Ibn Sina

http://www.ummah.com/history/scholars/ibn_sina/
Ibn Sina was born in 980 C.E. in the village of Afshana near
Bukhara which today is located in the far south of ussia. !is
father" Abdullah" an adherent of the Is#aili sect" was fro#
Balkh and his #other fro# a village near Bukhara. Ibn Sina's
independent thought was served by an extraordinary intelligence and memory, which
allowed him to overtake his teachers at the age o ourteen. !s he said in his
autobiography, there was nothing that he had not learned when he reached eighteen.
In any age Ibn Sina" known in the $est as Avicenna" would
have been a giant a#ong giants. !e dis%layed e&ce%tional
intellectual %rowess as a child and at the age of ten was
already %ro'cient in the (ur)an and the Arabic classics.
*uring the ne&t si& years he devoted hi#self to +usli#
,uris%rudence" -hiloso%hy and .atural Science and studied
/ogic" Euclid" and the Al#eagest.
!e turned his attention to +edicine at the age of 01 years
and found it" in his own words" "not difcult". !owever he
was greatly troubled by #eta%hysical %roble#s and in
%articular the works of Aristotle. By chance" he obtained a
#anual on this sub2ect by the celebrated %hiloso%her al3
4arabi which solved his di5culties.
By the age of 08 he had built u% a re%utation as a %hysician
and was su##oned to attend the Sa#ani ruler .uh ibn
+ansur 6reigned 9173991 C.E.8" who" in gratitude for Ibn
Sina)s services" allowed hi# to #ake free use of the royal
library" which contained #any rare and even uni9ue books.
Endowed with great %owers of absorbing and retaining
knowledge" this +usli# scholar devoured the contents of the
library and at the age of :0 was in a %osition to co#%ose his
'rst book.
At about the sa#e ti#e he lost his father and soon
afterwards left Bukhara and wandered westwards. !e
entered the services of Ali ibn +a)#un" the ruler of ;hiva" for
a while" but ulti#ately <ed to avoid being kidna%%ed by the
Sultan +ah#ud of =ha>na. After #any wanderings he ca#e
to ,ur2an" near the Cas%ian Sea" attracted by the fa#e of its
ruler" (abus" as a %atron of learning. ?nfortunately Ibn
Sina)s arrival al#ost coincided with the de%osition and
#urder of this ruler. At ,ur2an" Ibn Sina lectured on logic and
astrono#y and wrote the 'rst %art of the (anun" his greatest
work
!e then #oved to ay" near #odern @eheran and
established a busy #edical %ractice. $hen ay was
besieged" Ibn Sina <ed to !a#adan where he cured A#ir
Sha#sud3*awala of colic and was #ade -ri#e +inister. A
#utiny of soldiers against hi# caused his dis#issal and
i#%rison#ent" but subse9uently the A#ir" being again
attacked by the colic" su##oned hi# back" a%ologised and
reinstated hi#A !is life at this ti#e was very strenuousB
during the day he was busy with the A#ir)s services" while a
great deal of the night was %assed in lecturing and dictating
notes for his books. Students would gather in his ho#e and
read %arts of his two great books" the Shifa and the (anun"
already co#%osed.
4ollowing the death of the A#ir" Ibn Sina <ed to Isfahan after
a few brushes with the law" including a %eriod in %rison. !e
s%ent his 'nal years in the services of the ruler of the city"
Ala al3*aula who# he advised on scienti'c and literary
#atters and acco#%anied on #ilitary ca#%aigns.
4riends advised hi# to slow down and take life in
#oderation" but this was not in character. "I prefer a short
life with width to a narrow one with lengthC" he would re%ly.
$orn out by hard work and hard living" Ibn Sina died in
00D7E0 at a co#%aratively early age of F8 years. !e was
buried in !a#adan where his grave is still shown.
Al3(ifti states that Ibn Sina co#%leted :0 #a2or and :G
#inor works on %hiloso%hy" #edicine" theology" geo#etry"
astrono#y and the like. Another source 6Brockel#ann8
attributes 99 books to Ibn Sina co#%rising 07 on #edicine"
78 on theology and #eta%hysics 00 on astrono#y and four
on verse. +ost of these were in ArabicH but in his native
-ersian he wrote a large #anual on %hiloso%hical science
entitled *anish3naa#a3i3Alai and a s#all treatise on the
%ulse.
!is #ost celebrated Arabic %oe# describes the descent of
Soul into the Body fro# the !igher S%here. A#ong his
scienti'c works" the leading two are the ;itab al3Shifa
6Book of !ealing8" a %hiloso%hical encyclo%aedia based
u%on Aristotelian traditions and the al3(anun al3@ibb
which re%resents the 'nal categorisation of =reco3Arabian
thoughts on +edicine.
