Legacy Book of Healing. Works on medicine Scientific works on medicine

Avicenna (980-1037) - an outstanding Central Asian scientist, philosopher, physician. His real name was Abu Ali Hussain Ibn Abdallah Ibn Sina. He was born in the village of Avshan, near Bukhara.

Ibn Sina was a scientist possessed by an exploratory spirit and the desire for an encyclopedic coverage of all branches of knowledge contemporary to him. The philosopher was distinguished by a phenomenal memory and sharpness of thought. His independence of judgment in science was in perfect harmony with the indifference to the impression that his penchant for sensual pleasures could make on the faithful. The bibliography of the scientist's works includes 276 titles. Central among them is the "Canon of Medicine". This is a work, in five books of which Ibn Sina summarized and systematized both the medical knowledge accumulated by his time and his own experience as a practicing physician. The last years of his life spent in Isfahan (1024-37) were the most fruitful for Ibn Sina. It was here that he completed his encyclopedic Book of Healing and produced other important philosophical works: The Book of Salvation, The Book of Knowledge, The Book of Indications and Notes, Eastern Philosophy, and The Book of Fair Trial. The wandering life eventually brought his death closer. A fatal illness (colic) began in him during the unsuccessful military operations for Al ad-Dawla, which he undertook against one of the Gaznevid commanders. Abu Ali died when he was 56 years and 10 months old.

Avicenna's Medical Achievements

medicine biological astronomy avicenna

The main medical works of Ibn Sina:

“The Canon of Medical Science” (“Kitab al-Kanun fi-t-tibb”) is an encyclopedic work in which the prescriptions of ancient physicians are comprehended and revised in accordance with the achievements of Arabic medicine. In the "Canon" Ibn Sina suggested that diseases can be caused by some tiny creatures. He was the first to draw attention to the contagious nature of smallpox, to distinguish between cholera and plague, to describe leprosy, separating it from other diseases, and to study a number of other diseases. There are many translations of the "Canon of Medicine" into Latin. In the "Canon" two books out of five are devoted to the description of medicinal raw materials, medicines, methods of their manufacture and use. Of the 2,600 medicines described in the Canon, 1,400 are of plant origin.

"Medications" ("Al-Adviyat al Kalbiya") - written during the first visit to Hamadan. The work details the role of the heart in the occurrence and manifestation of pneuma, the features of the diagnosis and treatment of heart diseases.

“Removal of harm from various manipulations through corrections and warnings of errors” (“Daf al-mazorr al kulliya an al-abdon al insonia bit-tadorik anvo hato an-tadbir”).

“On the benefits and harms of wine” (“Siyosat al-badan va fazoil ash-sharob va manofi’ih va mazorikh”) is the shortest treatise of Ibn Sina.

"Poem about medicine" ("Urjusa fit-tib").

"Treatise on the Pulse" ("Risolayi Nabziya").

"Events for travelers" ("Fi tadbir al-musofirin").

"Treatise on sexual power" ("Risola fil-l-boh") - describes the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of sexual disorders.

"Treatise on Vinegar Honey" ("Risola fi-s-sikanjubin") - describes the preparation and therapeutic use of mixtures of vinegar and honey of various composition.

"Treatise on chicory" ("Risola fil-hindabo").

During the life of Ibn Sina, the extensive work of the founder and head of the hospital in Baghdad, Ali ibn Abbas, called "The King's Book" was very famous. One of the immediate predecessors of the "Canon" was the 30-volume work of Abu Bakar ar-Razi "The Comprehensive Book of Medicine". However, these works suffered from common shortcomings. The information presented in them was not sufficiently systematized, the results of observations were intertwined with obvious fiction, the recommendations were supplemented by mystical interpretations. The construction of the books was very indistinct, and the presentation was so complex that only a fairly experienced doctor could use them.

Ibn Sina, while working on the book, set himself the task of avoiding the mistakes of his predecessors and coped with it by creating one of the largest encyclopedic works in the history of medicine - the Canon of Medical Science.

The Canon of Medicine is one of the most famous books in the history of medicine. In essence, this is a whole medical encyclopedia, considering with great completeness (within the knowledge of that time) everything that relates to human health and disease.

This capital work, which includes about 200 printed sheets, was already translated from Arabic into Latin in the twelfth century and sold in many manuscripts. When the printing press was invented, the Canon was among the first printed books, rivaling the Bible in number of editions. The Latin text of the "Canon of Medicine" was published for the first time in 1473, and the Arabic - in 1543. The exact date of completion of work on the "Canon" is not set. Presumably it was 1020.

"The Canon of Medicine" is an extensive work consisting of 5 books.

Book 1 deals with theoretical medicine. The book is divided into four parts. The first part defines medicine, the second deals with diseases, the third deals with maintaining health, and the fourth deals with methods of treatment.

Book 2 describes "simple" medicines, describes the teachings of Ibn Sina about medicines, their nature, their testing. 811 products of plant, animal and mineral origin are arranged alphabetically, indicating their action, methods of application, collection and storage rules.

Book 3, the most extensive, is devoted to pathology and therapy - a description of individual diseases and their treatment. Each section is provided with an anatomical and topographical introduction.

Book 4 is devoted to surgery, the treatment of dislocations and fractures, the general doctrine of fever (crises in diseases). It talks about tumors, purulent inflammation of the subcutaneous tissue, as well as infectious diseases. The main questions of the doctrine of poisons are highlighted.

Book 5 contains descriptions of "difficult" drugs, as well as poisons and antidotes.

Pharmacy and pharmacology are an attempt to combine the collected numerous materials into a system, to connect them with clinical observations. Recommended in the "Canons of Medicine" medicines are diverse, many of them later entered the scientific pharmacology.

In the "Canon" Avicenna also beat the chapters on physical exercises, he called "the most important condition" for maintaining health, he put the diet and sleep in the next place. Ibn Sina devoted special chapters of the "Canon of Medicine" to the upbringing and care of the child. They contain many subtle observations and sound advice. Another strength of the "Canon of Medicine" is the accurate description of the clinical picture of diseases, the subtleties of diagnosis. The first descriptions of a number of clinical phenomena, their explanations speak of Ibn Sina's extraordinary powers of observation, his talent and experience. In the diagnosis, Ibn-Sina used palpation, monitoring the pulse, determining the moisture or dryness of the skin, examining urine and feces.

Ibn Sina dealt a lot with the problems of psychology, and he was interested in mental disorders not only from a purely medical standpoint, but also as an object of psychological research. Apparently, this is the reason why, when describing mental disorders, he sets out in detail his views on the nature of mental processes and the causes of their violation. In the idea of ​​the essence of mental processes, the materialistic aspects of the philosophy of Ibn Sina are especially clearly manifested: no one has such a clear idea of ​​the connection between individual mental processes and the function of certain parts of the brain. Suffice it to recall, for example, Ibn Sina's instructions that bruises that destroy individual parts of the brain upset sensitivity and cause the loss of certain functions. Completely rejecting demonological views on the essence of mental illness, Ibn Sina considered the direct cause of mental disorders to be either the influence of environmental conditions or bodily disorders. At the same time, the elucidation of the relationship and mutual influence of the mental and somatic, apparently, was of particular interest to Ibn Sina: the “Canon” contains indications of the possibility of psychosis in acute febrile illnesses, the connection of disorders of the gastrointestinal tract with mental experiences (“strong grief”, anger, grief, etc.).

