[Avicenna's Canon on child health; 1000th anniversary of Avicenna's birth].
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Anniversaries and Special Events↗
SEARCH · PubMed Health
Results for “AVICENNA”
Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.
Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.
[Outstanding contribution of the works of Avicenna to the history of anatomy (on the occasion of the 1,000th anniversary of the birth of Avicenna)].
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Anatomy↗
[The Canon medicinae by Avicenna, a work and its times].
The written words of ancient times are still here for us to read and try to understand. Through the study of these words, we are able to see and hear the people hiding behind them. The pre-requisite for this to happen is to have knowledge of the time in which the words that we study were written down. With this assumption I went into studying "Canon Medicinae" by Avicenna. Written in the eleventh century A.D. It is one of the grandest and most known works on medicine produced in the medieval sphere of islamic culture. In this essay I would like to give an insight into some of my observations and thoughts regarding the Canon and the context in which it is written. The basis of this study has been partly, until now, untranslated parts of one of the many versions in latin of the work which emerged in Europe well beyond the sixteenth century. The study is concentrated on those parts of Canon Medicinae dealing with uroscopy, urology and nephrology. This essay tries to give a picture of the cultural and scientific milieu which surrounded Avicenna and to come closer to the major ideas about disease; their cause, diagnostics, impact on man and cure, as represented in Canon Medicinae. The influence of Galen and the humoral pathology is obvious in Avicenna's work but there is also an interesting interaction between that influence and the traditional arabic medicine and islamic thinking, which I would like to introduce the readers to. Canon Medicinae also gives some answers about the relationship between the physician and the patient and a picture of the "avicennian" doctor which one can relate to present time.
Arab World↗
[Avicenna--a great physician and thinker].
AVICENNA (980-1037), whose full name was Abu Ali al-Husayn ibn Abd-Allah ibn Sina, was the most renowned and influential medical man and philosopher of the medieval Islam. Over a three hundred of Avicenna's works have survived, ranging from encyclopedic treatments to short treatleses and covering apart from medicine, philosophy and science, religious, linguistic, and literary matters. He wrote some works in Persian, of which the Danishnama-yl 'Ala'i ("The Book of Science Dedicated to Ala's Dawla") is the most important. Most of his works, however, are in Arabic. His chief medical work is Al-Qanun fi't-tibb ("The Canon of Medicine"), a synthesis of Greek and Arabic medicine also includes his own clinical observations and views on scientific method. The most detailed philosophical work is the voluminous al-Shifa' ("The Healing"). Al-Najat ("The Deliverance") is largely a summary of al-Shifa', although there are some deviations. Al-Isharat wa al-Tanbihat ("The Directives and Remarks") gives the quintessence of Avicenna's philosophy, sometimes in an aphoristic style, and concludes with an expression of his mystical esoteric views, a part that relates to certain symbolic narratives which he also wrote.
History, Medieval↗
Anesthetic and analgesic practices in Avicenna's Canon of Medicine.
Anesthetic and analgesic practices during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance are presented from a translation of the relevant sections of the Canon of Medicine by Avicenna (980-1037) one of the most widely read and authoritative textbooks of the period. Avicenna described tracheotomy, oropharyngeal intubation and a method for clearing upper airway secretions for the treatment of stridor and respiratory distress. He also identified certain plants with pharmacological action such as mandragora or nightshade, opium and henbane and gives various recipes for inducing both anesthesia and analgesia before surgery.
Analgesics↗
Avicenna's view on cancer from his Canon.
Avicenna's views on cancer are presented from his Medical Canon. A literal translation from Arabic has been undertaken by the author. The clinical diagnosis, the prognosis as well as the therapeutic measures according to Avicenna are interesting to know and compare with our views one thousand years later.
History, Medieval↗
Who invented 'Avicenna's gilded pills'?
This article questions the belief expressed in various histories of pharmacy that the tenth-century Arab physician Avicenna introduced the tradition of coating pills with gold and silver. Although an examination of his Canon documents Avicenna's interest in the medicinal application of gold and silver, no mention is made of coating pills. Nor do other Islamic physicians seem to have been familiar with this practice, any more than such medieval European authors as Arnaldus of Villanova, Raymund Lull or Johannes de Rupescissa. The same is true of medicinal compendia representative of later periods, such as the Ortus sanitatis, Valerius Cordus' Dispensatorium or the Secrets of Alessio Piemontese. The earliest known mention of coating pills with precious metals occurs in a non-medical book, The Golden Fleece (London, 1626), and the earliest mention in the professional literature seems to appear only in the second half of the seventeenth century. The practice of coating pills with gold and silver was to be practiced in Europe into the first half of the twentieth century.