If Ibn Sina)s 07 #edical works" eight are versi'ed treatises
on such #atter as the :F signs indicating the fatal
ter#ination of illnesses" hygienic %rece%ts" %roved re#edies"
anato#ical #e#oranda etc. A#ongst his %rose works" after
the great (anun" the treatise on cardiac drugs" of which the
British +useu# %ossesses several 'ne #anuscri%ts" is
%robably the #ost i#%ortant" but it re#ains un%ublished.
@he (anun is" of course" by far the largest" #ost fa#ous and
#ost i#%ortant of Ibn Sina)s works. @he work contains about
one #illion words and like #ost Arabic books" is elaborately
divided and subdivided. @he #ain division is into 've books"
of which the 'rst deals with general %rinci%lesH the second
with si#%le drugs arranged al%habeticallyH the third with
diseases of %articular organs and #e#bers of the body fro#
the head to the footH the fourth with diseases which though
local in their ince%tion s%read to other %arts of the body"
such as fevers and the 'fth with co#%ound #edicines.
@he (anun distinguishes #ediastinitis fro# %leurisy and
recognises the contagious nature of %hthisis 6tuberculosis of
the lung8 and the s%read of disease by water and soil. It
gives a scienti'c diagnosis of ankylosto#iasis and attributes
the condition to an intestinal wor#. @he (anun %oints out
the i#%ortance of dietetics" the in<uence of cli#ate and
environ#ent on health and the surgical use of oral
anaesthetics. Ibn Sina advised surgeons to treat cancer in its
earliest stages" ensuring the re#oval of all the diseased
tissue. @he (anun)s materia medica considers so#e 170
drugs" with co##ents on their a%%lication and eJectiveness.
!e reco##ended the testing of a new drug on ani#als and
hu#ans %rior to general use.
Ibn Sina noted the close relationshi% between e#otions and
the %hysical condition and felt that #usic had a de'nite
%hysical and %sychological eJect on %atients. If the #any
%sychological disorders that he described in the (anun" one
is of unusual interestB love sicknessA ibn Sina is re%uted to
have diagnosed this condition in a -rince in ,ur2an who lay
sick and whose #alady had baKed local doctors. Ibn Sina
noted a <uttering in the -rince)s %ulse when the address and
na#e of his beloved were #entioned. @he great doctor had a
si#%le re#edyB unite the suJerer with the beloved.
@he Arabic te&t of the (anun was %ublished in o#e in 0F9D
and was therefore one of the earliest Arabic books to see
%rint. It was translated into /atin by =erard of Cre#ona in
the 0:th century. @his )Canon)" with its encyclo%aedic
content" its syste#atic arrange#ent and %hiloso%hical %lan"
soon worked its way into a %osition of %re3e#inence in the
#edical literature of the age dis%lacing the works of =alen"
al3a>i and al3+a2usi" and beco#ing the te&t book for
#edical education in the schools of Euro%e. In the last D0
years of the 0Fth century it %assed through 0F /atin editions
and one !ebrew. In recent years" a %artial translation into
English was #ade. 4ro# the 0:th301th century" the (anun
served as the chief guide to +edical Science in the $est and
is said to have in<uenced /eonardo da Linci. In the words of
*r. $illia# Isler" the (anun has re#ained "a medical bible
for a longer time than any other work".
*es%ite such glorious tributes to his work" Ibn Sina is rarely
re#e#bered in the $est today and his funda#ental
contributions to +edicine and the Euro%ean reawakening
goes largely unrecognised. !owever" in the #useu# at
Bukhara" there are dis%lays showing #any of his writings"
surgical instru#ents fro# the %eriod and %aintings of
%atients undergoing treat#ent. An i#%ressive #onu#ent to
the life and works of the #an who beca#e known as the
)doctor of doctors) still stands outside Bukhara #useu# and
his %ortrait hangs in the !all of the 4aculty of +edicine in the
?niversity of -aris.
"anun means #$aw% in &ersian and in !rabic. Ibn Sina created the book called The
Canon of Medicine '!rabic: ()*+ ,- ./012*+ Al-Qanun fi al-Tibb 3The Law of
Medicine34
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5he_6anon_o_7edicine
5he book explains the causes o health and disease. Ibn Sina believed that the human
body cannot be restored to health unless the causes o both health and disease are
determined. 8e deined medicine 'tibb9 as ollows:
37edicine is the science by which we learn the various states o the body4 in health,
when not in health4 the means by which health is likely to be lost4 and, when lost, is
likely to be restored. In other words, it is the art whereby health is concerned and the
art by which it is restored ater being lost.