Systematicity and consistency as great virtues of the "Canon" were noted even by those who were inclined to downplay the importance of Ibn Sina in the history of medicine. The success of the "Canon of Medicine" was due to clarity, persuasiveness, simplicity of description of the clinical picture of diseases, accuracy of therapeutic and dietary prescriptions. These features quickly made the "Canon" immensely popular, and its author secured "autocratic power for five centuries throughout the medical world of the Middle Ages."

First of all, the "Canon of Medicine" brought him worldwide fame and immortality. A century after the death of the author, the "Canon" becomes known in the West. Already in the 12th century. it was translated from Arabic into Latin by Gerard of Cremona (1114-1187), in the 13th century. - into Hebrew and sold in many manuscripts. After the invention of printing in the 15th century among the first editions was the "Canon". It is noteworthy that its first edition appeared in 1473 in Strasbourg, one of the centers of Renaissance humanism. Then, in terms of the frequency of publications, he competed with the Bible - only in the last 27 years of the 15th century. The “Canon” went through 16 editions, and in total it was published about 40 times in full and countless times in excerpts. For five centuries, the "Canon" served as a reference book for physicians in many Asian and European countries. In all the oldest universities in Europe, the study and teaching of medicine was based on the work of Ibn Sina.

Separate parts of the "Canon" were translated into European languages, but there was no complete translation. The staff of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Academy of Sciences of the Uzbek SSR, responding to the call of the World Peace Council (1952) to celebrate the 1000th anniversary of the birth (according to the lunar calendar) of Ibn Sina, began to translate from Arabic into Russian and Uzbek languages ​​of the main medical writings of the great scientist. This grandiose work was successfully completed in 1961 with the publication of the full text of the Canon in both languages.

Avicenna could diagnose and cure 2,000 different ailments. Today, about 5,000 diseases are known, but modern doctors are often limited to treating their consequences, getting rid of symptoms. The medicines used destroy the body's immunity and resistance. While Ibn Sina, back in the Middle Ages, seriously thought about restoring the natural balance. He argued that an outwardly manifested disease necessarily has internal causes, and the symptoms testify to the action of the body's own forces that show these signs, and he was looking for ways to stimulate them to fight the disease.

Ibn Sina paid great attention to physical exercises, calling them the most important condition for health. In the next place, he put the diet and sleep. He wrote that “the main thing in the art of preserving harmony is the balancing of the necessary factors: the balance of nature; choice of food; surplus cleaning; preservation of physique; improving what is inhaled through the nose; fitting clothes; balance of physical and mental movement.

Tips on how to save your eyesight: to maintain visual acuity, you need to look at small objects less and not sleep for a long time lying on the back of your head. Prolonged reading of too small a letter, as well as delicate work performed for a long time, can lead to a decrease in visual acuity. Sleep on a full stomach, too long sleep or prolonged insomnia spoils vision. To maintain the health of the eyes, it is necessary to protect them from dust, smoke, cold or too hot wind. You should also not look for a long time, without turning away, at the same object. Frequent consumption of sweet pomegranate juice squeezed with pulp and boiled with honey in a baking oven has a good effect. Drunkenness, gluttony, frequent copulations are considered harmful to vision.

Health exercises: Ibn Sina wrote in his work about the role and place of physical exercises in health and medical practice. He gave the definition of physical exercises - voluntary movements, leading to continuous, deep breathing.

He argued that if a person exercises moderately and in a timely manner and adheres to the regimen, then he does not need any treatment or medication. When he stops these activities, he languishes. Physical exercise strengthens muscles, ligaments, and nerves. He advised taking into account age and health in classes. He spoke about massage, hardening with cold and hot water. Only the feudal lords could take advantage of Avicenna's recommendations.

Improving physical education, invented by him, is alive to this day and has been helping people for a thousand years.

Astronomy

In astronomy, Ibn Sina criticized Aristotle's notion that the stars reflect light from the Sun, arguing that the stars glow with their own light, however, he believed that the planets also glow by themselves. Claimed to have observed the transit of Venus across the disk of the Sun on May 24, 1032. However, modern scholars doubt that he could have observed this passage at the indicated time in the indicated place. He used this observation to justify that Venus, at least sometimes, in Ptolemaic cosmology is closer to the Earth than the Sun.

Ibn Sina also wrote the Compendium of the Almagest, with commentaries on Ptolemy's book.

While in Gurgan, Ibn Sina wrote a treatise on determining the longitude of this city. Ibn Sina could not use the method used by Abu-l-Wafa and al-Biruni, and proposed a new method, consisting in measuring the culminating height of the Moon and comparing it with the height in Baghdad by calculations according to the rules of spherical trigonometry.

In The Book of the Method Preferable to Other Methods in the Construction of an Observing Instrument, Ibn Sina described the observational instrument he invented, which, in his opinion, was to replace the astrolabe; This instrument was the first to use the vernier principle to refine measurements.

Abu Ali Husayn ibn Abdullah ibn al-Hasan ibn Ali ibn Sina, known in the West as Avicenna(Afshan near Bukhara, August 16, 980 - Hamadan, June 18, 1037) - a medieval Persian scientist, philosopher and doctor, a representative of Eastern Aristotelianism. He was the court physician of the Samanid emirs and the Dailemite sultans, for some time he was the vizier in Hamadan. In total, he wrote more than 450 works in 29 fields of science, of which only 274 have come down to us.

Biography

From an early age, the boy showed exceptional abilities and talent. By the age of ten, he knew by heart almost the entire Koran. Then he was sent to study Muslim jurisprudence at the school where he was the youngest. But soon even the oldest of the students of the school appreciated the mind and knowledge of the boy and came to him for advice, although Hussein was only 12 years old. Later, he studied logic and philosophy, geometry and astronomy under the guidance of the scientist Abu Abdallah Natili who arrived in Bukhara. From the age of 14, the young man began to study independently. And geometry, and astronomy, and music were easy for him until he got acquainted with Aristotle's Metaphysics. In his autobiography, he mentioned that he read this work several times, but could not understand it. Al-Farabi's book with comments on "Metaphysics" helped in this.

At the age of 16, Ibn Sina was invited to treat the Emir of Bukhara himself. In his autobiography, Avicenna wrote: "I took up the study of medicine, supplementing my reading with the observations of patients, which taught me many methods of treatment that cannot be found in books."

After the capture of Bukhara by the Turks and the fall of the Samanid dynasty in 1002, Ibn Sina went to Urgench, to the court of the rulers of Khorezm. Here he began to be called the "prince of doctors." In 1008, after Ibn Sina refused to enter the service of Sultan Mahmud of Ghaznevi, a prosperous life gave way to years of wandering. He wrote some works in the saddle during his long journeys.

In 1015-1024. lived in Hamadan, combining scientific activity with a very active participation in the political and state affairs of the emirate. For the successful treatment of Emir Shams al-Dawl, he received the position of vizier, but made enemies in military circles. The emir rejected the demand of the military to execute Ibn Sina, but decided to remove him from his post and send him out of his possessions. Forty days later, the emir suffered another bout of illness, which forced him to find a scientist and reappoint him as his minister.