Drug Compounding↗
Management of spinal disorders and trauma in Avicenna's Canon of medicine.
WE STUDY HISTORY in an attempt to achieve a wide perspective of life and reality. Spinal disorders, particularly spine traumas and their complications, have been one of the most challenging problems throughout the history of medicine and, indeed, throughout the history of humanity. The pioneers and founders of scientific medicine committed much of their lives to understanding these disorders. There is a paucity of historical documentation. From the extraordinary efforts of early practitioners, we may glean insight relevant to the more effective treatment of such debilitating disorders. Ibn Sina (Avicenna), who lived in the medieval period, was one such physician. His principal book of medicine, The Canon, played a fundamental role in the practice of medicine in the Eastern and Western worlds between the 11th and 17th centuries. In this book, published in the 11th century, he provided detailed accounts of spinal disorders and strategies for their management. Here, we provide a brief review of Avicenna's most significant points concerning spinal diseases and their treatment from the chapters of the Canon. Although, there are not basic differences from Hippocratic knowledge, this book contains some original contributions.
History, Medieval↗
[One of Avicenna's electuaries: or on the difficulty of identifying the ingredients of ancient medications].
In view of the many thousands of existing plant varieties, it is sometimes difficult to determine which particular medicinal plant has been used in antiquity and during the middle ages. Scanty descriptions transmit often insufficient information to later generations of physicians and pharmacists trying to duplicate a prescribed medication. In the article a composite medication on xyloaloesbasis, taken from the Canon of Avicenna is used as an example to show the difficulties connected with the understanding of an ancient text. Quarrels more than a century ago between expert translators of old Arabic scientific works further illustrate the difficulties encountered with the interpretatiion of such texts. The example chosen provides furthermore an insight to the formerly neglected influence of old Indian medical tradition and gives an additional indication of the identity of Avicenna's ingredients.
Arab World↗
[Teachings of "calor innatus" in the Latin Canon medicinae of Avicenna].
This contribution examines the natural philosophy behind Avicenna's treatment of the basic physiological concepts of "innate heat", "innate spirit" and "natural moisture" in his famous "Canon medicinae" and in the short tractate "De medicinis cordialibus" usually appended to it in its Latin editions. Contrary to current belief, these concepts, far from being concisely systematized, fulfill a range of differing explicatory functions within the "Canon", which can only with great difficulty be assembled to form a homogeneous, non-contradictory theory. Furthermore, Avicenna differs in essential points from orthodox aristotelian-galenist teaching, particularly regarding the celestial origin of the unrenewable, life-preserving faculties of the "innate heat". It is suggested that the "Canon's" unparalleled popularity may have been due not so much to its systematic form, but to the need of scholarly (re)interpretation, as witnessed by many contemporary commentaries, which offered ample opportunity to academic physicians to show their learning and wit.
Body Temperature Regulation↗
On the causes of collapse and sudden death by Avicenna.
Avicenna's views on the causes of collapse and sudden death are presented from a literal translation of the mediaeval Arabic text. Medical knowledge based on observation mixed with pure abstract reasoning forms the essence of Avicenna's medical writings.
Death, Sudden↗
[Anesthesia in the works of Avicenna and anesthetic technics during the 11th century].
Many works concerning 19th century anaesthesia have been written. Those concerning the Middle Ages were virtually non-existent. Paragraphs were found scattered in various chapters of 10th and 11th century medical and surgical works dealing with the anaesthetic techniques required by the importance of the surgical operations carried out at the time, such as above- or through-knee amputations. Avicenna, an 11th century arab doctor, has written several medical works. The most famous one, the Canon, did play an important part in medical teaching of the Middle Ages. This book included about forty plants considered to have anaesthetic properties; a detailed description of the preparation of drugs from these plants and of way in which these drugs were used was given. It seemed the dangers of these drugs were known. Examples from this book made it possible to understand better the anaesthetic practice of the time, so giving a general idea of anaesthesia in the Middle Ages.
Anesthesiology↗
Enhanced degradation of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) in a soil column planted with Indian mallow (Abutilon avicennae).