!vicenna regarded the causes o good health and diseases to be:
:. 5he 7aterial 6auses
;. 5he <lements
=. 5he 8umors
>. 5he ?ariability o the 5umors
@. 5he 5emperaments
A. 5he &sychic Baculties
C. 5he ?ital Borce
D. 5he Ergans
F. 5he <icient 6auses
:G.5he Bormal 6auses
::. 5he ?ital Baculties
:;.5he Binal 6auses
5he Canon lists DGG tested drugs, including plant and mineral substances, with
comments on their application and eectiveness. !vicenna wrote a separate
supplement treatise dedicated to the pharmacotherapy o 38indiba3, a
compound drug he suggested or the treatment o cancer and other tumors 'see 6ancer
therapy below9 and which could also be used or treating other neoplastic disorders.
8e gives details on the drug's properties and uses, and then gives instructions on its
preparation asmedication.
In inhalational drug therapy, the Canon described the inhalation o essential
oils rom pine and eucalyptus to alleviate respiratory symptoms. Hoth o these
compounds are still present in modernIday proprietary inhalational medicines.
J
Blood pressure
!vicenna dedicated a chapter o the Canon to blood pressure. 8e was able to discover
the causes o bleeding and haemorrhage, and discovered that haemorrhage could be
induced by high blood pressure because o higher levels o cholesterol in the blood.
5his led him to investigate methods o controlling blood pressure.
5he Canon distinguished anatomy 3rom other aspects o medicine by its need or a
dierent methodology.3 It thus stated:
3!s or the parts o the body and their unctions, it is necessary that they be
approached through observation 'hiss9 and dissection 'tashrih9, while those things that
must be conKectured and demonstrated by reason are diseases and their particular
causes and their symptoms and how disease can be abated and health maintained.3
5he Canon was also the earliest text to note that intellectual dysunctions were largely
due to deicits in the brain's middle ventricle, and that the rontal lobe o the brain
mediated common sense and reasoning.
!nother contribution the Canon made to ophthalmology was the suggestion that
3the optic nerves did cross.3
In cardiology, The Canon of Medicine is the irst book to mention the vasovagal
syncope and carotid sinus hypersensitivity. !ccording to several scholars, 3!rticle @
rom Hook III o this encyclopedia described drop attacks ollowing compression o
the carotid artery, yawning, atigue and lushing, which together
resemble neurogenic syncope. Syncope is the eeling o aint: a spontaneous loss o
consciousness caused by insuicient blood to the brain.
5he irst correct explanation o pulsation was given by !vicenna, ater he reined
Lalen's theory o the pulse and discovered the ollowing in The Canon of Medicine:
3<very beat o the pulse comprises two movements and two pauses. 5hus, expansion :
pause : contraction : pause. M...J 5he pulse is a movement in the heart and arteries ...
which takes the orm o alternate expansion and contraction.3
5he Canon also pioneered the modern approach o examining the pulse through the
examination o the wrist, which is still practiced in modern times. 8is reasons or
choosing the wrist as the ideal location is due to it being easily available and the
patient not needing to be distressed at the exposure o his/her body. 5he $atin
translation o his Canon also laid the oundations or the later invention o
the sphygmograph. ' a mechanical device used to measure blood pressure in the midI
:Fth century. 9 SIigImoIgraph.
!vicenna also wrote a supplemental treatise on diagnosing diseases using only the
methods o eeling the pulse and observing inhalation. 8e was oten capable o
inding the symptoms o certain diseases only by eeling a patient's pulse.
8e noted that a 3cancerous tumour progressively increases in siNe, is destructive and
spreads roots which insinuate themselves amongst the tissue elements.3 8e also
attempted the earliest known treatments or cancer. Ene method he discovered was
the 38indiba3, a herbal compound drug which Ibn alIHaitar later identiied as having
3anticancer3 properties and which could also treat
other tumors and neoplastic disorders. !ter recogniNing its useulness in treating
neoplastic disorders, 8indiba was patented in :FFC by Oil Sari, 8anNade Pogan, and
Qohn R. Snyder.
M>>J
5he preerred medication the Canon recommended or skin
cancer and skin conditions in general was Ninc oxide.