After the death of the emir for trying to go to the service of the ruler of Isfahan for four months, he was imprisoned in a fortress. For the last fourteen years of his life (1023-1037) he served in Isfahan at the court of Emir Ala ad-Dawla, where favorable conditions were created for him for scientific activity. He was the chief physician and adviser to the emir, accompanied him even on military campaigns. During these years, Ibn Sina, spurred on by criticism of his style, turned to the study of literature and philology. He also continued fruitful scientific work. Completed the "Canon of Medicine". Many manuscripts of works, including the “Book of Justice” (“Kitab ul-Insaf”) burned down during the attack on Isfahan by the Ghazni army. During one of the military campaigns of the ruler of Isfahan, Ibn Sina developed a severe stomach illness, from which he could not cure himself. Ibn Sina died in June 1037, having dictated his will to a stranger before his death. In his will, he instructed to release all his slaves, rewarding them, and distributing all his property to the poor.

Avicenna was buried in the Hamadaneu city wall, and eight months later his ashes were transported to Isfahan and reburied in the emir's mausoleum.

Ibn Sina was a scholar possessed by an exploratory spirit and the desire for an encyclopedic coverage of all modern branches of knowledge. The philosopher was distinguished by a phenomenal memory and sharpness of thought.

Legacy Book of Healing

Written in Arabic, the encyclopedic work “The Book of Healing” (“Kitab al-Shifa”) is devoted to logic, physics, biology, psychology, geometry, arithmetic, music, astronomy, and also metaphysics. The Book of Knowledge (Danish-name) is also an encyclopedia.

Proceedings in Medicine

The main medical works of Ibn Sina:

    “The Canon of Medical Science” (“Kitab al-Qanun fi-t-tibb”) is an encyclopedic work in which the prescriptions of ancient physicians are comprehended and revised in accordance with the achievements of Arabic medicine. In the "Canon" Ibn Sina suggested that diseases can be caused by some tiny creatures. He was the first to draw attention to the contagious nature of smallpox, to distinguish between cholera and plague, to describe leprosy, separating it from other diseases, and to study a number of other diseases. There are many translations of the "Canon of Medicine" into Latin. In the "Canon" two books out of five are devoted to the description of medicinal raw materials, medicines, methods of their manufacture and use. Of the 2600 medicines described in the "Canon", 1400 are of plant origin

    "Medicines" ("Al-Adviyat al Kalbiya") - written during the first visit to Hamadan. The work details the role of the heart in the occurrence and manifestation of pneuma, the features of the diagnosis and treatment of heart diseases.

    “On the benefits and harms of wine” (“Siyosat al-badan va fazoil ash-sharob va manofi’ih va mazorikh”) is the shortest treatise of Ibn Sina.

Wellness exercises

Ibn Sina wrote in his work about the role and place of physical exercises in health and medical practice. He gave the definition of physical exercises - voluntary movements, leading to continuous, deep breathing.

He argued that if a person exercises moderately and in a timely manner and adheres to the regimen, then he does not need any treatment or medication. When he stops these activities, he languishes. Physical exercise strengthens muscles, ligaments, and nerves. He advised taking into account age and health in classes. He spoke about massage, hardening with cold and hot water. Only the feudal lords could use the recommendations of Avicenna. The health-improving physical education invented by him is alive to this day and has been helping people for a thousand years

In the field of chemistry, Ibn Sina discovered the process of distillation of essential oils. He knew how to extract hydrochloric, sulfuric and nitric acids, potassium and sodium hydroxides.

Astronomy

In astronomy, Ibn Sina criticized Aristotle's notion that the stars reflect light from the Sun, arguing that the stars glow with their own light, however, he believed that the planets also glow by themselves. Claimed to have observed the transit of Venus across the disk of the Sun on May 24, 1032. However, modern scholars doubt that he could have observed this passage at the indicated time in the indicated place. He used this observation to justify that Venus, at least sometimes, in Ptolemaic cosmology is closer to the Earth than the Sun.

Ibn Sina also wrote the Compendium of the Almagest, with commentaries on Ptolemy's book.

While in Gurgan, Ibn Sina wrote a treatise on determining the longitude of this city. Ibn Sina could not use the method used by Abu-l-Wafa and al-Biruni, and proposed a new method, consisting in measuring the culminating height of the Moon and comparing it with the height in Baghdad by calculations according to the rules of spherical trigonometry.

In the "Book on the method preferred to other methods in constructing an observational instrument", Ibn Sina described the observational instrument he invented, which, in his opinion, should have replaced the astrolabe; This instrument was the first to use the vernier principle to refine measurements.

Surgut State University

Faculty of Medicine and Biology

(course on the history of medicine)

essay

on the topic:

Significance of the "Canon of Medicine" for development

medicine.

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1. Biography of Ibn Sina.

2. General characteristics of the era.

3. The meaning of the "Canon of Medicine".

A huge role in the development of medicine was played by the scientific and practical activities of Ibn Sina.

Ibn Sina is one of the greatest scientists of Central Asia, who enriched world science with achievements of paramount importance. The works of Ibn Sina and his great contemporary Abu Raykhan Beruni marked the highest stage in the development of science in the medieval East.

Ibn Sina's father, Abdallah, was from Balkh. During the reign of the Samanid emir Nuh ibn Mansur (976-997), Abdallah moved to Bukhara, where he was appointed head of the collection of taxes from the village of Khurmitan, not far from the city of Bukhara. Then he lived for some time in the village of Avshan, where he married a girl named Sitora. At the beginning of the month of Safar 370 AH (second half of August 980), their son Hussein (such is Ibn Sina's own name) was born. Hussein was about 5 years old when the family moved to the capital city of Bukhara, which was then one of the largest centers of the East. The boy was sent to school.

From early childhood, Ibn Sina studied the Qur'an and Adab (this included grammar, style and poetics) by the age of 10 he achieved perfection in both areas. In addition, he studied arithmetic and algebra, and then, under the guidance of his home teacher Abu Abdallah al-Natili, began to study logic, Euclidean geometry and Ptolemy's Almagest. However, an-Natili was soon forced to admit that he had exhausted his educational material and was no longer able to satisfy the boy's cognitive interest, and Ibn Sina continued his teaching on his own. He enthusiastically took up the study of the natural sciences, and above all medicine. At the same time he was engaged in medical practice - he treated patients for free. At the age of 17, Ibn Sina, as a doctor, enjoyed such fame in Bukhara that he was invited to the court of Nuh ibn Mansur, who had been ill for a long time, and the court doctors who treated him could not help him. Ibn Sina managed to cure the ruler in a short time, and in gratitude for this, the young scientist received permission to use the palace library, which was one of the best and richest libraries in the entire Middle East. As a result, he expanded his scientific knowledge to a grand scale.

Having thoroughly mastered logic, natural science, medicine and other sciences, Ibn Sina moved on to metaphysics, which was then considered one of the main sections of philosophy.