Phytoremediation of soil contaminated with 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) was studied by growing Indian mallow (Abutilon avicennae) in a soil column reactor with 2 kg of TNT contaminated soil (120 mgTNT/kg) in the top and 18 kg of uncontaminated soil in the bottom. After 50 d, TNT remaining in the column with Indian mallow was 23.2% of the initial TNT, while 48.1% of the initial TNT remained in the column without Indian mallow. In the TNT contaminated column, the growth of Indian mallow decreased by 32.4% in roots and 34.3% in shoots on a dry weight basis, respectively, compared to the uncontaminated column. However, critical symptoms such as chlorosis and leaf loss were not observed. Of the 76.8% of the TNT that disappeared in the planted column, less than 0.2% of initial TNT was recovered in the shoot and root extracts of Indian mallow. TNT transformation products in plants include unidentified polar intermediates and aminodinitrotoluenes. The results showed that planting Indian mallow in TNT contaminated soil enhanced TNT reduction both by stimulating microbial activity that enhances microbial TNT transformation, and by direct uptake and phytotransformation of TNT.
Journal Article↗
Functional anatomy of the spine by Avicenna in his eleventh century treatise Al-Qanun fi al-Tibb (The Canons of Medicine).
The history of spinal surgery is an important part of the spine-related sciences. The development of treatment strategies for spine-related disorders is acquired from the Western literature. In this article, an Eastern physician, Ibn Sina, who is known as Avicenna in the West, and his treatise, Al-Qanun fi al-Tibb (the Canons of Medicine), are presented. Eight chapters of this book regarding the functional neuroanatomy of the spine were reviewed and are presented to give insight into the development of the understanding of spinal anatomy and biomechanics.
Books↗
Ibn Sina (Avicenna). Historical note.
Ibn Sina (often known by his last name in Latin, Avicenna; 980-1037 A.D.) was the most famous physician and philosopher of his time. His Canon of Medicine, one of the most famous books in the history of medicine, surveyed the entire medical knowledge available from ancient and Muslim sources and provided his own contributions. In this article the authors present a unique picture of the neurosurgical technique of Ibn Sina and briefly summarize his life and work.
History, Medieval↗
Avicenna's contribution to the development and progress of medical sciences.
Avicenna was born in the village of Belkh near Bukhara in Persia. He was a very famous philosopher, wiseman and an efficient physician. He wrote more than one hundred books on all aspects and sciences known in his time i.e. philosophy, wisdom, religion, mathematics, sophism, literature, poetry and medicine. In medicine, the most celebrated of them is "Al-Qanun fil Tibb", which surpassed other similar books on medicine and considered the biggest medical encyclopaedia of his time. Those orientalists who believe in Greek medicine consider this book as the only textbook on the art of curing and recovery.
Arab World↗
[The Hebrew manuscript of Avicenna's Canon].
The Hebrew manuscript of Avicenna's Canon, today in the University Library of Bologna (Ms 2197) dates from about the middle of the XVth century; it contains six full-page illuminations which have probably been performed by Northern-Italian artists. The study of the pictures may help modern comprehension of the relationships between medieval men, illnesses and ages of life, and it clarifies the profound ethical links correlating physicians with patients and their entourage. The text, written in Hebrew square capitals and Rashi italics, clearly shows how, on the threshold of Italian Renaissance, Hebrew was still considered, as Greek and Latin, one of the classical languages.
History, 15th Century↗
Avicenna's approach to cardiac diseases.
Abu Ali el Husain Bin Abdullah Bin Sina (980-1037 A.D.) known as 'Sheik et Rayees, Ibne-e-Sina' in Arab countries and 'Avicenna' in Western countries, was the first man who considered the psychology and emotions of human beings from physiological point of view, and gave the then, possible explanation of different emotional states and their effects on human body. He related psychology with medicine and proved that all emotional states e.g. pleasure, grief, anger and worry and the others are deeply concerned with the shape of the heart, types of blood and body fluids (humours). Not only he proved this but has also described the management and treatment of these conditions, and was the pioneer in this field. He discussed the action of drugs on heart and mentioned their indications and contra-indications. He based the morality and behaviour of a person on the temperament of the heart and spirit. According to him, appraising the particular characteristic behaviour of a person, information may be obtained about the temperament of the heart and spirit. He is of the opinion that different attributes of a person, e.g. boldness, cowardliness, misery, benevolence, happiness, sorrowfulness, worries and anger, etc. can be controlled and managed medically. Nobody, before him, had shed any light on this subjet.
Arab World↗