!nother method or treating cancer irst described in the Canon was a surgical
treatment. It stated that the excision should be radical and that all
diseased tissue should be removed, which included the use o amputation or the
removal o veins running in the direction o the tumor. 8e also recommended the use
o cauteriNation 'he act o coagulating 'clot9 blood and destroying tissue with a hot
iron or caustic agent or by reeNing, burn, sear, or reeNe 'tissue9 using a hot iron or
electric current or a caustic agent) or the area being treated i necessary. 8owever,
the Canon notes that surgery should only be used as a last resort and that caution
should be taken, pointing out that 3most o the time, excision increases the cancer.3
5he Canon was also the irst to describe the symptoms o esophageal cancer and the
irst to reer to it as 3cancer o the esophagus.3
The Canon of Medicine supports the ancient theory o Bour 8umours, but reines in
various ways. In disease pathogenesis, or example, !vicenna 3added his own view o
dierent types o spirits 'or vital lie essences9 and souls, whose disturbances might
lead to bodily diseases because o a close association between them and such master
organs as the brain and heart. !n element o such belie is apparent in the chapter
o al-Lawa3 'see 6ardiology section9, which relates 3the maniestations to an
interruption o vital lie essence to the brain.3 8e combined his own view with that o
the Bour 8umours to establish a new doctrine to explain the mechanisms o various
diseases in another work he wrote, Treatise on Pulse:
SBrom mixture o the our MhumorsJ in dierent weights, MLod the most highJ created
dierent organs4 one with more blood like muscle, one with more black bile like
bone, one with more phlegm like brain, and one with more yellow bile like lung.
MLod the most highJ created the souls rom the sotness o humors4 each soul has it
own weight and amalgamation. 5he generation and nourishment o proper soul takes
place in the heart4 it resides in the heart and arteries, and is transmitted rom the heart
to the organs through the arteries. !t irst, it Mproper soulJ enters the master organs
such as the brain, liver or reproductive organs4 rom there it goes to other organs
while the nature o the soul is being modiied in each Mo themJ. !s long as Mthe soulJ
is in the heart, it is Tuite warm, with the nature o ire, and the sotness o bile is
dominant. 5hen, that part which goes to the brain to keep it vital and unctioning,
becomes colder and wetter, and in its composition the serous sotness and phlegm
vapor dominate. 5hat part, which enters the liver to keep its vitality and unctions,
becomes soter, warmer and sensibly wet, and in its composition the sotness o air
and vapor o blood dominate.
In general, there are our types o proper spirit: Ene is brutal spirit residing in the
heart and it is the origin o all spirits. !nother U as physicians reer to it U is sensual
spirit residing in the brain. 5he third U as physicians reer to it U is natural spirit
residing in the liver. 5he ourth is generative U i.e. procreative U spirits residing in the
gonads. 5hese our spirits goIbetween the soul o absolute purity and the body o
absolute impurity.V
The Canon also adopted the ancient theory of Four Temperaments and extended
it to encompass "emotional aspects, mental capacity, moral attitudes, self-
awareness, movements anddreams." It summaried !vicenna"s own
theory of four temperaments in a table presented as follows#
Bibrile: ever: a rise in the temperature o the body4 reTuently a symptom o
inection.
Wheumatism: any painul disorder o the Koints or muscles or connective tissues.
$assitude: weakness characteriNed by a lack o vitality or energy.
7ucoid salivation: relating to or resembling mucus4 3a mucoid substance3 and the
secretion o saliva.
Insomnia: an inability to sleep4 chronic sleeplessness.
6aleacients: ! herb or substance producing the sensation o heat when applied to the
body4 3a mustard plaster is caleacient3.
8umectants: any substance that is added to another substance to keep it moist.
$linical psycholo%y and psychotherapy
In clinical psychology and psychotherapy, !vicenna oten used psychological
methods to treat his patients. Ene such case study is when a prince o &ersia had
melancholia and suered rom the delusion that he is a cow, and who would low like
a cow crying 3Rill me so that a good stew may be made o my lesh3 and would never
eat anything. !vicenna was persuaded to the case and sent a message to the patient,
asking him to be happy as the butcher was coming to slaughter him, and the sick man
reKoiced. Xhen !vicenna approached the prince with a knie in his hand, he asked
3where is the cow so I may kill it.3 5he patient then lowed like a cow to indicate
where he was. 3Hy order o the butcher, the patient was also laid on the ground or
slaughter.3 Xhen !vicenna approached the patient pretending to slaughter him, he
said, 3the cow is too lean and not ready to be killed. 8e must be ed properly and I
will kill it when it becomes healthy and at.3 5he patient was then oered ood which
he ate eagerly and gradually 3gained strength, got rid o his delusion, and was
completely cured.3
It described melancholia 'depression9 as a type o mood disorder in which the person
may become suspicious and develop certain types o phobias. It stated
that anger heralded the transition o melancholia to mania, and explained
that humidity inside the head can contribute to mood disorders. It recogniNed that this
occurs when the amount o breath changes: happiness increases the breath, which
leads to increased moisture inside the brain, but i this moisture goes beyond its limits,
the brain would lose control over its rationality and lead to mental disorders. It also
described symptoms and treatments or nightmare, epilepsy, and weak memory.