The conquest of Bukhara by the Karakhanids, the fall of the Samanid dynasty (999) and the feudal civil strife that followed these events did not allow Ibn Sina to continue his scientific studies in Bukhara. In 1002 his father died. All this prompted Ibn Sina to leave his native city and go to Khorezm, to Urgench, where the political situation was more favorable.

The cruel ruler of Ghasni Sultan Mahmud (998-1030), who relied in his policy on the reactionary clergy and suppressed any manifestation of scientific freethinking, sought to include the rich lands of Khorezm into his state. Not wanting to fall into submission to this ruler, Ibn Sina around 1010 - 1011. secretly left Khorezm and went to Khorasan. He arrived in Gurgan, a feudal principality on the southeastern coast of the Caspian Sea. Here Ibn Sina met Abu Ubeyd Juzjani, who became his faithful disciple, who accompanied him until the end of his life. Juzjani wrote down his autobiography from the words of Ibn Sina, brought to the arrival of the scientist in Gurgan. He also left us a description of the later events in the life of his teacher. Thanks to this, we have reliable information about the life and work of Ibn Sina.

In Gurgan, Ibn Sina resumed scientific work and medical practice. He began the first book of his main work on medicine - "The Canon of Medicine" and other works. In 1014, Ibn Sina left Gurgan and lived for some time in Ray and Qazvin. Then he arrives in Hamadan and enters the service of the Buyid ruler Shams ad-daula (997-1021) from the beginning as a court physician, and then as a vizier. Here he wrote many of his works, began work on a multi-volume philosophical encyclopedia "Kitab ash-shifa" ("Book of Healing").

In 1023, Ibn Sina moved to Isfahan and completed “Kitab ash-shifa” there, created other works, including his short philosophical encyclopedia in Persian “Danish-name” (“Book of Knowledge”).

Almost continuous wanderings around the cities of Maverannahr and Iran, constant hard work, sleepless nights, repeated imprisonment broke the body of the scientist. He suffered from colitis, from which he died in Ramadan 428 (June 1037) at the age of 57. Ibn Sina was buried in Hamadan, his grave has survived to this day.

As a true scientist - encyclopedist Ibn Sina worked with great success in almost all areas of knowledge. The sources mention over 450 titles of his works, and the number of works that have come down to us is about 240. They cover such areas of science as philosophy, medicine, logic, psychology, “physics” (that is, natural science), astronomy, mathematics, music, chemistry, ethics, literature, linguistics, etc.

However, Ibn Sina became famous mainly thanks to his works on philosophy and medicine. Instructions and Instructions” (“Al-isharat va-t-tanbihat”) and “The Book of Knowledge” (“Da-nish-name”).

Ibn Sina used everything valuable that was developed by his predecessors in the field of natural science and philosophy and created a philosophy that became the pinnacle of the development of theoretical thought in the countries of the Near and Middle East in the early Middle Ages. Despite the inconsistency of certain provisions, the philosophical teachings of Ibn Sina played a progressive role under feudalism. It clearly shows the materialistic tendency, the desire to oppose religion to scientific knowledge based on experience and logical evidence.

Of particular interest are the works of Ibn Sina on psychology. In this matter, he took a big step towards materialism, because for the first time he tried to link individual types of human mental activity with certain parts of the brain.

The socio-political views of the great philosopher indicate that in this area he adhered to progressive ideals. Ibn Sina advocated an ideal state, whose population should consist of rulers, producers and troops, and everyone should do useful work.

Ibn Sina was also successful in other sciences. He possessed a wide knowledge of chemistry for his time, and several chemical works are attributed to him. Ibn Sina contributed greatly to the subsequent development of chemistry, mainly through his criticism of the basic principle of alchemy, namely, the possibility of transmuting base metals into noble ones.

In the field of geology, he expressed an original point of view, close to modern scientific theory, on mountain building. In his opinion, the mountains were formed as a result of 2 factors: 1 - the uplift of the earth's crust during strong earthquakes, 2 - the action of the flow of water, which, in search of a path, makes large depressions in the valleys and thereby causes the formation of large hills.

Ibn Sina also dealt a lot with botany, because as a doctor, he could not help but pay due attention to the study of plants that have healing properties. Karl Linnaeus (1707-17078), taking into account the merits of Ibn Sina in the field of this science, named an evergreen tropical plant after him - Avicenna.

Ibn Sina also left a significant mark in the field of poetry. He wrote many of his scientific treatises in rajaz verse. In addition, he wrote several works that had a noticeable impact on subsequent Persian-language literature. There is a connection between the message of Ibn Sina “At-tayr” (“Bird”) and the famous poem “Faridaddin Attar” (12th century) “Mantik at-tayr” (“Birds talking”). This theme is introduced into Uzbek literature by Alisher Navoi (1414-1492). There are several more kits and ghazals about 40 quatrains of Ibn Sina in Persian.

The merits of Ibn Sina in the field of medicine are especially great. He is rightly considered one of the greatest medical scientists in the history of mankind. According to various sources, the total number of medical works of Ibn Sina reaches 50, but of them about 30 have survived in degree 8. According to their content, they can be divided (with the exception of the “Canon”) conditionally into three groups: 1) works of a general nature, in which certain sections of medicine and some of its theoretical issues are covered; 2) works about diseases of any one organ or about one specific disease, for example, about heart diseases and means of its treatment, about diseases of the large intestine (kulanj), about disorders of the function of the genital organs; 3) works on pharmacology.

However, the main medical work of Ibn Sina, which brought him centuries-old fame throughout the cultural world, is the Canon of Medicine. This is a truly medical encyclopedia, in which everything related to the prevention and treatment of diseases is stated with logical harmony. In the “Canon of Medical Science”, as well as in a number of special works on pharmacology (“The Book of Medicines for Heart Diseases”, “On the Properties of Chicory”, “On the Properties of Vinegar - Lida”, etc.). Ibn Sina not only combined the disparate experience of the past and supplemented it with the results of his own observations, but also formed a number of fundamental provisions of the rational formation. If Ibn Abbaz (930-994) pointed to favorable conditions for testing the action in the hospital, then Ibn Sina suggests a system for testing them, including observing their action at the patient's bedside, conducting experiments on animals, and even some semblance of a clinical trial. At the same time, Ibn Sina considers the most reliable experimental way of testing the action of drugs and offers "conditions" that ensure the "purity of the experiment." The "Canon of Medical Science" contains indications of the need to identify the side effects of drugs, the presence of their mutual strengthening and mutual weakening of the action of drugs when they are jointly prescribed.

Ibn Sina associated the development of rational pharmacy with the use of drugs obtained by chemical means. This idea, which was shared by some Arab and Central Asian scientists and doctors (Jabir ibn Hayyan; Razi, Biruni, and others), was further developed by the alchemists of medieval Europe, as well as by doctors of the Renaissance and Modern times. Ibn Sina described many new medicines of plant, animal and mineral origin. In particular, the first use of mercury is associated with his name, which in the 10th century. mined in the vicinity of Bukhara, for the treatment of syphilis. He also described the manifestations of mercury stomatitis as a side effect of mercury. From the list of medicines attached to the Book of the second "Canon of Medicine", about 150 were listed in the first eight editions of the Russian pharmacopoeia.

