drawing sharp contrasts between Frankish and Arab physicians of the time. Thabit, an Arab Christian physician, was sent to al-Munaytirah to treat patients, and described healing a knight with an abscess on his leg with a poultice and a woman with “imbecility” with a prescribed diet. However, when a Frankish physician arrived at the scene, both patients were killed through extreme treatments—a self-inflicted amputation for the knight, and an attempted exorcism for the woman (Ibn Munqidh). Ibn Munqidh goes on to describe times when he witnessed Frankish medicine succeed, but this story is nonetheless largely illustrative of the gulf of medical knowledge between Western Europe and the Islamic Empire during the Middle Ages. At a time when Europeans still largely held to the idea of illness as a
Medical Saints is a book backed up with experience, knowledge, and spiritual and scientific concepts. Duffin’s development of plot with her studies helps the reader conceptualize her stressed importance on Saints Cosmas and Damian and their relationship with medical miracles. By looking at the author’s experiences, her research, and her concepts, one can see that it is accurate information that can help the world we live in today. Duffin inspires the health care system and forms of spirituality to bridge the gap between them and understand that they coexist.
For countless years there has always been an urgent need for doctors. Different methods would be used to cure people from their sicknesses. However, life is given by God and it is he who can take it away. Doctors play the role of saving lives, but in the end, they are powerless because nature has to take its course leaving humanity at its limits. In Vincent Lams novel “Bloodletting and Miraculous Cures”, Lam challenges the myth that doctors are omnipotent by contending that “medicine is a science of uncertainty and an art of probability”. Using Fitzgerald as a focal point, Lam debunks the myth that doctors are omnipotent through situations of medical failure, having a loss of power and control and by inhabiting deadly diseases. By showings his mistakes, Lam proves that Fitz is not perfect and God like.
The logic and principles of medieval medicine shaped those of Modern medicine. Never was there a more efficient method perfected, so much that it remained through history through so many hundreds of years. Today’s concepts of diagnosis, relationships with the church, anatomy, surgery, hospitals and training, and public health were established in the Middle Ages.
The theories of Hippocrates and Galen are of vital importance to the development of medicine, as they shaped medicine for many centuries to come. Hippocrates was the first to dismiss the notion that magic, spirits, or the Gods could cause or cure disease, reforming the course medicine took. Galen followed in the footsteps of Hippocrates, working relentlessly on human anatomy, endeavoring to fathom how the body functions and what happens when something goes wrong. Without Hippocrates’ belief in diseases being a product of nature revolutionizing medicine, and Galen’s extensive work on the anatomy of the human body, medicine may not have progressed to what it is today.
The bio-medical model of ill health has been at the forefront of western medicine since the end of the eighteenth century and grew stronger with the progress in modern science. This model underpinned the medical training of doctors. Traditionally medicine had relied on folk remedies passed down from generations and ill health was surrounded in superstition and religious lore with sin and evil spirits as the culprit and root of ill health. The emergence of scientific thinking questioned the traditional religious view of the world and is linked to the progress in medical practice and the rise of the biomedical model. Social and historical events and circumstances were an important factor in its development as explanations about disease were being found in biological systems of the body that contradicted the belief that linked causation to divine intervention or superstition. Cartesian dualism and Newtonian physics were influential in the academic world and there was a push to break away from the superstitions of the past. (Albrecht 2003 p: 15; Giddens 2009 p: 391; Barry & Yuill 2008 p 31).
The main elements of the medical model of health are the search for objective, discernable signs of disease, its diagnosis and treatment (Biswas, 1993). Therefore, by adhering to this reductionist view, the human body is seen as a biochemical machine (Turner, 1995) and health merely as an absence of disease, a commodity to be bought and sold. The rise of hospitals with their goal of curing and controlling disease has led to the marginalisation of lay medicine, and a focus upon the individual rather than society as a cause of ill health. Health education and promotion with their focus upon 'victim blaming' and individualism have extended the remit of the medical profession from the hospital into the community. With medical imperialism the power of medicina has grown and medicine has all but replaced religion as an institution of social control. Illich (1976, p53) describes medicine as a: 'moral enterprise.....[which] gives content to good and evil..... like law and religion [it] defines what is normal, proper or desirable'.