Sleep &edicine
!n early psychological perspective on bedwetting was given in The Canon of
Medicine:
3Yrinating in bed is reTuently predisposed by deep sleep: when urine begins to low,
its inner nature and hidden will 'resembling the will to breathe9 drives urine out
beore the child awakes. Xhen children become stronger and more robust, their sleep
is lighter and they stop urinating.3
$hromotherapy
5he Canon, which described colour to be o vital importance
in diagnosis and treatment, made signiicant contributions to chromotherapy. It stated
that 36olor is an observable symptom o disease3 and also developed a chart that
related colour to the temperature and physical condition o the body. 8is view was
that red moved the blood, blue or white cooled it, and yellow reduced muscular pain
and inlammation. 5he author urther discussed the properties o colours or healing
and was 3the irst to establish that the wrong colour suggested or therapy would elicit
no response in speciic diseases.3 !s an example, 3he observed that a person with a
nosebleed should not gaNe at things o a brilliant red color and should not be exposed
to red light because this would stimulate the sanguineous humor, whereas blue would
soothe it and reduce blood low.3
Permatology
In dermatology, the preerred medication the Canon recommended or skin
conditions, including skin cancer, was Ninc oxide. 5hough today it is no longer used
or treating skin cancer, it is still widely used today to treat a variety o other skin
conditions, in products such as baby powder and creams to treat diaper
rashes, calamine cream, antiIdandru shampoos, and antiseptic ointments.
Lerontology ' the branch o medical science that deals with diseases and problems
speciic to old people9 and Leriatrics ' medicine that ocuses on health care o the
elderly9
The Canon of Medicine was the irst book to oer instruction or the care o the aged,
oreshadowing modern gerontology and geriatrics. ! chapter entitled 3Wegimen o
Eld !ge3 stated that 3old olk need plenty o sleep. 5ime spent on the couch should be
liberalZmore than is legitimate or adults.3 It urther stated that ater waking up, the
body should be anointed with oil 3to stimulate the sensitive aculties3.
Wegarding exercise, it recommended walking or horseIriding. It stated:
M@DJ
35he actors to consider in regard to exercise in old people are the various bodily
states o dierent persons4 the seTuels likely to arise rom their ailments4 and their
previous habits as regards exercise.3
5he book said that i the body is healthy, it can perorm attempered exercises, but i
one part o the body is inirm, 3then that part should not be exercised until ater the
rest3, and that exercises are not to be strictly graduated 3as i the body were to be
strengthened3. 5he Canon recogniNed our periods o lie: the period o growth, prime
o lie, period o elderly decline'rom orty to sixty9, and decrepit 'weakened9 age. 8e
states that during the last period, 3there is hardness o their bones, roughness o
the skin, and the long time since they produced semen, blood and vaporal breath3.
8owever, he agreed with Lalen that the earth element is more prominent in the aged
and decrepit than in other periods. !vicenna did not agree with the concept o
inirmity, however, stating:
M@DJ
35here is no need to assert that there are three states o the human bodyZsickness,
health and a state
which is neither health nor disease. 5he irst two cover everything.3
5hesis III o the Canon discussed the diet suitable or old people. !vicenna wrote that
they should be given ood in small amounts at a time and that they can have two to
three meals a day, divided up according to the digestive powers and general condition
o the old person in Tuestion. 8e also recommended ruits, such as igs and prunes.
8e also stated:
3Some laudable nutrition may be allowed at bedtime, MbutJ robust old olk may have a
more liberal supper, as long as they avoid any gross aliment... all hot, sharp or
desiccative 'dry9 oods, such as dishes made with vinegar, salt,
hot aromatics, seasonings and pickles. M7ilk is good or the aged, beingJ nutritious
and humectant in nature. M[etJ articles o ood with a laxative 'something that aids in
evacuation o the bowels or sotens stools) action are most appropriate or the
elderly.3
5he book also dedicated several sections o its 5hesis III to elderly patients who
become constipated, and wrote:
3Strong clysters 'enemata I an inKection o a liTuid through the anus to stimulate
evacuation4 sometimes used or diagnostic purposes9 must be avoided because they
dry up the gut. !n unctuous 'oily or greasy9 enema is
beneicial in cases where the bowels have been constipated or several days. ...
<vacuations must be procured with as little stress as possible in the aged and decrepit,
or it is to their advantage to get bowels opened gently.3
'hytotherapy ( the use of plants or plant extracts for medicinal purposes
(especially plants that are not part of the normal diet)
In phytotherapy, the Canon introduced the medicinal use o 5axus baccata $. 8e
named this herbal drug as 3\arnab3 and used it as a cardiac remedy. 5his was the irst
known use o acalcium channel blocker drug, which were not used in the Xestern
world until the :FAGs.

The Book of Healing '!rabic: ]1^_*+ `1ab Kitab Al-Shifa, $atin: Sufficientia9 is
a scientiic and philosophical encyclopedia written by !bc !ld ibn Sdne '!vicenna9
rom !sahana, near Hukhara in Lreater &ersia. Pespite its <nglish title, it is not in
act concerned with medicine. !lso called The Cure it is intended to 3cure3 or 3heal3
ignorance o the soul. 5his book is Ibn Sina%s maKor work on science and philosophy.