Being a product of an ancient highly developed culture, Central Asian medicine largely determined the level and originality of the medicine of the Arab East. The generalizing encyclopedic works of the Central Asian doctors largely contributed to the preservation and development of the achievements of ancient medicine (ancient, Hellenistic, Indian, Iranian, Central Asian), comprehension and synthesis of their rich practical experience and theoretical concepts. Like the generalizing works of Arab doctors, some Central Asian honey. Encyclopedic works were translated into European languages ​​and played an important role in the development of medicine in Europe. This primarily applies to the "Canon of Medicine" by Ibn Sina, undoubtedly the most popular of the medical sciences. books written in the East. For several centuries, the "Canon" served as the main textbook in European universities, having a huge impact on the level of special knowledge of physicians in medieval Europe. Leading Central Asian scientists - philosophers, doctors, natural scientists were the forerunners of a number of new ideas that received recognition and development only a few centuries later. These include attempts to introduce the experimental method into pathology and pharmacology, the assertion of the natural scientific essence of medicine as a field of scientific and practical activity, the idea of ​​the connection between medicine and chemistry, the relationship of the organism with the environment and the role of this environment in pathology, the inseparable connection between the mental and the bodily, the assumption Ibn Sina about invisible creatures that can cause febrile illnesses and spread through air, water and soil, etc. The leading doctors and scientists of Central Asia actively opposed the superstitions that reigned in modern medicine, rejected astral representations, magical digitology, the healing properties of precious stones, conspiracies, amulets, opposing rational means of diagnostics, therapy and hygiene. However, all their efforts remained par excellence "the voice of one crying in the wilderness." Most representatives of honey. professions willingly used, and sometimes preferred, magical and mystical techniques to methods of rational diagnosis and therapy, for the most part leaving the fate of their patients to the will of Allah. As for the new ideas, they found few adherents. Of course, those of the Central Asian doctors and scientists who made the pride of medicine in Central Asia - Biruni, Masihi, Ibn Sina, al-Jurdjani (c. 1080-1141), Fakhraddin Razi, Umar Chagmini and others - could not completely overcome the fettering influence feudal worldview. The works of the ancients, with the exception of some particulars, they revered as the highest authority. None of them doubted the validity of the natural-philosophical doctrine of the four juices. All adhered to the anatomical and physiological ideas of Galen. None of them was engaged in anatomy, without the development of which the construction of rational physiology and pathology was unthinkable. The reasons that did not allow physicians of the Muslim East to study human anatomy are well known, and humorous concepts containing elements of dialectics and a materialistic, albeit eclectic, explanation of the vital activity and mechanisms of the development of pathological processes are immeasurably more progressive than the “medicine of the prophet”. The era did not allow them to "step over themselves." And, if for the history of medicine the most outstanding achievements of the largest doctors of Central Asia are, first of all, their invaluable new ideas, which were significantly ahead of their time, then for contemporaries and immediate descendants, their achievements in the field of practical medicine - diagnostics, clinics, treatment, hygiene.

The work of Ibn Sina occupies a special place in the history of culture. The greatest doctor and thinker of his time, he was already recognized by his contemporaries, and the honorary title “sheikh-ar-rais” (mentor of scientists) assigned to him during his lifetime accompanied his name for many centuries. The philosophical and natural scientific works of Ibn Sina were widely known in the countries of East and Western Europe, despite the fact that his main philosophical work, The Book of Healing, was declared heretical and burned in Baghdad in 1160. The Canon of Medicine, which immortalized his name ” was repeatedly translated into many European languages, published about 30 times in Latin, and for more than 500 years served as a mandatory guide to medicine for European universities and medical. schools of the Arab East.

Of the 274 works of Ibn Sina, only 20 are devoted to medicine. Nevertheless, it is generally accepted that of all the areas of knowledge that Ibn Sina was involved in, he made the greatest contribution to medicine. First of all, the "Canon of Medicine" brought him worldwide fame and immortality. Each book, in turn, is divided into parts (fan), sections (jumla), articles (makala) and paragraphs (fasl).

The first book sets out the theoretical foundations of medicine and the general principles of practical medicine. It defines the concept of medicine, reveals the tasks of this science, provides a doctrine of juices and nature (temperament), a concise anatomical outline of the so-called “simple” organs of the human body - bones, cartilage, nerves, arteries, veins, tendons, ligaments and muscles. The causes, manifestations and classifications of diseases and the general rules for their treatment are considered. The teachings about nutrition, lifestyle (general dietetics) and maintaining health in all periods of life (general and private hygiene) are described in detail.

The second book is a major compilation of information about medicines used in medical practice of that time. It contains over 800 medicinal substances of plant, animal and mineral origin, indicating their medicinal properties and methods of application. In addition to medicines produced in Central Asia and other countries of the Near and Middle East, the author lists many medicines brought from India, China, Greece, Africa, the Mediterranean islands, and other regions of the globe. Many of them became known directly or indirectly to medieval Europe through the writings of Ibn Sina, which in itself characterizes the significance of the "Canon" in the history of medicine. This book provides an opportunity to get acquainted not only with scientific, but also with everyday, folk medicine of the time of Ibn Sina. Many medicines proposed by Ibn Sina have firmly entered the pharmacopoeia and are used to this day.

Book Three deals with "private" or "local" diseases of the human organs, from the head to the heels, in other words, it is devoted to private pathology and therapy. It includes descriptions of diseases of the head and brain (including nervous and mental diseases), eyes, ear, nose, mouth, tongue, teeth, gums, lips, throat, lungs, heart, chest, esophagus, stomach, liver, bile bladder, spleen, intestines, anus, kidneys, bladder, genitals. Each section begins with a detailed anatomical description of the corresponding organ.

Book Four deals with "general" diseases of the body, not confined to one organ. These include various fevers (crises in diseases), tumors (including cancer), acne, wounds, ulcers, burns, fractures and dislocations of bones, wounds and other nerve damage, damage to the skull, chest, spine, limbs. This Book also speaks of chronic and acute contagious diseases: smallpox, measles, leprosy, plague, and rabies; the main questions of the doctrine of poisons (toxicology) are covered. A special section of the book is devoted to the preservation of the beauty of the body (cosmetics).

Book Five of the Canon is a pharmacopoeia. It outlines methods for the manufacture and use of various forms of drugs of complex composition. The first part of the Book describes various antidotes (teriyaks), medicinal porridges, pills, tablets, powders, syrups, decoctions, infusions, wines, plasters, etc., and the second part indicates proven remedies intended for the treatment of specific diseases of the head organs. , eyes, ear, teeth, throat, chest and abdominal organs, joints and skin.

He called physical exercises “the most important condition” for maintaining health; he put diet and sleep in the next place. Ibn Sina devoted special chapters of the "Canon of Medicine" to the upbringing and care of the child. They contain many subtle observations and sound advice. Another strength of the “Canon of Medicine” is the accurate description of the clinical picture of diseases, the subtleties of diagnosis. The first descriptions of a number of clinical phenomena, their explanations speak of Ibn Sina's extraordinary powers of observation, his talent and experience. In the diagnosis, Ibn Sina used palpation, monitoring the pulse, determining the moisture or dryness of the skin, examining urine and stool.