In modern medicine when an ailment arises it can be quickly diagnosed, attributed to a precise bacteria, virus, or body system, and treated with medication, surgery or therapy. During the time before rational medical thought, this streamlined system of treatment was unheard of, and all complaints were attributed to the will of the multitude of commonly worshiped Greek gods (Greek Medicine 1). It was during the period of Greek rationalism that a perceptible change in thought was manifested in the attitudes towards treating disease. Ancient Greece is often associated with its many brilliant philosophers, and these great thinkers were some of the first innovators to make major developments in astrology, physics, math and even medicine. Among these academics was Hippocrates, one of the first e...
Another primary focus for the next installment of this paper will be a detailed argument of why it would be a wonderful and scientifically beneficial idea to fund and continue research on medical practices in Ancient Egypt.
There are many terms used to describe the period after the fall of Rome and before the Renaissance, three main terms being the Middle, Medieval, and Dark Ages. In general, these terms are used interchangeably, but are these fair substitutions? In recent years the term “Dark Ages” is becoming less and less acceptable as a phrase which describes the span of years it is meant to refer to. The use of the term “dark” implies a period of stagnation, which is becoming a questionable concept. In particular, the span of time referred to in this paper is 530-1452 BCE, with specific attention paid to the scientific discoveries and innovations rather than art or literature. These dates are significant because in 529 the Academy and Lyceum in Athens were shutdown by the Byzantine emperor, thus ending the Greek intellectual influence. The date of 1453 is chosen because many Greek texts arrived in Europe in 1453 after the fall of Constantinople at the hands of the Turks, thereby reviving the struggling European scientific fields (Bunch 93). This essay will show that the medieval period was not a so-called “dark age” because of scientific innovation in the Islamic world, and is only referred to as such because of the popular bias in the West of focusing on Europe. In order to make this clear, firstly, two objections to this proposition will be analyzed and clearly refuted. Following these counter arguments, the main weight of historical facts and events in the identification and explanation of Islamic scientific innovation will be presented, showing the inaccuracy of referring to the medieval period as dark. Finally, I will show that the misleading perception of the medieval era as stagnant is due to the modern bias for the superiority of Western...
Every year, approximately 230, 000 to 400. 00 deaths are caused by iatrogenic deaths ( in other words, these are deaths caused by wrong medical treatments). Two of the prominent yet some what contrasting types of medicine are, Ayurveda, the Indian traditional medicine, and Modern (aka western) medicine. Both of these have their own processes and methods of healing, which over the years have created their own followers. While Ayurveda addresses the root causes of the disease through identifying the imbalances in the elements, called “Doshas”, it also emphasizes on a spiritual lifestyle which for most people in today's world is a sea change. On the other hand, western medicine addresses the symptoms and provides instant albeit temporary relief for suffering. Needless to say there are more followers of the western medicine due to its immediate impact on subsiding the pain. Out of lack of awareness to the significance of traditional medicine, especially Ayurveda, many doctors and researchers are against the use of Ayurvedic and traditional medicines, which limits the potential of curing certain ailments of patients without additional side effects.
Freeman, David H. "The Triumph of New-Age Medicine." The Atlantic. 2011. Web. 27 Feb. 2012. .
...were revolutionary and still hold true today. His impact on society today goes from his celebrity status in Iran to the Ibn Sina Academy of Medieval Medicines and Sciences in Aligarh, India, Avicenna School in Karachi, Pakistan, moon crater, and a plant genius called Avicennia. This Renaissance man sacrificed a lot of time to write his many books. He sacrificed a lot of time to gain a vast amount of knowledge from Aristotle to cadavers. “Ibn Sina sought to integrate all aspects of science and religion in a grand metaphysical vision. With this vision he attempted to explain the formation of the universe as well as to elucidate the problems of evil, prayer, providence, prophecies, miracles, and marvels. Also within its scope fall problems relating to the organization of the state in accord with religious law and the question of the ultimate destiny of man” (Iskander).
Living in a healthy condition is very essential for everyone’s life. There are many diseases that can affect people’s health. Most of diseases are serious, and they can potentially kill us if we do not treat them as soon as possible. Medicine is very important to prevent diseases before infecting people or treat them after they get sick. In the last fifteen years, medicine has been incredibly improving from what it was previously, but it still shares several traits with traditional methods. Traditional and modern medicine are methods of treatment that have similarities and differences between them.