8e probably began to compose the al-Shifa in :G:>, completed it around :G;G,
M:J
and
published it in :G;C.
M;J
5he book is divided into our parts: logic, natural sciences, mathematics
'a Tuadrivium o arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and music9, andmetaphysics.
M;J
It
was inluenced by ancient Lreek philosophers, such as !ristotle, 8ellenistic thinkers
such as &tolemy, earlier &ersian and 7uslim scientists, and philosophers such as !lI
Rindi '!lkindus9, !lIBarabi '!larabi9 and !bc Wayhen alIHdrcnd.
*arth sciences
Ibn Sina made signiicant contributions to natural sciences 'which he
called Attabieyat9, particularly in <arth sciences such as Islamic
geography and geology. &art ;, Section @, o The Book of Healing, contains his essay
on mineralogy and meteorology, in six chapters: ormation o mountains4 the
advantages o mountains in the ormation o clouds4 sources o water4 origin
o earthTuakes4 ormation o minerals4 and the diversity o
earth%s terrain. 5oulmin and Loodield ':FA@9, commented on !vicenna's
contribution: 3!round !.P. :GGG, !vicenna was already suggesting a hypothesis
about the origin o mountain ranges, which in the 6hristian world, would still have
been considered Tuite radical eight hundred years later3.
M@J
In natural history, The
Book of Healing was the irst book to treat the three kingdoms
'the mineral, vegetable and animal kingdoms9 together systematically, and it contains
the most extensive medieval discussion on geology and the mineral kingdom. It
describes the structure o a meteor, dealt with the ormation o sedimentary rocks, and
the role o earthTuakes in mountain ormation. Ibn Sina also displays a clear
awareness o the possibility o seas turning into dry land and viceIversa, and thereore
provides a correct explanation or the discovery o ossils on mountain tops.
!vicenna was also the irst to divide human perception into the ive
external senses 'the classical senses o hearing, sight, smell,taste and touch known
since antiTuity9 and the ive internal senses which he discovered himsel. 5he ive
internal senses he discovered were: the sensus communis 'seat o all senses9 which
integrates sense data into percepts4 the imaginative aculty which conserves the
perceptual images4 the sense o imagination which acts upon these images by
combining and separating them, serving as the seat o the
practical intellect4 ahm 'instinct9 which perceives Tualities 'such as good and bad,
love and hate, etc.9 and orms the basis o a person's character whether or not
inluenced by reason4 and intentions 'ma!ni9 which conserve all these notions
in memory.
5he 6anon o 7edicine: ?olume : o @4 &art > o @: 5he &reservation o 8ealth
Ibn Sina's 6anon o 7edicine which is written in @ volumes, only the irst volume has
appeared in the <nglish $anguage. In the irst volume, Ibn Sina divides medicine into
two parts as he explains it throughout the irst book: the theoretical and the practical.
5he theoretical part consists o, but is not excluded to, such things as: the causes o
health and disease, the temperaments, the humours, the anatomy, general physiology,
the breath, psychology, discussion o causes diseases and symptoms, the causes o
illness, the classiication o diseases, the pulse, the urine etc.
!s he himsel says in the book on pg =@= 3In the irst part o this book it was stated
that medicine comprises two parts, one theoretical, and one practical, though both are
really speculative science.3 '!vicenna :FFF, p. =@=9
5heoretical and &ractical 7edicine
Ibn Sina goes on to say that you do not get any beneit rom Kust knowing how your
body works, but rather the true beneit o medicine itsel is in its practical aspect,
since medicine is or the preservation o health.
35hat which is speculative named theory relates to the ormation o opinions and the
showing o the evidence upon which they are based, without reerence to the mode o
acting upon them. 5hus this part deals with the temperaments, the humors, the drives,
and with the orms, the symptoms, and the causes o disease. 5hat which is specially
named practical relates to the mode o acting upon this knowledge, and the
prescription o a regimen.3 '!vicenna :FFF, p. =@=9
5he Heneits o <xercise
Ence the purpose o medicine has been set orth, then rom pages =CCI>@@, Ibn Sina
divides the way o achieving health as:
3Since the regimen o maintaining health consists essentially in the regulation o: ':9
exercise ';9 ood and '=9 sleep, we may begin our discourse with the subKect o
exercise3. '!vicenna :FFF, p. =CC9
<xercise itsel is divided into three main parts: 5he 7assage 'which is eTuivalent to
massaging your muscles beore you start to exercise94 5he <xercise itsel4 and lastly
the 6old Hath.