Ibn Sina dealt a lot with the problems of psychology, and he was interested in mental disorders not only from a purely medical standpoint, but also as an object of psychological research. Apparently, this is the reason why, when describing mental disorders, he sets out in detail his views on the nature of mental processes and the causes of their violation. In the idea of ​​the essence of mental processes, the materialistic aspects of the philosophy of Ibn Sina are especially clearly manifested: no one else has such a clear idea of ​​the connection between individual mental processes and the function of certain parts of the brain. Suffice it to recall, for example, the instructions of Ibn Sina that bruises that destroy certain parts of the brain upset the sensitivity and cause the loss of some functions. Completely rejecting demonological views on the essence of mental illness, Ibn Sina considered the direct cause of mental disorders either the influence of environmental conditions or bodily disorders. At the same time, the elucidation of the interrelations and mutual influence of the mental and somatic, apparently, was of particular interest to Ibn Sina: the “Canon” contains indications of the possibility of psychosis in acute febrile illnesses, the connection of disorders of the gastrointestinal tract with mental experiences (“severe grief ”, anger, grief, etc.).

A century after the death of the author, the "Canon" becomes known in the West. Already in the 12th century. it was translated from Arabic into Latin by Gerard of Cremona (1114-1187) in the 13th century. - into Hebrew and sold in many manuscripts. After the invention of printing in the 15th century among the first editions was the "Canon". It is noteworthy that its first edition appeared in 1473 in Strasbourg, one of the centers of Renaissance humanism. Then, in terms of the frequency of publications, he competed with the Bible - only in the last 27 years of the 15th century. The “Canon” went through 16 editions, and in total it was published about 40 times in full and countless times in excerpts. For five centuries, the "Canon" served as a reference book for physicians in many Asian and European countries. In all the oldest universities in Europe until the middle of the 12th century. the study and teaching of medicine was based on the work of Ibn Sina.

Separate parts of the "Canon" were translated into European languages, but there was no complete translation. The staff of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Academy of Sciences of the Uzbek SSR, responding to the call of the World Peace Council (1952) to celebrate the 1000th anniversary of the birth (according to the lunar calendar) of Ibn Sina all over the world, began to translate from Arabic into Russian and Uzbek languages ​​the main medical work great scientist. This grandiose work was successfully completed in 1961 with the publication of the full text of the Canon in both languages.

Bibliography:

1. "The Canon of Medicine". Abu Ali Ibn Sina. Part 1, Tashkent. Publishing House “Fan” of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan, 1994. Pp. 5-12.

2. "Small medical encyclopedia". Editor V. Kh. Vasilenko. T. 5. Publishing house "Soviet Encyclopedia". Moscow, 1967. Pp. 652.

3. "Small medical encyclopedia". Editor-in-Chief Academician of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences V. I. Pokrovsky, vol. 3, Moscow. Scientific publishing house "Great Russian Encyclopedia", 1992. Pp. 293-294.

4. M. P. Mul'tanovsky. "History of Medicine". Publishing house "Medicine". Moscow. 1967. Pg. 59-63.

Abu Ali Husayn ibn Abdallah ibn Sina, or Avicenna(Afshan near Bukhara, August 16, 980 - Hamadan, June 18, 1037) - a medieval scientist, philosopher and doctor, a representative of Eastern Aristotelianism. He was the court physician of the Samanid emirs and the Dailemite sultans, for some time he was the vizier in Hamadan. In total, he wrote more than 450 works in 29 fields of science, of which only 274 have come down to us.

Biography

From an early age, the boy showed exceptional abilities and talent. By the age of ten, he knew by heart almost the entire Koran. Then he was sent to study Muslim jurisprudence at the school where he was the youngest. But soon even the oldest of the students of the school appreciated the mind and knowledge of the boy and came to him for advice, although Hussein was only 12 years old. Later, he studied logic and philosophy, geometry and astronomy under the guidance of the scientist Abu Abdallah Natili who arrived in Bukhara. From the age of 14, the young man began to study independently. And geometry, and astronomy, and music were easy for him until he got acquainted with Aristotle's "Metaphysics". In his autobiography, he mentioned that he read this work several times, but could not understand it. Al-Farabi's book with comments on "Metaphysics" helped in this. At the age of 16, Ibn Sina was invited to treat the Emir of Bukhara himself. In his autobiography, Avicenna wrote: "I took up the study of medicine, supplementing my reading with the observations of patients, which taught me many methods of treatment that cannot be found in books."

After the capture of Bukhara by the Turks and the fall of the Samanid dynasty in 1002, Ibn Sina went to Urgench, to the court of the rulers of Khorezm. Here he began to be called the "prince of doctors." In 1008, after Ibn Sina refused to enter the service of Sultan Mahmud Ghazni, a prosperous life gave way to years of wandering. He wrote some works in the saddle during his long journeys.

In 1015-1024. lived in Hamadan, combining scientific activity with a very active participation in the political and state affairs of the emirate. For the successful treatment of Emir Shams al-Dawl, he received the position of vizier, but made enemies in military circles. The emir rejected the demand of the military to execute Ibn Sina, but decided to remove him from his post and send him out of his possessions. Forty days later, the emir suffered another bout of illness, which forced him to find a scientist and reappoint him as his minister.

After the death of the emir for trying to go to the service of the ruler of Isfahan, he was imprisoned in a fortress for four months. For the last fourteen years of his life (1023-1037) he served in Isfahan at the court of Emir Ala ad-Dawla, where favorable conditions were created for him for scientific activity. He was the chief physician and adviser to the emir, accompanied him even on military campaigns. During these years, Ibn Sina, spurred on by criticism of his style, turned to the study of literature and philology. He also continued fruitful scientific work. Completed the "Canon of Medicine". Many manuscripts of works, including the “Book of Justice” (“Kitab ul-Insaf”) burned down during the attack on Isfahan by the Ghazni army. During one of the military campaigns of the ruler of Isfahan, Ibn Sina developed a severe stomach illness, from which he could not cure himself. Ibn Sina died in June 1037, having dictated his will to a stranger before his death. In his will, he instructed to release all his slaves, rewarding them, and distributing all his property to the poor.

Avicenna was buried in Hamadan near the city wall, and eight months later his ashes were transported to Isfahan and reburied in the emir's mausoleum.

Ibn Sina was a scholar possessed by an exploratory spirit and the desire for an encyclopedic coverage of all modern branches of knowledge. The philosopher was distinguished by a phenomenal memory and sharpness of thought.

Heritage

book of healing

Written in Arabic, the encyclopedic work “The Book of Healing” (“Kitab al-Shifa”) is devoted to logic, physics, biology, psychology, geometry, arithmetic, music, astronomy, and also metaphysics. The Book of Knowledge (Danish-name) is also an encyclopedia.

