Avicenna known as prince of physicians in west and chief master of all sciences in Muslim world (born on 23th August
near Bukhara, Iran-died on 1037, Hamadan, Iran) is the celebrated Iranian physician and philosopher and the most famous and influential of the philosopher-scientists of the Islamic world. He was particularly noted for his contributions in the fields of Aristotelian philosophy and medicine. He composed the kitab al-shifa (Book of Cure), a vast philosophical and scientific encyclopedia, and Al-Qanun fi al-Tibb (The Canon of Medicine), which is among the most famous books in the history of medicine.
According to Avicenna's personal account of life, he read and memorized the entire Quran (Muslim's Holy Book) by age 10. By age 16, Avicenna turned to medicine, a discipline over which he claimed "easy" mastery. When the king of Bukhara fell ill with an ailment that baffled the court physicians, Avicenna was called to his bedside and cured him. In gratitude, the king opened the royal Samanid library to him, a fortuitous benevolence that introduced Avicenna to a veritable cornucopia of science & philosophy.
Avicenna began his prodigious writing career at age 21. Some extant titles bear his name. They cross numerous fields including medicine, mathematics, geometry, astronomy, physic, metaphysics, philology, music, and poetry.
The influence of Avicenna on medical studies in the West
Despite a general assessment favoring Razi's (another Iranian noted scientist) medical contributions, many
physicians historically preferred Avicenna for his organization & clarity. Indeed, his influence over Europe's great medical schools extended well into the early period. There, the Canon of Medicine became the preeminent source, rather than Razi's Kitab al hawi (the Comprehensive Book).
From the early fourteenth to the mid-sixteenth century, Avicenna held a high place in Western European medical studies, ranking together with Hippocrates & Galen as an acknowledged authority. His works had a formative influence on the scholastic medicine of the later Middle Ages, and at some places continued to be used for teaching to the eighteenth century.
Although Avicenna was more of a philosopher and natural scientist than a physician, the European saw him primarily as the Prince of Physicians, in contrast with the Muslims who revered him as chief master of all sciences.
The Canon came into use among medical scholars during the thirteenth century and in university courses during the fourteenth century.
Academically trained physicians in the later Middle Ages undoubtedly were familiar with the entire Canon.
The Canon was one of the medical books most frequently printed in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.
Avicenna's penchant for categorizing becomes immediately evident in the Canon, which is divided into five books.
The first book contains four treatises, the first of which examines the four elements (earth, air, fire, and water) in light of Greek physician Galen of Pergamum's four humors (blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile). The first treatise also includes anatomy.
The second treatise examines etiology and symptoms while the third covers hygiene, health and sickness, and death's inevitability.
The fourth treatise is a therapeutic nosology (classification of disease) and a general overview of regimens and dietary treatments.
Book II of the Canon is a "Materia Medica", Book III covers "Head-To-Toe Diseases", Book IV examines "Diseases That Are Not Specific to Certain Organs"(fevers and other systemic pathologies), and Book V presents "Compound
Drugs".
Legacy
As early as 14th century, Avicenna has been recognized by both East & West, as one of the great figures in intellectual
history.
George Sarton, the author of "The History of Science" described him as "one of the greatest thinkers and medical scholars in history" and called him "the most famous scientist of Islamic world and one of the most famous of all races, places, and times."
In Iran, he is considered a national icon, and is often regarded as one of the greatest Persians who have ever lived. His birthday is celebrated each year as the National Doctor's Day.
Many portraits & statues of him remain in Iran today. An impressive monument to the life and works of the man who is known as the" doctor of doctors" still stands outside the Bukhara museum.
The Avicenna Prize for Ethics in Science is awarded every two years by UNESCO which is intended to reward the activities of individuals and groups in the field of Ethics in Science.
It has been printed in the UNESCO website:"The Prize owes its name to the renowned 11th-century physician and philosopher of medieval Islam known in Europe as Avicenna. A healer and humanist, Avicenna developed an exemplary holistic approach that captures the essence of ethics and has thus come to serve as a source of inspiration for the promotion of this concern, which is of central importance to UNESCO. Avicenna Prize established by the Executive Board of UNESCO at its 166th session on the initiative of the Islamic Republic of Iran."
In March 2008, it was announced by WHO that The World Directory of Medical Schools has been transferred to the AVICENNA Directory for Medicine.
The AVICENNA Directory is maintained by the University of Copenhagen in collaboration with the World Health Organization and the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME).
The directory includes the latest information from the new survey in progress of all the world's medical schools, as well as information from the 7th edition (2000) of WHO World Directory of Medical Schools with updates submitted to the WHO Directory between 2000 and 2007.
National Doctor's Day in Iran
The date of 23th August (the birthday of Avicenna) was chosen to celebrate Doctor's Day in Iran.
In anticipation of National Doctor's Day, IRIMC honors the physicians who have dedicated their professional lives to caring for Iran's patients.
National Doctor's Day provides an opportunity to recognize physicians nationwide for their tireless commitment to providing excellent patient care. IRIMC as the nation's largest organization in the field of medicine continues to be a leader in shaping the future of health care and is working to ensure the best outcomes for patients and physicians.
Dr. Shima Naghavi, Director of International Affairs