Living one o the greatest beneits o the regimen o exercise, and then explaining the
extremely important and necessary need or physical exercise4 Ibn Sina states:
3Ence we direct the attention towards regulating exercise as to amount and time, we
shall ind there is no need or such medicines as are ordinarily reTuired or remedying
diseases dependent on MabnormalJ matters, or diseases o temperament conseTuent
upon such. 5his is true provided the rest o the regimen is appropriate and proper.3
'!vicenna :FFF, p. =CC9
5he value o exercise includes the ollowing ':9 it hardens the organs and renders
them it or their unctions ';9 it results in a better absorption o ood, aids
assimilation, and, by increasing the innate heat, improves nutrition '=9 it clears the
pores o the skin '>9 it removes eete substances through the lungs '@9 it strengthens
the physiTue. ?igorous exercise invigorates the muscular and nervous system.3
'!vicenna :FFF, p. =CF9
In what manner does Ibn Sina uses the word temperamentf
In saying that exercise cures diseases o temperamant
Ibn Sina divides temperament into that which is harmonious and that which is nonI
uniorm. Ibn Sina says on pg ;CAI;CC
3In addition to the signs o the normal temperament already given, there are: 7ental
aculties include: vigor o imagination, intellectual power, and memory.3 '!vicenna
:FFF, p. ;CA9
3In brie, there is nonIuniormity o temperament among the members4 or, perchance,
the principal members depart rom eTuability and come to be o contrary
temperament, one deviating towards one, amother to its contrary. I the components o
the body are out o proportion, it is unortunate both or talent and reasoning power.3
'!vicenna :FFF, p. ;CC9
5he &urpose o <xercise and the Pangers o its negligence
6ontinuing on the proo to why exercise should be so beneicial Ibn Sina says 3Xe
know that this must be so when we relect how in regard to nutriment, our health
depends on the nutriment being appropriate or us and regulated in Tuantity and
Tuality. Bor not one o the aliments which are capable o nourishing the body is
converted into actual nutriment in its entirety. In every case digestion leaves
something untouched, and nature takes care to have that evacuated. Oevertheless, the
evacuation which nature accomplishes is not a complete one. 8ence at the end o each
digestion there is some superluity let over. Should this be a reTuent occurrence,
repetition would lead to urther aggregation until something measurable has
accumulated. !s a result, harmul eete substances would orm and inKure various
parts o the body. Xhen they undergo decomposition, putreactive diseases arise
Mbacterial inectionsJ. Should they be strong in Tuality, they will give rise to in
temperament4 and i they should increase in Tuantity, they would set up the symptoms
o plethora which have already been described. Blowing to some member, they will
result in an inlammatory mass, and their vapors will destroy the temperament o the
substantial basis o the breath.
5hat is the reason why we must be careul to evacuate these substances. 5heir
evacuation is usually not completely accomplished without the aid o toxic medicines,
or these break up the nature o the eate substances. 5his can be achieved only by
toxic agents, although the drinking o them is to a certain extent deleterious to our
nature. !s 8ippocrates says: 37edicine purges and ages.3 7ore than this the
discharge o superluous humor entails the loss o a large part o the natural
humidities and o the breath, which is the substance o lie. !ll this is at the expense
o the strength o the principal and the auxiliary members, and thereore they are
weakened thereby. 5hese and other things account or the diiculties incident to
plethora, whether they remain behind in the body or are evacuated by it.3 '!vicenna
:FFF, pp. =CCUD9
Qust beore this Ibn Sina explained how accumulation o ood in our body, can cause
diseases, and one way to rid us o this is strong medicines. 8owever, as he explains4
this is not the ideal way, and certainly not the longIterm. 5hus, to make his point very
clear, and show the extreme necessity o daily exercise or health, Ibn Sina states:
3Oow exercise is that agent which most surely prevents the accumulation o these
matters, and prevents plethora. 5he other orms o regiment assist it. It is this exercise
which renews and revives the innate heat, and imparts the necessary lightness to the
body, or it causes the subtle heat to be increased and daily disperses whatever eete
substances have accumulated4 the movements o the body help them to expel them
conveying them to those parts o the body whence they can readily leave it. 8ence the
eete matters are not allowed to collect day ater day and besides this, as we have Kust
said, exercise causes the innate heat to lourish and keeps the Koints and ligaments
irm, so as to be always ready or service, and also ree rom inKury. It renders the
members able to receive nutriment, in being ree rom accumulated eate matters.
8ence it renders the members light and the humidities attenuated, and it dilates the
pores o the skin.