Proceedings in Medicine

Latin copy of the "Canon of Medicine"

The main medical works of Ibn Sina:

  • “The Canon of Medicine” (“Kitab al-Kanun fi-t-tibb”) is an encyclopedic work in which the prescriptions of ancient physicians are comprehended and revised in accordance with the achievements of Arabic medicine. In the "Canon" Ibn Sina suggested that diseases can be caused by some tiny creatures. He was the first to draw attention to the contagious nature of smallpox, to distinguish between cholera and plague, to describe leprosy, separating it from other diseases, and to study a number of other diseases. There are many translations of the "Canon of Medicine" into Latin. In the "Canon" two books out of five are devoted to the description of medicinal raw materials, medicines, methods of their manufacture and use. Of the 2,600 medicines described in the Canon, 1,400 are of plant origin.
  • "Medicines" ("Al-Adviyat al Kalbiya") - written during the first visit to Hamadan. The work details the role of the heart in the occurrence and manifestation of pneuma, the features of the diagnosis and treatment of heart diseases.
  • “Removal of harm from various manipulations through corrections and warnings of errors” (“Daf al-mazorr al kulliya an al-abdon al insonia bit-tadorik anvo hato an-tadbir”).
  • “On the benefits and harms of wine” (“Siyosat al-badan va fazoil ash-sharob va manofi’ih va mazorikh”) is the shortest treatise of Ibn Sina.
  • "Poem about medicine" ("Urjusa fit-tib").
  • "Treatise on the Pulse" ("Risolayi Nabziya").
  • "Events for travelers" ("Fi tadbir al-musofirin").
  • "Treatise on sexual power" ("Risola fil-l-boh") - describes the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of sexual disorders.
  • "Treatise on Vinegar Honey" ("Risola fi-s-sikanjubin") - describes the preparation and therapeutic use of mixtures of vinegar and honey of various composition.
  • "Treatise on chicory" ("Risola fil-hindabo").
  • "Blood vessels for bloodletting" ("Risola fil-uruk al-mafsuda").
  • "Risola-yi Judia" - describes the treatment of diseases of the ear, stomach, teeth. In addition, it describes the problems of hygiene. Some researchers dispute the authorship of Avicenna.
  • A copy of the manuscript "Canon of Medicine" (Al-Ganun Fi at-Tibb) by Ibn Sina of 1030, made in 1143 in Baghdad.

Improving physical education

Ibn Sina wrote in his work about the role and place of physical exercises in health and medical practice. He gave the definition of physical exercises - voluntary movements, leading to continuous, deep breathing.

He argued that if a person exercises moderately and in a timely manner and adheres to the regimen, then he does not need any treatment or medication. When he stops these activities, he languishes. Physical exercise strengthens muscles, ligaments, and nerves. He advised taking into account age and health in classes. He spoke about massage, hardening with cold and hot water. Only the feudal lords could take advantage of Avicenna's recommendations.

Improving physical education, invented by him, is alive to this day and has been helping people for a thousand years.

Chemistry

In the field of chemistry, Ibn Sina discovered the process of distillation of essential oils. He knew how to extract hydrochloric, sulfuric and nitric acids, potassium and sodium hydroxides.

Astronomy

In astronomy, Ibn Sina criticized Aristotle's notion that the stars reflect light from the Sun, arguing that the stars glow with their own light, however, he believed that the planets also glow by themselves. Claimed to have observed the transit of Venus across the disk of the Sun on May 24, 1032. However, modern scholars doubt that he could have observed this passage at the indicated time in the indicated place. He used this observation to justify that Venus, at least sometimes, in Ptolemaic cosmology is closer to the Earth than the Sun.

Ibn Sina also wrote the Compendium of the Almagest, with commentaries on Ptolemy's book.

While in Gurgan, Ibn Sina wrote a treatise on determining the longitude of this city. Ibn Sina could not use the method used by Abu-l-Wafa and al-Biruni, and proposed a new method, consisting in measuring the culminating height of the Moon and comparing it with the height in Baghdad by calculations according to the rules of spherical trigonometry.

In The Book of the Method Preferable to Other Methods in the Construction of an Observing Instrument, Ibn Sina described the observational instrument he invented, which, in his opinion, was to replace the astrolabe; This instrument was the first to use the vernier principle to refine measurements.

Mechanics

Ibn Sina made a significant contribution to the development of the theory of embedded (or imprinted) force - a medieval theory of motion, according to which the cause of the movement of thrown bodies is some force (later called impetus), embedded in them by an external source. In his opinion, the “motor” (a human hand, a bowstring, a sling, etc.) informs a moving body (a stone, an arrow) of some “striving”, similar to how fire transfers heat to water. Gravity can also act as an engine.

"Aspiration" is of three types: mental (in living beings), natural and violent. "Natural striving" is the result of the action of gravity and manifests itself in the fall of the body, i.e. in the natural movement of the body, in agreement with Aristotle. In this case, "striving" can exist even in a motionless body, manifesting itself in the resistance of immobility. "Violent striving" is analogous to Philopon's driving force - it is communicated to the thrown body by its "motor". As the body moves, the "violent aspiration" decreases due to the resistance of the environment, as a result, the speed of the body also tends to zero. In a void, the "violent aspiration" would not change, and the body could perform perpetual motion. One could see in this an anticipation of the concept of inertia, but Avicenna did not believe in the existence of emptiness. Ibn Sina tried to quantify the "violent desire": in his opinion, it is proportional to the weight and speed of the body.

Perhaps Ibn Sina's ideas about invested power became known in the Latin West and contributed to the further development of the theory of impetus by Buridan and other scholastics.

Philosophy

In understanding the subject of metaphysics, Ibn Sina followed Aristotle. Following Al-Farabi, Ibn Sina distinguishes between a possible being that exists due to another, and an absolutely necessary being that exists due to itself. Ibn Sina affirms the eternity of the world to the Creator. Ibn Sina explained creation in eternity with the help of the neoplatonic concept of emanation, thus substantiating the logical transition from the original unity to the multiplicity of the created world. However, unlike Neoplatonism, he limited the process of emanation to the world of the celestial spheres, considering matter not as the end result of the descent of the one, but as a necessary element of any possible being. The cosmos is divided into three worlds: the material world, the world of eternal uncreated forms, and the earthly world in all its diversity. The individual soul forms a single substance with the body, which ensures the integral resurrection of man; the carrier of philosophical thinking is a concrete body, predisposed to the acceptance of a rational soul. Absolute truth can be realized through intuitive vision, which is the culmination of the process of thinking.

The mystical works of Ibn Sina include The Book of Birds, The Book of Love, The Book of the Essence of Prayer, The Book of the Meaning of Pilgrimage, The Book of Getting Rid of the Fear of Death, The Book of Predestination.

Criticism

Around the philosophical views of Avicenna there was a sharp struggle between supporters and opponents of his ideas.

The Sufis sharply opposed the rationalism of Ibn Sina, blaming his philosophy for the fact that it does not allow a person to get closer to God. Nevertheless, many of the Sufis adopted the philosophical method of Avicenna and his idea of ​​the evolutionary nature of the steps of emanation along the line of ascent.

Muhammad Al-Ghazali, in his famous book "The Refutation of the Philosophers", tried to refute the philosophy of Ibn Sina in all aspects. He opposed the doctrine of the primordial and eternity of the world and its attributes, since, according to Al-Ghazali, this leads to dualism, which contradicts the monotheism of Islam. Al-Ghazali also rejects the principle of emanation, according to which God creates the world not by his own will, but by virtue of natural necessity. He also did not share the ideas put forward by Ibn Sina about causality and the impossibility of bodily resurrection.