5o orsake exercise would oten incur the risk o 3hectic3, because the instinctive
drives o the members are impaired, inasmuch as the deprivation o movement
prevents the access to them o the innate breath. !nd this last is the real instrument o
lie or every one o the members.3 '!vicenna :FFF, pp. =CDUF9
7assage
Heore you begin to exercise it is important that you massage your muscles4 as Ibn
Sina says on page =D@:
37assage as a preparatory to athletics. 5he massage begins gently, and then becomes
more vigorous as the time approaches or the exercise.3 '!vicenna :FFF, p. =D@9
<xercises
5he exercises themselves are divided into 'strenuous, mild, vigorous and brisk'. En
pages =CFI=D:4 Ibn Sina states the types o exercises under each type:
3Strenuous exercises include: wrestling contests, boxing, Tuick marching, running,
Kumping over an obKect higher than one oot, throwing the Kavelin, encing,
horsemanship, swimming. 7ild exercises include: ishing, sailing, being carried on
camels, swinging to and ro. ?igorous exercises include: those perormed by soldiers
in camp, in military sports4 ield running, long Kumping, high Kumping, polo, stone
throwing, liting heavy stones or weights, various orms o wrestling. Hrisk exercises
include: involves interchanging places with a partner as switly as possible, each
Kumping to and ro, either in time Mto musicJ or irregularly.3 '!vicenna :FFF, pp. =CFU
D:9
5here are certain important things to note once you start exercising, one is the
amount, the other consistency4 Ibn Sina states about the amount:
3':9 the color I as long as the skin goes on becoming lorid, the exercise may be
continued. !ter it ceases to do so, the exercise must be discontinued.3 '!vicenna
:FFF, p. =D>9
En being consistent with exercise Ibn Sina states 'on the importance o having a
regimen9:
3!t the conclusion o the irst day's exercise, you will know the degree o exercise
allowable and when you know the amount o nourishment the person can bear, do not
make any change in either on the second day. !rrange that the measure o aliment,
and the amount o exercise shall not exceed that limit ascertained on the irst day.3
'!vicenna :FFF, p. =D@9
En the side note those who think themselves to be elderly, and thus think o shunning
exercise, Ibn Sina write a complete chapter titled 36oncerning the <lderly3 in the
"anun, and states the same regimen or them, as he does or others. 8e states on page
>==
3Bor i, towards the end o lie, the body is still eTuable, it will be right to allow
attempered exercises. I one part o the body should not be in a irstIrate condition,
then that part should not be exercised until the others have been exercised..... En the
other hand, i the ailment were in the eet, then the exercise should employ the upper
limbs: or instance, rowing, throwing weights, liting weights.3 '!vicenna :FFF,
p. >==9
Hathing in 6old Xater
Ence you have inished exercising4 it is oten that the person will eel tired and
atigued4 to combat this problem Ibn Sina says on page =DD:
35he beneicial <ects o Haths: 5he beneits are ':9 induction o sleep ';9 dilation o
pores '=9 cleansing o skin '>9 dispersal o the undesirable waste matters '@9
maturation o abscesses 'A9 drawing o nutriment towards the surace o the body 'C9
assistance to the physiological dispersion and excretion o poisonous matters 'D9
prevention o diarrhea and 'F9 removal o atigue eects.3 '!vicenna :FFF, p. =DD9
7ost importantly you should remember:
3! person should not go into the bath immediately ater exercise. 8e should rest
properly irst.3 '!vicenna :FFF, p. =DC9
5here are two more things that are important to mention on this subKect:
3InKurious eects include the act that the heart is weakened i the person stays too
long in the bath3 '!vicenna :FFF, p. =DD9
36old Hathing should not be done ater exercise except in the case o the very robust.
<ven then the rules which we have given should be ollowed. 5o use cold baths in the
ways we have named drives the natural heat suddenly into the interior parts, and then
invigorates the strength so that the person should leave the bath twice as strong as
when he entered.3 '!vicenna :FFF, p. =FG9
Piet
Ence Ibn Sina has laid the oundation o exercise being central to health, he names
many exercises as running, swimming, weight liting, polo, encing, boxing,
wrestling, long Kumping, high Kumping, etc. 8e also gives a diet to go along with the
exercise:
35he meal should include: ':9 meat especially kid o goats4 veal, and yearIold lambs
Mthis means white meat in todaygs termsJ ';9 wheat, which is cleaned o extraneous
matter and gathered during a healthy harvest without ever being exposed to inKurious
inluences '=9 sweets 'ruits9 o appropriate temperament.3 '!vicenna :FFF, p. =FG9
$astly, the third thing mentioned is sleep4 to make sure that you do not sleep during
the days, and do not stay awake during the nights. Brom the above reading, it is clear
that Ibn Sina gave advice in his book which is still the same advice medical doctors
give to their patients.Paily &hysical <xercise4 and to deeat diseases such as type ;
diabetes, high blood pressure, the prescription o a diet which contains high amounts
o Xhole Lrains and little to no amounts o Weined 6arbohydrates.