Later, the line of Al-Ghazali was continued by the 12th-century thinkers Muhammad Shahrastani in his work “Kitab al-Musaraa” and Fakhruddin Razi. In the 12th century, Ibn Rushd defended the ideas of Eastern peripatetism in his book "Refutation of Refutation". Subsequently, the views of Ibn Sina were defended by Nasir ad-Din at-Tusi.

Psychology

Ibn Sina also developed his own teaching on the temperament and character of a person. According to his teachings, human nature is divided into four simple types: hot, cold, wet and dry (which in modern psychology corresponds to four temperaments). These natures are not stable, but change under the influence of internal and external factors, such as meteorological conditions and the change of seasons. Changes in body fluids can also correct nature in the appropriate direction. In addition to simple natures, Avicenna distinguished four more complex natures, depending on the prevalence of one of the four body fluids (blood, mucus, yellow or black bile).

Literature

Ibn Sina wrote many serious scientific works in the form of poems using quatrains. The "Treatise on Love", "Treatise on Birds" and some other works were written in this form. There are among his works and lyrical poetic works - quatrains and rubaiyat.

The main literary works of Ibn Sina are the philosophical story-allegory "Hai ibn Yakzan", a poem of twenty couplets "Bird", "Salaman and Absal". These works and rubaiyat influenced the development of Arabic, Iranian and Turkic-language literature. In particular, Omar Khayyam, a classic of Iranian-language poetry of the 12th century, called Ibn Sina his teacher.

Music

Avicenna also wrote works on music theory, which are part of his encyclopedic works:

  • The Code of the Science of Music in The Book of Healing;
  • "Summary of Music" in The Book of Salvation;
  • section on music in The Book of Knowledge.

From a theoretical point of view, Ibn Sina, according to the medieval tradition, attributed music to the mathematical sciences. He defined it as a science that studies sounds in their relationships and has the goal of establishing the rules for creating a composition. Based on the teachings of Pythagoras, he believed that music is subordinate to numbers and is in close connection with them.

Ibn Sina was the first in history to provide a solid scientific basis for musical history, considering music from the standpoint not only of mathematics, but also of sociology, psychology, poetics, ethics and physiology.

Ibn Sina, together with Al-Farabi, laid the foundation for the science of musical instruments, which was further developed in Europe at a much later time. He gives a detailed classification of types of musical instruments, explains their structure. The sixth section of the Knowledge Book contains the names of almost all existing tools with their descriptions. The works of Al-Farabi and Ibn Sina on the study of musical instruments laid the foundations of instrumental science as a special area of ​​musical science.

The great scientist is also the inventor of the gidzhak, a stringed instrument common in Central Asia.

Medicine is of great importance for every person. With its help, we diagnose and treat various diseases.

Let's find out what path medicine has taken from its inception to the present day.

A Brief History of the Development of Medicine

For researchers, it still remains unknown in which period of development of human society medicine arose. A number of historians believe that even the very first people made attempts to heal their fellows with the help of magic and plants. Adherents of this theory believe that the first doctors were shamans, who, according to legend, had a connection with spirits and could affect the health and even life of a person.

The first professional doctors, according to historians, appeared in ancient Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, India, China and Greece. Such doctors first began to apply empirical medicine, the methods of which were based on the experience of past generations of healers. However, even with the advent of professionals, the so-called temple medicine, which healed with sacrifices and prayers, continued to flourish. With the advent of writing, the development of medicine accelerated, as healers could turn to the works and experience of their predecessors.

One of the most famous doctors of antiquity are Avicenna and Hippocrates. It was Hippocrates who divided people into four types according to temperament. He singled out choleric, sanguine and phlegmatic people, and also recognized that external factors have a significant impact on human health.

In the Middle Ages, the development of medicine slowed down a little due to the persecution of the Christian church. But still, it was during this period that scientists began to open corpses in order to learn about the internal structure of the human body.

A significant breakthrough in medicine was made by the European scientist William Harvey, who lived at the turn of the 16th and 17th centuries. He first described blood circulation in the human body and named the heart as the organ responsible for it.

During the Renaissance and after, high-profile discoveries in medicine followed one after another: vaccination, the discovery of blood types, anesthesia, insulin, cells, microbes, x-rays, various types of operations and others.

History of the development of social medicine

Under the concept of social medicine, it is customary to mean the science of the patterns of development of health care and the health of society. Unlike medical science, social medicine does not study the health of a particular person, but the state of health of society as a whole, as well as individual social groups of the population. The main task of this science is the study of the influence of the social environment on human health, as well as the search for effective measures to eliminate the negative impact of the social environment on a person.

Social medicine originated along with the first hygienic skills of primitive people such as washing, cleaning, burying the dead, and the like.

In ancient Egypt, India, Assyria and other states, social medicine continued to develop, which manifested itself in the organization of inspections of markets and public places, sanitary supervision of wells, and the like.

Note that the principles of a healthy lifestyle were first described in the treatise of the ancient Greek doctor and philosopher Hippocrates "On Airs, Waters and Localities".

Despite the decline of other branches of science, social medicine did not slow down in the Middle Ages. It was during this period that quarantine and the rules for caring for infectious patients were invented.

The further development of social medicine was associated with the work of the Italian scientist Bernardino Ramazzini, who singled out occupational diseases.

For the first time from a legal point of view, the issue of public health was covered in the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen, adopted by the Constituent Assembly of France during the French Revolution. In it, the health of the population was recognized as a national wealth. The first structure of medical management also appeared in France in 1822 and was called the High Medical Council. And at the end of the 19th century, health insurance was introduced in Germany.

At the moment, social medicine has finally emerged as a separate science, which is even taught in higher educational institutions.

History of the development of medicine in Russia

Medicine in Russia has gone through the same path of development as the world. Initially, ancient people were treated by priests, witches and healers. For healing, they used plants and even knew how to do amputation, skull drilling and ventricular dissection.

In the 16th century, under Ivan the Terrible, foreign doctors first arrived in the Moscow principality and founded the Tsar's Pharmacy.

During the reign of the Romanov dynasty, the authorities took quarantine measures if an epidemic of any disease broke out in one of the regions, both among animals and among people. Monasteries served as centers of healing for a very long time.

In the 18th century, from the moment the Russian Empire was founded, the authorities began to place special emphasis on the development of military medicine. So, in 1798, the Military Medical Academy was founded, which still exists.

Until the end of the 18th century, leading positions in Russia were held by foreign doctors, who were wary of competition from local specialists and in every possible way prevented them from obtaining titles and degrees.

Subsequently, military doctors received more and more attention from the government. Young people who were going to connect their lives with medicine and the army could count on receiving medical education abroad.

After the Bolshevik Party came to power, which was later renamed the CPSU, public free medicine was introduced in the USSR, the principles of which are preserved in the modern Russian Federation.

Among the outstanding Russian doctors are the names of Fyodor Gaaz, Grigory Zakharyin, Nikolai Pirogov, Nikolai Sklifosovsky, Sergei Botkin, Ivan Pavlov, Sergei Yudin, Vladimir Filatov, Gavriil Ilizarov and many others.

At the moment, medicine is quite developed, but there are still incurable diseases. Therefore, the saying that it is better to have good health and bad medicine, and not vice versa, today still does not lose its relevance.